How to Become a Travel Agent
Becoming a travel agent is one of the most accessible ways to build a flexible, home-based business doing work you genuinely enjoy. You do not need a degree. You do not need years of industry experience. And in most states, you do not need a license. What you need is the right structure, the right training, and a host agency that gives you access to the tools professionals use.
This guide covers everything that travel agents actually do, what it costs to get started, how much you can earn, and the exact steps to become a working travel advisor.
What Does a Travel Agent Do?
A travel agent plans and books travel for clients. This includes cruises, vacation packages, all-inclusive resort stays, international tours, river cruises, honeymoons, group travel, expedition travel, and more. Independent travel agents earn commissions paid directly by travel suppliers: cruise lines, tour operators, resort groups, and travel insurance companies when a client books and travels.
Modern travel agents are not ticket clerks. They are advisors. Clients come to them for expertise, access to exclusive pricing, personalized service, and help navigating options that would take hours to research independently. A skilled travel agent saves clients time, gets them better value, and builds relationships that generate repeat business and referrals for years.
Do You Need a License to Become a Travel Agent?
In most US states, no license is required to work as a travel agent. A small number of states, including California, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, and Washington require travel sellers to register with the state.
What you do need are industry credentials. Travel agents book through systems that require IATA or CLIA accreditation. Obtaining these independently takes years and a high cost. The practical solution used by most independent advisors is to affiliate with a host travel agency that already holds these credentials and extends them to its agents.
What Is a Host Travel Agency?
A host travel agency is a licensed, accredited travel company that provides independent agents with the credentials, supplier relationships, booking infrastructure, and support they need to operate professionally. Instead of building everything from scratch, you operate under the host agency's umbrella.
Through a host agency, you gain immediate access to preferred supplier agreements, back office booking systems, vendor training resources, and commission processing. You keep your independence, you choose your own clients, set your own hours, and build your own brand, while the host handles the back-end infrastructure.
BNT Travel Group is a professional host travel agency based in Brooklyn, NY, operating since 2004.
BNT is a member of Travel Leaders Network, one of the largest travel consortia in North America, providing agents with preferred supplier access across cruise lines, tour operators, resort brands, and travel insurance providers.
How to Become a Travel Agent: Step by Step
Step 1 - Decide on your business model
Most new travel agents start as independent contractors affiliated with a host agency. This is the fastest, most cost-effective path. The alternative — starting a fully independent agency — requires obtaining your own IATA accreditation, building direct supplier relationships, and navigating compliance requirements on your own. For most people, the host agency model is the right starting point.
Step 2 - Choose a host travel agency
Not all host agencies are equal. Look for: no monthly or annual fees, a competitive commission split, membership in a recognized travel consortia such as Travel Leaders Network, CLIA accreditation, clear support and training resources, and a business model focused entirely on travel sales, not recruitment.
Avoid host agencies that charge high monthly fees, require you to recruit other agents to earn income, or make unrealistic promises about guaranteed clients or leads. These are characteristics of MLM-style programs, not professional host agencies.
Step 3 - Complete enrollment and onboarding
With BNT Travel Group, enrollment takes less than 10 minutes online. After paying the one-time $299 startup fee, you receive back office access and onboarding materials within one business day. The onboarding process walks you through how the system works, how to register with suppliers, and how to submit your first booking to get commissions paid.
Step 4 - Register with suppliers
Your host agency provides access to preferred suppliers. Register with cruise lines, tour operators, and resort brands that align with your interests and target clients. Most suppliers provide free onboarding training, certification programs, and dedicated sales representatives who help new agents learn their products.
Step 5 - Complete supplier certifications
Every major cruise line and tour operator offers free agent certification programs. Royal Caribbean has University of WOW. Norwegian has NCL. Sandals has a Sandals Specialist. These certifications make you a more credible advisor, give you access to better rates and promotions, and help you confidently recommend specific products to clients.
Step 6 - Build your client base
No host agency provides guaranteed clients. Building a client base is your responsibility and it is how most successful travel agents distinguish themselves. Start with your personal network: friends, family, coworkers, and social connections who travel. From there, grow through referrals, social media, niche marketing, and consistent follow-up with past clients.
The agents who succeed fastest focus on a niche: cruises, destination weddings, luxury travel, adventure travel, family vacations, or a specific destination. A clear specialty makes you easier to find and easier to recommend.
What Training Do You Need?
No formal travel industry training is required before you start. Most learning happens on the job.
That said, the agents who invest in learning early grow faster.
BNT provides a back office training library, onboarding guides, and access to vendor webinars from day one. The optional BNT Academy Premium ($35/month) adds an advanced training video library with 30+ courses covering cruise sales, niche marketing, building a client base, pricing strategy, and growing a home-based travel business.
Suppliers themselves provide free training. Industry organizations such as CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association) offer professional certification programs for travel advisors. Completing supplier certifications and pursuing CLIA accreditation signals professionalism to clients and opens access to FAM trips - discounted or complimentary travel for agents to experience destinations and products firsthand.
How Much Does It Cost to Become a Travel Agent?
With BNT Travel Group, the cost to start is a one-time $299 fee. There are no monthly or annual fees under the standard membership.
The $299 is refundable when you earn $350 or more in agent commissions within three months of joining.
Beyond the startup fee, most travel agent expenses are minimal: a reliable internet connection, a phone, and time to learn and build relationships. There is no inventory to buy, no office required, and no staff to hire.
How Much Can You Earn as a Travel Agent?
Travel agent income is commission-based. When a client books and completes travel, the supplier pays your host agency a commission, and you receive your percentage of that.
BNT agents start at an 80% commission split and can qualify for up to 90%. Commission rates vary by supplier and product: cruise lines pay up to 17% of the booking value, tour operators up to 20%, and travel insurance up to 25%.
A single cruise booking for a family of four can generate $500 to $2,000 or more in agent commission, depending on the cruise line, cabin category, and sailing length. Agents who build a consistent client base of repeat travelers and referrals can generate a full-time income.
Part-time agents with a strong personal network can earn meaningful supplemental income.
Income is not guaranteed. It depends entirely on your effort, your client base, and how consistently you work. Travel is a people business - the agents who invest in relationships and professional development are the ones who build lasting, profitable practices.
How to Get Clients as a New Travel Agent
This is the question every new agent asks, and the honest answer is: you build them. No host agency provides a stream of ready-to-book clients. Your network is your business.
Start with people who already know and trust you. Tell your personal and professional contacts what you do. Post consistently on social media: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, sharing travel inspiration, tips, and your own expertise. Ask every client for a referral. Follow up with past clients before their next trip.
Agents who grow fastest choose a niche and become the expert in it. If you love cruises, become the cruise expert in your community. If you love Europe, focus on European itineraries. A clear niche makes your marketing easier and your referrals stronger.
Why Choose BNT Travel Group to Start Your Travel Business?
BNT Travel Group has been supporting independent travel advisors since 2004. We are not an MLM. There is no recruitment requirement, no downline, and no monthly fee eating into your commissions. Our agents earn from travel sales only.
Through our Travel Leaders Network membership, BNT agents access preferred supplier agreements with major cruise lines, tour operators, all-inclusive resort brands, and more, with commission levels that reflect two decades of established supplier relationships.
We offer a one-time startup fee of $299, a commission split of up to 90%, email support, a training library, and optional BNT Academy Premium for agents who want to grow faster. We are transparent about what we provide and what we do not. We do not promise free clients, guaranteed income, or a business that runs itself.
What we offer is a professional foundation and 20+ years of experience helping agents build real travel businesses.
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