Can anyone become a TA and save money?

[ho]

Thanks Kathleen.

I will look into CLAI. I have spoke with some others who said the IATA number does not do you much good on discounts just commissions and those are split 50/50. Also it sounds like CLAI will be a learning experience in addition to the discounts and commissions. Thank you again for taking the time to post, for what it's worth I think you have more information then most T/A's.

Ho

[Annieeee]

Someone asked about info on this very subject so I am bringing this up to the top so they can read it. I know it is an old thread but some of the info may be useful to those that may be thinking about switching careers or thinking of a part time job.


Annieeee

[newmexicoNita]

[quote name='late seating']We have heard for years that for a few dollars one will be provided credentials thereby becoming a travel agent. And, one of the benefits of becoming a TA is that cruises can be purchased for a fraction of the cost that the general public pays. Is this just a myth? Can anyone shed some light on the subject. Thanks. Late Seating (Angelo and Connie).[/QUOTE]
i can't wait to read this thread, before I do I will give you the answer as I am sure others have: 1-it isn't as easy to become a TA as some think:2-we do not make bundles or money, nor is it the most glamorous job in the world, 3-in order to even qualify for any discounts you must sell a certain amount and be a TA for a certain length of time: 4-those great deals are not all that great!! Beleive me anyone who would even consider becoming a TA just to save money needs to really investigate or maybe be investigated. NMNita

[newmexicoNita]

[quote name='Danno']:D :D Everyday when I come to this board I learn so much from other cruisers. I try to answer any questions I think I can help with. I try to have a bit of fun...it helps take some of the stress out of my day. Then I stumble on a post authored by people who think like this...where do people who think like this come from?? Is there a place where cheating is OK? Where kids are raised to think that only THEY count and to he11 with what's right or wrong??

Just watch, I'll catch more flack for this than the apprentice fraud artist who started this thread!![/QUOTE]
My sentiments exactly!!!

[newmexicoNita]

[quote name='cruising with marti'][b]Kathleen, it seems too me that you are being a little harsh on Dan, I happen too agree with him on this subject,[/b]

[b]having been in the travel business for a number of years, ( owned 3 agencies in the S.F.bay area) I feel that folks thatget in the business, to be able to save a few bucks on cruises or other vacation discount are just trying to scam the suppliers. Not to mention the negative impact on the pros who are in the business in order to make a living.[/b]

[b]So who is on thier highhorse?????[/b]


[b]Phil[/b][/QUOTE]


Phil is sooo right. Those of us who are professionals whether working out of our homes or in offices are proud of what we do. Many of us do research and have our clients best interest at heart. Yes, sometimes we are just order takers, but many times we spend hours helping clients. For anyone to get a card and claim to be a TA or any other type of professional to safe a few dollars is playing a scam game in my opinion. Kathleen refers to home based agency being recognized: of course they are, but that has nothing to do with the question about "how can I become an agent just to save money on cruises?" which is exactly what the OP was asking. NMNita

[newmexicoNita]

[quote name='jezzdogg']Thank You Kathleen for the information. Why I use a company to book my cruises, vacations, etc I provide them with all the info, not the other way around, all they do is call the cruiseline, hotel to book for us. Was thinking of setting up some kind of my own business, your thread may have given me the start of something[/QUOTE]


It may surprise you to know we do alot more than just call the cruise line, hotel or resort. Sometimes it is that simple and we look at that $150 or $200 or more commission and think YES, 75% of the time it isn't that easy, not to mention checking and all the other things we do from booking time to travel time.

NMnita

[newmexicoNita]

[quote name='jezzdogg']I work as a sales manager for a large major department store, we salaried and work 50 hours a week, and that is on weeks that there is not a major sale. The months of Nov, Dec and the first half of Jan we work 6 days a week app 12 hours a day.........so someone to say I work 8 hours and sometimes more, somehow I can not feel sorry for them. The TA gets perks, on our bookings, that we researched, many times long and hard, all they do is call the cruiseline and finalize the deal for many of us......most people who work and work hard do not get perks. I wonder if the cruiseline got ready of the perks.....how much cheaper our cruises would be. I know a TA who every Feb., does a group cruises so that she can cruise for "free" never doing anything except a bottle of wine for the people she brings on board.........You know what TA have it easy..........[/QUOTE]

I can't get over how little many of you know about what a TA does. Before moving to NM I worked for a large travel company near Dallas. I was hired as a part time agent, 6 hours a day, 4 days a week: What a joke!! I worked on my days off, sometimes I came in a opening 8am and left at 7pm (closing time) no lunch breaks or certainly not more than about 10 minutes and on and on. This was just to keep up with the business I had. A TA who does a group every Feb, well I am doing a wedding group right now (it happens to be my own grandaughter) you think groups are easy? They are the hardest part of being an agent. Yes, we may cruise free when doing groups, but we deserve every bit of that free cruise. If you haven't guessed by now, reading all my replys today, you guys have really hit a sore spot with true, bonified travel agents and agency owners. NMnita

[newmexicoNita]

[quote name='Kathleen P.']You lost me....what insuance company??? Insurance is not a part of this...I don't understand to what and to whom you are speaking of. If you are referring to me, I do not have insurance nor is it any part of what I am speaking of.


