Travel Agent Resources

How To Become A Travel Agent In Alabama (For Free)

By Courtney Eisen

May 23, 2024

At LuxRally Travel, we don't just encourage those with a love for exploration to consider a career as a travel agent, we provide the tools to make it happen. If you're in Alabama and have a passion for adventure, we offer free training to help you become a travel agent. By stepping into this role, you can dive into the exhilarating world of travel and tourism. With our support, transitioning into this exciting profession is much easier than you might think. There's no better time to turn your wanderlust into a rewarding career.

The Path to Becoming a Successful Travel Agent

Becoming a successful travel agent in Alabama doesn't require a degree in hospitality or spending thousands on vocational training. What it does require, however, is the right mindset, quality learning resources, and a supportive community that encourages growth and success. With these tools at your disposal and a willingness to learn, network, and work hard, there's nothing stopping you from becoming a top-performing travel agent in Alabama.

LuxRally Travel: Paving the Way with Free Online Training

At LuxRally Travel, we believe in empowering aspiring travel agents with the right tools and resources. That's why we offer free online travel agent training. Our comprehensive training program is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to excel in this dynamic industry.

Choosing Your Host Agency: A Crucial Step

One of the most important decisions you'll make as an aspiring travel agent is choosing your host agency. This decision can significantly impact your career trajectory. The host agency's culture, resources, legitimacy, and training programs can either propel your career forward or hold you back.

When searching for the ideal host agency, consider factors such as the agency's reputation, the training they provide, and how they support their agents. At LuxRally Travel, we've compiled a checklist to help guide you through how to select the best host travel agency.

However, it's essential to note that LuxRally Travel does not hire existing travel agents. The reason being retraining agents who have been trained using outdated methods can be quite challenging. Instead, we concentrate on training new agents using our efficient and modern program. This approach ensures they're well-equipped to succeed, whether they're based in a small town or a major city.

Is LuxRally Travel the Perfect Match for You?

If you're serious about turning your career as a travel agent into a lucrative full-time job, LuxRally Travel could be the perfect match for you. We're not looking for hobbyists seeking discounts on trips; we're after ambitious individuals ready to make a significant impact.

Our free online travel agent training course takes between 50 to 70 hours to complete. Two-thirds of the course is self-directed. Upon completion, you'll be a fully licensed and insured agent, ready to start selling and making real money.

Moreover, you'll become part of a thriving community of other agents. This community will serve as a valuable network for advice, support, and inspiration whenever you need it.

So, are you ready to embark on an exciting journey and become a high-producing travel agent in Alabama? Start your adventure with LuxRally Travel today! Your dream career awaits.

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What's in the Free Online LuxRally Travel Agent Training Curriculum?

Our self-directed curriculum includes but is not limited to: What is a Travel Agent? The LuxRally Mindset Tenets of Sales Quick-Quoting Fundamentals Evaluating Clients Problem Solving Steps of the Sale Closing Techniques How to Use Travel Leaders Select Hotel Benefits Programs Flights and Airlines Hotel Brands Primer Introduction to All-Inclusive Resorts Introduction to Wholesalers How to Use Wholesaler Portals Cruising Primer How to Use Cruise Portals Ancillary Services LuxRally Concierge Services Travel Insurance Accounting and Finance Group Contracts and Tools Booking Groups at All-Inclusive Resorts Booking Groups on Cruises Marketing Basics Fraud and Scam Detection How to Use Our Knowledge Base The curriculum ends with a concluding assessment. Once the self-guided portion of your training is completed your will begin preparing for your practical exam, a hands-on assesment of your sales skills and knowledge. Opportunities for continued learning are offered post-graduation. Thorough GDS training is provided upon request.
How much does LuxRally Travel's Agent Training cost?

Zero. Free. No hidden fees, no catch.
What other costs might I incur as an agent with LuxRally Travel?

We do not charge any annual or monthly fees to our agents. The only cost that our agents are liable for is an annual payment of $51.50, payable directly to the State of Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. We provide assistance to our agents to ensure they understand which payment needs to be made to remain an active agent.
Do I need experience to become a luxury travel advisor with LuxRally Travel?

