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Where is this? Amanjiwo, Java, Indonesia

"Most importantly, what is the culture you are seeking to join?"

If you are on our website, chances are you're researching host agencies. Below is a guide to finding the right match.

Apply to Join Our Team

Are your currently a travel agent?

Highlight relevant skills. Tell us how you plan to get your first clients. Share why you think you would be a good fit for our team. Failing to complete this field fully will cause your application to be automatically rejected. Helpful hint: "I love travel" is not enough of an answer.

Napasai-Belmond-Koh-Samui.avif

Where is this? Splendido, a Belmond Hotel, Portofino, Italy

The Basics

First, you want to ensure you have the basics covered before moving on to bells and whistles.


Legitimacy: First, ensure the host agency is legitimate and has a valid IATA number, confirming its recognition in the international travel industry. If you plan to sell nationwide, also verify that the agency holds seller of travel licenses for Florida, California, Washington, and Hawaii.


Commission Splits: Make sure you are choosing a host agency with a competitive commission split. For example, ours starts at 80%/20% (you keep 80%). Most host agencies start at 70%/30%. Definitely avoid anyone trying to give you a 60%/40% commission split.


Training: Training will make or break you, especially as a new agent. Our training is hands down the most practical and thorough on the market. Other agencies say that they have training but leave significant educational gaps, giving new agents a rocky start.


Consortia and Benefits: One of the benefits of joining a host agency is access to benefits for your clients. These come from travel consortia and benefits programs. Check if your host agency is part of Travel Leaders or Virtuoso (the largest consortia), and then check if they are part of, i.e., Four Seasons Preferred Partners, Rosewood Elite, etc.


Restrictions: Be careful. Some host agencies have very strong niches, i.e., cruises, all-inclusive, domestic, international, etc. Joining a host agency with a niche limits your earnings significantly. Also, some host agencies will try to force you to book through a limited number of suppliers. Our agents can book everything, and we pull hundreds of rates from suppliers around the world into FastBook. Our supplier list is always expanding, not shrinking, so we can ensure our clients get the best rates and our agents can close the maximum number of deals.

Ready to join our team?

Our agency might just change your life. We will give you a new skill, new community and new way to earn serious income. Go ahead and apply and know within 48 hours whether you've made the cut. Remember, no travel agent experience required.

Belmond-Cap-Juluca-Anguilla-Boat.avif

Where is this? Cap Juluca, a Belmond Hotel, Anguilla.

The Extras

Tech: We have the best travel agent tech on the market. The only other agency that has a modern booking portal is Fora, but they still don't come close to matching our functionality and rates. If you care about tech, you will choose between us, and ours is significantly more sophisticated.


Community: Many travel agents seek community but find it lacking within their host agency. We have talked to many agents who were disappointed after joining a host. If you want active chats and a collaborative atmosphere, you have slim pickings. Our community is very active. Our chats and forums are constantly pinging. We host our community on Circle, so it makes it easy for you to see chats, events, forum posts, and more, all in one place.


Mentorship: Before we started LuxRally Travel, we were at a host agency that basically tossed us an IATA and said good luck. Some travel agencies have "mentorship," but it's from low-earning agents. Our agents have direct access to top-earning agents for practical insights.


Continued Education: After you join a host agency and complete their training, what's next? You may want a host agency that provides opportunities to continue building your expertise. Check the resources your host agency provides post-graduation. With us, it's a lot. We have additional courses, events nearly daily, vendor meetings, and more.


Connections: You will likely want a host agency that has strong global connections. This will largely depend on the sophistication of your host. For example, we have connections across all major brands. Since we have a reputation for sending large amounts of business to properties, our contacts take us seriously. Additionally, we recruit people who have run or worked in hotels around the world into our concierge department. They have strong personal connections to sales managers, GMs, matré ds, and other key people in the hospitality sector.

Belmond-La-Residencia-Mallorca.avif

Where is this? Splendido, a Belmond Hotel, Portofino, Italy

Four-Seasons-Safari-Lodge-Serengeti.jpg

Where is this? Amangalla, Sri Lanka

The Culture

Most importantly, what is the culture you are seeking to join? Are you looking for a travel agent mill where you are just a number and a subscription fee? Are you looking for a thriving community where the CEO is directly helping agents (i.e., our host agency)? Do you want to focus on Disney World, cruises, and all-inclusive resorts and make the minimum per hour? Do you want to maximize your earnings and have access to an in-house concierge team to help you with VIP clients (i.e., our host agency)? You need to make sure your goals and work ethic align with your host agency's culture.


We are not a good host agency, for example, for hobbyist agents who want to sell Disney World 24/7. Why? Well, selling Disney is one of the least profitable endeavors when you break it down to earnings per hour. You have to wait on hold and deal with large amounts of client complaints, and the commissions aren't that great. We don't sell a lot of Disney; it's just the occasional trip when a client specifically requests it. So, our commissions and contacts will not be as strong as those of travel agencies that only focus on Disney.


We are an excellent host agency, though, for someone who wants to take this career seriously and specialize in high performance for their clients. We have no travel-specific niche; our "niche" is the convenient go-to source for all our clients' travel needs. Our culture is that of collaboration and excellence. We set our agents up to maximize their earnings and service capabilities. We do have sales minimums to remain active, but these are low. New agents must sell $2,500 in revenue in their first quarter (about $250 in commission) and then $5,000 each following quarter (about $500 in commission). Our annual sales minimum is $50,000 (about $5,000 a year in commissions). This isn't some "old school strict standard." This is a pulse check to see if you are taking this seriously. Something is wrong if you can't earn $5,000 a year at our agency -- this number is far below our average.

How do you choose the best host agency?

Last Updated:

01/17/2025

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