To be a travel agent and book vacations for yourself is not a crime, is not fraud, is not a loophole. If you are a show maker and decided you do not want any customers, you just want to make shoes for yourself and your family, is that wrong. Sure, you might get a discount on the supplies to make the shoes, but you are not making any money. Is getting a "free" vacation using your AmEx points cheating...I could also use 290,000 of my points and go on the Summit to Alaska...is that fraud...I'm not paying for it!

Like I stated in another post, MOST of our vactions are not discountable, and most of my vacations are land vacations. I am not a cruise specialist TA, I do not wish to sit all day booking trips, and even with the commission deducted from our last cruise, we spent over $6000...so where is the "crime".

I know some people who do not take any tests, who have an illegal (stolen)IATA card. They use it everywhere they vacation for discounts---that is stealing and that is wrong-- that I would never do.[/QUOTE]


It is a loophole, what you are doing certainly doesn't fall into the same catagory as the person who steals an IATA card, but I still say you are degrading the TA profession,plus letting others know how they can do the same and that is what has many of us so unset. NMNita

[newmexicoNita]

[quote name='jezzdogg']Also, I was told and learned that the commission is a lot more than 3%. In fact, when I booked and cruised the Panama Canal this april, the cruise co. put on my master card a amount to Princess and a separate charge to them. When I called an asked, they very reluckantly acknowledge that was their commission[/QUOTE]

I don't know what kind of agency you are using, but that isn't quite the way the commission works; yes, it is usually over 3% by quite a bit, but they don't put one amount to the cruise line and another amount to themselves on your cc. At least I have never heard of an agency doing it that way. NMnita

[TWELVEOHONE]

Haven’t posted for a while but thought I should add my 2-cents into this discussion.
The Cruise lines International Association (CLIA) is the marketing group for the cruise lines. Most (not all) of the cruise lines are members of CLIA while travel agents are associate members. The cost to join CLIA is $295.00 per year. This will give you a CLIA number NOT a CLIA card.

CLIA agent rates run from $45.00 per night to $90.00 per night depending on cruise line. Obviously the more expensive luxury cruise lines are on the high side. Getting these prices has many draw-backs. You do not have a cabin selection except inside or ocean view which will cost an addition $10.00 plus per night. Remember they are giving selling you the cabins that no one else wanted, which in many cases is far from the ideal location. Price does not include taxes, transfers, or airfare. Getting airfare last minute, (with 21-days or less) can be costly as most of the discounted seats have been taken. By the time you start adding all these cost you are saving very little money over booking it like a non-travel agent and keeping the commission.

One way to beat the high cost of airfare is to go the night before when it is likely that discount seats are still available and stay in a hotel. Many hotels will give IATAN card holders a significant discount, as will car rental companies. The CLIA card is not recognized by some of these hotels such as Hyatt, Marriott among others.
.
More and more cruise lines are requiring you to be on the IATAN list in addition to being an associate member of CLIA. This has come about because of the “Id Card Mills” which are companies selling travel ID cards. I should point out that these travel ID cards are not accepted by the majority of suppliers.

The big perk given to travel agents who sell a significant amount of cruises is getting invited to overnight on a new ship when it comes here (or sometimes while still in Europe). This is 2- or 3-nights of everything free including drinks, pictures, specialty restaurants , etc.

I am associated with a travel agent school and know that the school tells potential students that if you are getting into the business for the perks, DON’T, its not worth it. Go to the school and get into business to make money and have fun doing it.