Our methods and philosophies are often opposite to that of traditional travel agencies. For example, we do not believe in charging service fees, and this is something experienced agents cannot wrap their heads around. Additionally, while we enjoy free travel occasionally, we do not believe in FAM culture. FAMs are free group trips for travel agents and often create a conflict of interest between the agents and their clients. Traditional travel agents may send people to a location in exchange for a FAM trip. We find this practice repulsive. The average travel agent makes $46,000 a year; LuxRally Travel agents are trained to make multiples of that. The LuxRally system is best for beginners as it takes more energy for us to fix existing agents than to make new ones. We are accepting existing travel agents onto a waitlist. Existing agents will be required to take our training and will be banned from charging fees, however, they will gain access to the best tech in the industry.
Who is a good fit for the LuxRally Travel team?

We want general hustlers here to make money and who know how to sell. We want you if you have no sales experience but can prove to us that you are a natural-born hustler. Those with prior sales experience, mortgage brokers, car dealers, jewelers, IT salespeople, concierges, hotel sales managers, medical, pharma, top producing real estate agents, timeshare salespeople, etc., tend to be better at not only understanding the value of their networks but also understand how to advocate for their clients when interacting with vendors. We also look for individuals with large networks that deal primarily with the upper middle class and wealthy and those with a passion for all things travel, especially luxury travel and luxury dining.
How long does LuxRally's travel agent training take?

The training can be broken down into three portions: A Self-Guided Course on Teachable: 50-70 hours (varies by the speed of the individual). This should take you 2-4 weeks. A Launch Meeting on Microsoft Teams: 1-2 hours (scheduled weekly) You Will Have a One Week Period to Prepare for Your Practical Exam A Practical Exam / Final Assessment on Microsoft Teams: 3-4 hours (scheduled weekly) You have four weeks to complete the Teachable portion of your training. If you do not complete the training within four weeks of your enrollment (note: enrollment occurs after your contract is signed/counter-signed), you will be removed from the program. You have three attempts to pass your practical exam. If you fail on your first attempt, you may retake it the following week. You can expect to become an agent within 3-6 weeks, depending on how quickly you complete the teachable and whether you pass your final assessment on the first attempt.
Do I need anything specific to become a travel agent?

From a practical standpoint, you will need a solid computer (preferably with multiple screens), a smartphone, and a current job that allows you to interrupt your day to handle issues for traveling clients. This is a 24/7/365 career. While you will not be working all of the time, clients need to be able to reach you if they experience an emergency while on a trip.
What is the difference between a travel agent and a travel advisor?

There is no real difference; however, travel advisor is often the preferred term for those in the luxury sector.
Do I need to get my own leads?

The short answer is that you will be responsible for getting your own leads and must cultivate a stable source of clients to earn six or seven figures as a Luxury Travel Agent. That being said, we have just launched our FastTrack program. FastTrack gamifies our leads program through a unique credit system, rewarding successful deals with additional credits and providing opportunities to earn more through various tasks. Credits are redeemed for leads. If an agent runs out of credits (because they did not close any leads), they can earn credits through various tasks or wait for their quarterly replenishment. Credits cannot be bought by agents. The Credits system is created to ensure agents with solid close rates work the leads and that agents with low closing rates do not take large quantities of leads. Participating in FastTrack is currently invite only. The program has completed it's pilot and has begun rolling out to other agents as of May 6th, 2024. We are expanding the program to make it accessible to all agents. Agents who score high on their final exam are more likely to be invited into the FastTrack program.
Do I need to make my own travel brand to be successful?

