The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Remote Travel Agent as a Mum Returning to Work

13 min read
a mother transitioning back to work as remote travel agent, focusing on flexibility and career growth

Juggling family life and career ambitions? You’re not alone. Research from the Fawcett Society and Totaljobs reveals that 85% of working mothers struggle to find a job that accommodates their childcare needs, while only 31% have access to flexible working arrangements.

Additionally, 40% of working mothers have turned down a promotion due to childcare pressures, and one in 10 have quit their jobs altogether.

If you’re looking for a way to achieve financial independence while maintaining a work-life balance, a remote travel franchise could be the answer. Wondering what it is and why it is the ideal career for mums returning to work? This guide gives you a detailed breakdown, from getting started with a home-based travel business to real success stories.

Why Travel Franchising Is the Perfect Career for Mums Returning to Work

If you’re looking for flexible work-from-home jobs for mums, working as an online travel agent from home is the perfect solution. Why? Because this flexible business opportunity allows you to work from the comfort of your own home, fitting around your schedule and helping you tap into unmatched earning potential. A few other reasons why might choose a career path as a work-from-home travel agent include:

Unmatched flexibility: The best career for mums

Bringing a child into this world and looking after it is a miracle of life. Yet it comes with demanding responsibilities and the need for flexibility.

However, when you start a travel agency business from home, you’ll be able to better manage these responsibilities while enjoying a flexible schedule that empowers you to work around school runs, playdates, family life and more.

That’s because a travel franchise allows you to set your own hours and schedule. What’s more, some travel franchises don’t insist you work full time, which means you can start at your own pace. .

Just likeToni, a busy mum based in Wiltshire, who quit her nine-to-five job and opted instead to work from home part-time as a travel agent with The Travel Franchise: “I work part-time basically around my son and it’s merged into my life quite nicely. I love it. It’s been really pivotal in changing the way that I live, and I will never go back to a nine-to-five job ever.”

“It’s definitely changed my life. It’s changed my son’s life. I’ve changed my husband’s life. We all have so much more freedom in our lives because of this business. I’ve got much more opportunity to do the mum stuff at home, but I also have my own identity in terms of my business.”

Earning potential and financial security in a travel franchise

Working as a self-employed travel agent with a travel franchise supporting your business, you can enjoy many other rewards apart from flexibility and a stronger work-life balance.

You can also enjoy high earning potential and financial security. With a travel franchise, for example, working smarter and not harder means you can increase your income over time as you make commission-based earnings.

In addition, choosing the right online travel franchise means you can start with an affordable franchise start-up cost that has high income potential. Not to mention that with The Travel Franchise, you can also win your franchise fee back through the Money Back Challenge.

To explore real success stories from mums who made the switch, why not read about mum Ami, who booked £50,000 in her first week of starting her business. She also booked £270,000 worth of holidays in April and reached £3 million in sales in May 2024 despite being new to travel when she started. Then there is mum and franchisee Lisa, who won Best Businesswomen Awards for Customer Service 2024 and mum of three Alison.

More than just a job: Build a passionate career

Searches for ‘remote travel agent job’ have soared in recent years due to demand – more people than ever before are using agents to book their holiday. Plus there are many perks to look forward to when you start a travel franchise. A few of the top benefits include:

  • Industry perks such as discounted holidays and free ‘fam’ trips. The Travel Franchise includes two free trips in its Elite package.
  • Networking with other travel lovers – you really can make lasting friendships especially if you join a franchise with company trips and conferences.
  • Personal fulfillment when you book people’s dream holidays
  • Financial rewards such as vouchers and tax-free incentives
  • Work/life balance 

Meet people who built successful travel businesses after switching careers.