1985 Fairsky SITMAR
1986 Song of America ROYAL CARIBBEAN
1986 Oceanic PREMIER
1987 Oceanic PREMIER
Nordic Prince ROYAL CARIBBEAN
Nordic Empress ROYAL CARIBBEAN
Viking Seranade ROYAL CARIBBEAN
Regal Princess PRINCESS
Royal Majesty MAJESTY CRUISE LINES
1992 Monarch of the Sea ROYAL CARIBBEAN
1995 Sovereign of the Sea ROYAL CARIBBEAN
1996 Song of America ROYAL CARIBBEAN
1999 Oceanic PREMIER
(Apple Vacation) OCEANIC CRUISE LINE
Legend of the Sea ROYAL CARIBBEAN
Majesty of the Sea ROYAL CARIBBEAN
Grandeur of the Sea ROYAL CARIBBEAN
Enchantment of the Sea ROYAL CARIBBEAN
2000 Voyager of the Sea ROYAL CARIBBEAN
2000 Horizon (Alaska) CELEBRITY
2001 Explorer of the Seas ROYAL CARIBBEAN
Crown Princess PRINCESS
2001 Dawn Princess (Alaska)
2002 NCL Dreamward
2002 Carnival Legend CARNIVAL
2002 Brilliance of the Sea ROYAL CARIBBEAN
2003 Navigator of the Sea ROYAL CARIBBEAN
2003 Horizon (Bermuda) CELEBRITY
2003 Splendour of the Sea ROYAL CARIBBEAN
2004 Empress of the Sea ROYAL CARIBBEAN
2004 Mariner of the Sea ROYAL CARIBBEAN
Dec 2004 Empress of the Sea ROYAL CARIBBEAN

[TEXASMUNK]

Having spent most of my working career in the travel/airline industry, I am still amazed at how those not in the indsutry know so much about the industry.

In the early nineties, I consulted with a company that was developing the home TA concept. 90% of those interested were only looking for the "discounts"..this company was NOT one of thsoe looking to "sell" a TA package, they wanted people that wanted to actualy SELL travel...The level of disappointment was amazing....people were stunned when they found out they would ahve to actually work, learn, learn and learn in order to make even a minimal living. WE actually recruited several hundred folks across the US and the company, today, is successful.....it has been extraordinarily difficult since the airlines eliminated the basic commission structure.

Once you have been in the industry for awhile, you can aplly for an IATAN card, which identifies you as a full fledged travel agent...Then you can look for discounts..some good, some not so good. But save your $499, $999 OR $7,999 APPLICATION FEE..... those are are scammers...If you truly want to get into the business, go sit down with the manager or owner of your local travel agency, maybe buy him or her lunch, get straight answers to your questions...then consider a good travel school, or working part-time as a goffer in a travel agency to get a taste of the business.

PS..and don't forget, "Errors and Omissions" Insurance.....this protects you when you botch up someone;s vacation by booking the wrong dates, hotel, airline, ship, or tour. It also protects you against that that crazed customer that thinks it is your fault for booking them on a ship that has a mechancial, or has to change ports due to hurricanes, etc.

[Nliedel]

Years ago when my Mom opened her agency (1979) the discounts were pretty good for agents. Now they are not so hot. Airline discounts have all but disapeered and cruise discounts are not worth it. You need to be an actual working agent at an established agency to get any deal at all and then they discounts are puny. I have done better on hotel discounts as a consumer than when I was an agent. It is the main reason I left the business in 1990.

[Petoonya]

There are a lot of us ex-TA's out there I am guessing. Here's my story.

I have been an RN for 33 years. But in the late 80's decided that I wanted something different other than seeing illness and death in the ER. I kept my nursing job part time, but went to travel school-lived in southern Cal at the time. Was warned by the school and by mentor TA's to never think that I could make it in travel without a separate source of income. I took that to heart as the few TA's I got to know who tried to do it alone were living at a poverty level.

So I got started in a small agency in southern California where I worked for ten years. It was fun to have a different focus of people's dreams as opposed to sickness, but the benefits were difficult to take advantage of- mostly last minute and still a considerable outlay of money. The income was negligible- infact going over my taxes from those years it was barely minimum wage. In time I came to see that the benefits were so difficult to take advantage of that I would have been much better off working my nursing job an extra day a week and paying full fare for my travel.

But the biggest difficulty were the clients- the amount of whining and screaming was far worse than any I ever see in the ER. I even had someone try to sue our agency because the cruiseline had seated her with a person of color! There was a gentleman who came in the agency everyday for three years just to yell because a hotel in Hawaii did not give him a comp room upgrade. After ten years I was happy to throw of the yoke of a TA and be happy with nursing alone.

TA's work like he!! There are some clients (like me today) who know what they want and are EASY. But there are many many more who are demanding, time consuming, change their minds- cancel- rebook-cancel-rebook and cancel again- and then WHINE because they believe you are getting rich from their relentless phone calls.