No, it is not a requirement for success. You can use the LuxRally Travel brand to market yourself as an agent. After graduation from our training program and completion of our orientation, you will receive the following: An @LuxRallyTravel.com Email A Landing Page (Agent Profile) on Our Website Access to Branded Templates for Business Cards, Flyers, and Other Promotional Materials Additionally, once you are officially a LuxRally Travel Agent, you will have access to our marketing team to help you create promotional branded materials. Sponsoring an event and need signage? Need help with a social media post? Our team has your back. Now, creating a brand might make sense if you plan on getting leads through SEO or paid ads that require landing pages. However, for most people, creating an independent travel brand is not necessary. Your name will be the brand you will want to focus on. When someone thinks about you i.e., "David Eisen", you want them to automatically think about travel. After completing our training, if you are still determining which path is right for you, we suggest scheduling a one-on-one session with our CMO to evaluate what would be most beneficial to growing a healthy client base. Some agents use social media and personal networks, while others use branded websites and more traditional marketing tactics. It all depends on your situation, networks and background. A simple example would be if your background is in digital marketing. If you have experience in SEO, we would never discourage you from having your own site. We don't make money until you do, so we always provide feedback based on what we think will be practical for ramping up your business. Whatever you choose to do, know that we support both approaches and will provide candid feedback after learning more about your goals.
What can I earn commission on?

Hotel Stays (including groups) Cruises Flights (select flights, not all flights pay commission, you will learn about this in our agent training) Tours Car Service Travel Insurance Rental Cars Private Villas Private Jets Luxury Trains
How do I get Paid?

We offer a commission split based on your received commissions from your client's bookings. It is one of the best commission splits in the industry, starting at 80%/20% in your favor, meaning you keep 80% of what you make. After your first $100,000 in commissions, your split increases to 90%/10%, meaning you keep 90% of what you make. The commission resets each year back to 80%. The most productive LuxRally travel advisors earn multiples of the average travel agent.
Will I be a fully licensed travel agent after completing the LuxRally Travel Agent Training Program?

Yes, after completing our training and orientation, you will be fully licensed under our host agency with all IATA and Seller of Travel licenses required.
What is the LuxRally Travel Agent Portal?

Our comprehensive portal is the one-stop shop for creating clients, making bookings, overseeing your accounting, and more. Instead of getting lost across dozens of systems, our agent portal centralizes all the essential tools you need to be a successful travel agent. These Features include: A Dashboard with Key Statistics About Your Performance, Top Clients, and Top Vendors A Booking Dashboard Where You Can Quickly Make Bookings Directly in the Portal (Sabre/GDS, Expedia, HotelBeds, Rate Hawk and more suppliers currently supply rates and inventory for our portal) Our Portal Gives Agents Access to Net Rates Hotel Lists, Many of Which are Shared Agency Wide Allow You to Shop Rates in FastBook for Multiple Hotels Based on Your Custom Preferences i.e. "Hotels With Benefits in Rome" or "Luxury Maldives" Quick Invoicing to Efficiently Complete All Accounting Work Associated With Your Booking Agent Analytics to Take a Deeper Dive Into Your Performance Over Time A CRM to Manage All of Your Client Information in One Place, Including Client Profiles Which can be Automatically Sent to Hotels and Payment Information, Including Credit Card Authorization Forms and More An Accounting Portal to Manage Invoices, Match and Track Commissions, and begin Collections From Vendors For Unpaid Commissions Direct Access to the LuxRally Travel Knowledge Base to Quickly Find Educational Resources Access to a Leads Program to Claim Leads and Track Your Performance (Launching in April 2024) Direct Access to Our "Schedule a 1:1" Feature to Easily Get in Touch With LuxRally Travel Staff When Your Need In-Depth Support in Sales or Marketing Cruise, Air, Car Transfers and Tours will be adding to our booking system by Q3 2025. Our portal has been designed to minimize the administrative workload on our agents. It is developed in house meaning we make adjustments quickly based on agent feedback.
What happens after training is over?