How to Start a Travel Agency Business From Home While Raising a Family

If you’re a mum looking for return-to-work opportunities, you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that you can have it all: flexibility, work from home, work on a part-time or full-time basis, unlimited earning potential all while juggling the responsibilities of raising a family. Wondering how to make a travel industry career change? Here are some tips to bear in mind:

Mastering time management as a work-from-home travel agent

Running a travel business with kids requires meticulous planning so that you can balance your client bookings with family time. This could mean focusing on mastering block scheduling, where you allocate specific chunks of time to each task or responsibility.

You can also work in the evenings when the kids have got to bed or during the day while they are at school. It’s about having a quiet office space at home or a laptop and good Wi-Fi on the move. Be aware that as you start, you’ll need to allocate time for virtual training as well as catch up with ongoing webinars.

Working as a travel agent from home, you could also consider automating your administrative work with travel booking systems & CRM tools. Additionally, you may consider outsourcing where needed. One example is relying on the services of virtual assistants for social media marketing. But if you join The Travel Franchise they include free marketing materials in the franchise package.

Tech tools to make your life easier

Whether you choose to run a full- or part-time travel business, technology and digital tools will definitely make your life easier. For starters, you should focus on partnering with a travel franchise that offers you access to mobile-friendly online travel franchise platforms and CRM systems. You can also use specialised tools and methods that help with social media marketing for travel agents to attract clients. Furthermore, joining online networking & mentorship groups for support will also play a key role in your success.

Setting work-life boundaries for success

Another important tip that you might consider is setting clear office hours to balance work and family life. When you set boundaries and clear expectations, both your family members and clients can respect your time, schedule and availability, enabling you to manage your responsibilities better.

Also, creating a dedicated home workspace for your travel business can also help you maintain more structure and help with a good organisational approach. And to make the absolute most of your time and experience while achieving work-life balance for mums with your flexible travel franchise, consider involving your children in the experience by teaching them about entrepreneurship & travel.

Read more about how to start a travel business in 12 steps!

Start your own home-based franchise today! Discover how a travel franchise can redefine your future. Gain instant access to our exclusive presentations now!

Why Mums Make Amazing Travel Franchise Owners

There are many franchise opportunities for women out there but travel is one where females really do tend to excel. The Travel Franchise reports that many mums have experienced exceptional success. Keep reading to discover more.

Skills from parenting that apply to business

Being a parent is quite a job. You need to apply many skills to problems simultaneously. But the beauty of it all is that you can use these skills to help you grow your travel business. For example, just a few of the skills that mums have that can help them run their own travel franchise include:

  • Multitasking: Managing clients while running a household.
  • Problem-solving: Finding creative travel solutions.
  • Organisation and planning: Coordinating complex itineraries.
  • Customer service: Understanding and supporting clients’ needs.

Success stories: Mums who transitioned to a travel business

As already mentioned, we have many mums who transitioned to a travel franchise business with The Travel Franchise. These mums have found freedom & fulfilment in a home-based travel agency business. Curious about their experiences? Here’s what a few of them have to say:

“I’ve worked for agencies and big brands like Body Shop, Avon and Microsoft, but I came to a point in my career that to go to the next step would involve a lot of time away from my family. It’s always been a dream of mine to have my own business but, as I didn’t want to start from scratch, I started looking at franchise options.” Becky

“Launching my own travel business has changed my life. I can juggle my hours around the girls and take them on luxury holidays.”Palvi 

“I love going on holiday and being a personal travel consultant is something that can be done from anywhere and I can still fit it around my family.”Helen

How to Work Remotely and Earn as a Travel Franchise Owner

And now, we get into the details of how to work remotely and earn as a travel franchise owner.

Why a home-based travel franchise is the future

A travel franchise for mums comes with multiple advantages. For starters, you don’t need to rent expensive office space. Instead you can run your travel agency business from home. And if you feel like a bit of a break from routine, you can also work from anywhere, be it from home, a coffee shop or while traveling. What’s more, you can partner with a flexible travel franchise that scales as your children grow.