When I book a cruise now I have done all the work, but I know the real work has already been done by the TA or agency who accepts my booking. He/she/the agency has struggled to establish and MAINTAIN A REPUTATION. Consequently I am VERY CAUTIOUS and book with an established agent/agency. This agent/agency has already been through the gauntlet- and any problems that arise with my booking, this company will stand behind me. There is much, much more to a booking even when it looks like it takes 5-10 minutes of effort on the TA's part. The agency has put in a lot more into the school of hardknocks over the years to be provide the service I am getting. I am paying for reputation and confidence more than a cruise.

To anyone who is considering going it on their own, best wishes. But I am much happier leaving the work to someone who can take the heat- I'll take a screaming psychopath in the ER to an irate bigot any day. :) MY hat is off to you hardworking TA's out there.

[katiel53]

Danno,
You are so right. I worked for a travel agency for a few years. That was after I went to college to take the courses necessary to be an agent. There are so many people who feel they should get discounts because they are important. I think the "schemers" do a dis-service to so many fields. Kathleen has told people on other posts how to be an agent. I can't believe that the cruise agencies haven't figured out by now that she doesn't book travel for anyone else. She has to take a lot of cruises to warrant her fees. There will always be people trying to rip off something. I need to stop talking before I get myself into bigger trouble. But, that's JMHO.

Katie

[barbon2]

WHEW!!
Had to put my 2 cents or 3% into this post also. I for one, as I think many of us cruise posters do, enjoy researching my cruise before I book. And yes, maybe at times I think I know more about a particular cruise then my agent does (perhaps because I enjoy reading everything possible on the subject), however, I am more then happy to let him book it for me. I have no desire to go to the trouble that Kathleen has gone to, but if she feels that it is advantageous to her, more power to her. I could never be bothered doing what she does, but it certainly has not hurt me by her doing so. In the last month, I booked the Constellation for Dec. 17 with air, thru my cruise only agent. I then cancelled that trip and re-booked for Dec. 10. All it took on my part was a 2 minute phone call and it was taken care of. My agent certainly earns his commission, and I do not wish to do the paper work that he has to do to book my cruise. Again, I love to do the leg work, but there are many people out there who do not, and agents are a real help to them. I do book my own land trips, but not with any kind of agent discount, again I do find good promotions and discounts because I enjoy doing it. Would I join CLIA or any other group, nah, to me its not worth the trouble. I could probably do my own income tax and put my accountant out of business, but who wants to be bothered. I could probably cut and color my own hair (but then again), and replace my hairdresser.......you see where this is going. My point is if Kathleen wants to go throught all of this trouble, Bon Voyage to Her.
Barbara

[YYC F/A]

Before getting into the airline business, I used to be a TA. I worked for a couple of major agencies. The pay was low, the hours long, and often when perks did come up, you couldn't get the time off or afford the airfare to take advantage of them. I did go on a couple of TA trips, including visiting the then new Oriana, a 3 day TA cruise to Normandy France, as well as an educational trip to the Seychelles and Mauritius (which I still had to pay a 'contribution' to).

I think, if you have another job, but can also devote 20 or so hours a week into doing business for co-workers, friends, and contacts, it could be a source of some extra income and be fun in the process.

It does however require a lot more than just 'getting a card' and being able to get cheap TA rates. A 'real' homeworker TA needs to be as equally up to date, informed and knowledgeable whether they do it as a full time career or as a job on the side. The committment this entails is a very big step. It's more than just knowing about your favourite ship. It's about knowing about EVERY ship, having a solid grounding of ports of call, and about having the resources to find out when you don't know the answer.

It's something I'd def consider doing again, possibly part time in conjunction with my existing job, but to be a 'real' TA as opposed to someone just out to cut their costs, it would require a very real and very unwavering committment on an ongoing basis to keeping abreast of a fast paced and fast moving industry. It also requires a lot of patience and a lot of tenacity in dealing with the 'admin' and 'back office' functions that are oh-so-critical.

I'd do it because, having been a TA before, and still working in the industry (albeit in a different area), I have a personal passion for it. I'd do it because I'd enjoy it, and because I'd get a lot of satisfaction out of helping friends and co-workers get some great deals and great vacation experiences.

I wouldn't enter into it just to get some cheap TA rates.

Just my tuppenceworth :-)

[newmexicoNita]

Gee we are hearing from many X and present travel personel, that's good. when I hear things like "I do all the work" why should my agent take credit"? It drives me nuts. As I have said, we do have those agents, especially those who work in the airline industry that do know exactly what the want, they are fun to work with and save us hours of research, but here is one situation where the TA (me) saved bucks for an entire wedding group. We started booking the cabins about 2 months ago at X price, since then we have had 2 rate reductions. I have spent several hours adjusting the 9 cabins which are already booked to save the clients a bundle of money. They are all thrilled, I am happy for them and I know I am earning my commission. NMNita