After training, you become a fully licensed travel agent, ready to sell. We provide access to a superabundance of resources to ensure that all new agents feel welcomed and confident. The LuxRally Group Chat: Our group chat is a go-to for most agents seeking hotel recommendations, assistance with booking tools and third parties, advice on utilizing benefits programs, and general guidance for anything that may come up. LuxRally Agents sign agreements stating they cannot poach each other's clients, allowing our agents to confidently ask for assistance without fear of giving up a promising lead. Continued Mentorship: One-on-One sessions with members from our sales and marketing teams available to our agents. Whether you need a refresher on using a booking tool or lead generation advice, you will have access to a solid mentor. Bi-Weekly Ask Me Anything (AMA) Sessions with David Eisen: David Eisen is not only the founder of LuxRally Travel but is believed to be the highest-grossing single travel agent in the world. Our agents can casually ask David anything travel related on bi-weekly video calls. Bi-Weekly Marketing Round Tables with Courtney Eisen: Courtney Eisen has an extensive marketing background and highlights destinations to focus on, marketing best practices and open format Q&A opportunities. Office Hours With Top Closers: Our top performing agents have open office hour sessions where you can join, ask questions and learn from other agents about specific strategies to better serve clients and increase earnings. Weekly Vendor Chats: Each week, a vendor is invited to a companywide weekly video conference to present educational materials and lead a Q&A. From General Managers of Forbes Five-Star hotels to Mega Yacht experts, our agents have access to continued education directly from industry professionals.
What if I fail?

Follow our training, and, likely, you won't. However, in the rare case you do, you will owe us nothing unless you leave to join another agency. Before parting ways, we will remove you from our website, group chats, and other internal resources. While a tiny percentage of our agents who complete training drop out of the program, we understand that selling travel is not for everyone.
Why should I choose LuxRally Travel as my host agency?

We can confidently say we offer more to our agents than any other host agency with the following: Free, Comprehensive Travel Agent Training We Cover Licensing and Errors and Omissions Insurance for Our Agents We Do Not Charge Our Agents Any Subscription or Membership Fees to be a Part of Our Host Agency Weekly Group Classes One-on-One Sessions Available to All Agents, Even After Training, With Sales and Marketing Teams Competitive Commission Splits (80%/20% vs. 70%/30%), Meaning You Make More Money The Most Advanced Agent Portal on the Market Mentorship From the Highest-grossing Travel Agent in the World Modern Best Practices That Generate Revenue and Maximize Client Satisfaction A Culture of Camaraderie An In-House Team Negotiating Deals for our Agency Directly With Vendors A Comprehensive Knowledge Base Annual Sales Symposiums for In-Person Training and Networking Most importantly, we only make money once you do. We are vested in your success and will do everything possible to give you the best shot in this industry. These are just a few reasons why starting your career as a travel agent with LuxRally Travel is the best move. Lastly, we do not hire people who are already agents, so you will miss out if you ramp up with another host. Our methods are directly opposed to the fee-saturated "best practices" of archaic host agencies, and we've found it takes an immense amount of energy to break the bad habits of existing agents.
What are the requirements to remain an agent with LuxRally Travel?

To maintain your status as an agent with LuxRally Travel, you must meet the following requirements throughout the duration of your time with us: Email Communication: Agents must regularly log into their LuxRally Travel email address. If they have not logged in within 30 days or use an alternate email address for communications, this could affect their standing. Sales Performance: Agents must make at least one sale every 90 days. This can be any sale as long as it is not personal travel (booked by the agent for their own travel). Availability: It's important that agents have ample availability for clients. Limited availability may impact their ability to serve clients effectively. Equipment: Agents need access to a reliable computer to run their travel business. Without this, they may struggle to manage their work efficiently. Community Participation: Being part of the official LuxRally Travel Agent Facebook chat(s) or group(s) is a requirement. This helps agents stay connected and updated with the latest information. These are private channels for agency-related information and support. Revenue Generation: Our agents must sell $30,000 in revenue per year. That would equate to $3,000 a year in commission (an incredibly low number). If you go through our training and cannot hit this small milestone, this is likely not the right career path for you. By meeting these requirements, agents can ensure they maintain their status with LuxRally Travel. Agents who do not meet these requirements are cut from our agency. If you have additional questions regarding this list of requirements, we encourage you to ask them during your interview after applying to our program.
What are the next steps?

Go ahead and apply to join our team. You will be asked to schedule an interview or denied from our program within 24-48 hours.
Do you accept existing agents?

As of October 2024 we are accepting existing agents onto a wait list. They will be given access to our training once the new version is launched. All existing agents wanting to join our agency must be prepared to stop charging service fees, we ban them at our agency. However, our tech causes things to be exponentially efficient so the need for charging service fees for "time spent" is removed.