The simple steps to getting started as a travel agent from home

As for the steps to getting started as a travel agent working from home, you will need to:

  1. Set up a home office (even if it’s just a laptop and quiet corner) with good wifi.
  2. Choose the best travel franchise with strong training and support if you are new to travel. 
  3. Start building your online presence (website, social media, referrals, etc.), join networking groups and tell everyone you meet what you do – the school gates are a great place to start!

Common challenges and how to overcome them

Of course, challenges tend to arise in every walk of life and working as a work-from-home travel agent is no different. However, you can overcome these with a few expert tips. For example, if you’re noticing many distractions at home, you can focus on creating a structured daily routine. Feeling isolated? Join franchise support groups and online communities. And if you’re worried about sales, use franchise-provided marketing tools.

Steps to Get Started as a Work-From-Home Travel Agent

Ready to get started as a work-from-home travel agent? Here are the steps you need to consider at the beginning of the process:

  1. Assess your readiness: Time, financial investment, support system, etc.
  2. Research the best travel franchise for mums and people new to travel: Find one designed for flexible work and with great training and support. 
  3. Complete travel agent training: The right franchises will offer you step-by-step guidance and ongoing training and support.
  4. Start marketing your business : Use social media marketing, word-of-mouth and networking.
  5. Build your first clients & grow: Start small, then scale up as you gain confidence.

Why Choose The Travel Franchise?

The company has many years of industry experience, it has won local and international awards and has a track record with many mums building incredible home based travel agencies. Why choose this leading brand? Take a look at a few of the advantages you can enjoy.

Comprehensive online travel agent training and ongoing support

The Travel Franchise offers tailored online travel agent training for mums entering the travel industry. You need no prior experience as you get mentorship at every step. Yes, it is absolutely 100% possible to become a travel agent without any experience. It has case studies to prove it.

A proven success record of mums thriving in travel franchising

Still unsure? Why not hear real stories of mums who built thriving home-based travel businesses with The Travel Franchise.

Read about Hayley, who left her teaching job to work from home with her second baby on her lap. Or what about Amy, whose hobby grew into a dream job? And, of course, there is Lynette, a mum who sold enough holidays in her first month to pay off her franchise fee.

Three franchise packages to choose from

If you want to become a travel agent from home and are keen to explore possibilities with The Travel Franchise you can choose from three franchise packages to suit your needs and budget. Whether you’re a busy mum looking for a part-time travel franchise or a mum that wants to work full time, you can devote as much or as little time as you wish. 

Conclusion

Wondering how to join The Travel Franchise? It’s easy. Simply visit the website, watch its short series of Discovery videos and chat with the team to discuss all the possibilities. It’s clear: the benefits of flexibility, income potential and personal fulfilment are key driving factors that mums around the UK are considering as they look for ways to find that work-life balance while reaping all the additional rewards.

Common Questions Mums Have About Travel Franchising

Is starting a travel franchise risky?

Starting a travel franchise entails making a low investment accompanied by high levels of support, significantly reducing the risks involved in business ownership.

How much time do I need to dedicate? 

With The Travel Franchise, you can start off by dedicating as little as five to 10 hours a week at first.

Can I start part-time and scale up later? 

Yes! Many successful mums started part-time.

What support will I receive? 

Wondering what’s included in your package? With The Travel Franchise, you get training, mentorship, marketing materials and much more.

How do commissions work?

Your earning potential with The Travel Franchise is sky-high. To find out what commissions a travel agent makes, explore this commissions page as a valuable resource.

Ready to start your own travel business? Sign up now for exclusive presentations and take the first step towards franchise ownership.

Jenny Farenden

Jenny Farenden

Head of The Travel Franchise

Jenny has spent the better part of two decades helping franchise businesses grow – not just in numbers, but in reputation, reach, and meaning. She joined The Travel Franchise in 2022 and has been central to its transformation into the most recognised and awarded travel franchise in the UK.

View all posts by Jenny

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