Believe it or not, being a travel agent was not what I originally planned on for a career. I wanted to be a preschool teacher but decided that it would be hard to work full time with children and then come home to my own children. I went back to my notes from high school where I took a test that gave ideas for careers based on your answers. I saw travel agent as one of the options. So with a leap of faith I went to travel school.
I had a hard time memorizing the airport codes but made it through the classes. I got hired by a travel agency before I even graduated from school. I really enjoyed travel. It felt like a puzzle most of the time trying to fit together all the pieces in order to plan that perfect trip.
Once I had my son, I realized I could not go back to work. It was too hard to leave him each day knowing I could miss the basics (first roll over, first step etc..) so with the support of my husband I started Dugan's Travels. It was the best decision of my life. I was able to be a full time mom at the same time build an incredible business.
I met other work at home moms online (thru dial up.. yikes) and began tutoring other moms on the travel business. That was another fun aspect of my job. I loved teaching others what I knew. We began working together in order to build our sales. In fact, one of my very first students is now the manager of the agency!
Now that our agency has grown so much in the last 10 years, I am now focused more on the business side of things and do not get to do as much travel as I would like but I still enjoy having my own business.
For those who also are homebased travel agents, I wonder why you decided to become a travel agent? Would love to hear your stories!
6 comments:
Hi Jennifer!
Instead of being a young mother at home, I'm just the opposite- I'm an old grandpa at home. I retired just a few years ago and have taken annual cruise vacations since the early nineties.
We usually traveled with a group of friends and family every year but for various reasons we were never completely happy with our Travel Agents over the years.
When I retired a friend suggested I become my own Travel Agent so I could address first hand the previous problems we were having.
I'm still taking baby steps with the business but having lots of fun!
Leland
Jennifer,
I am actually a preschool teacher that decided the travel industry was just right for me.
I started off with a LOVE of all things Disney. After a trip to Walt Disney World, I looked at my husband and said, "I want to help other people have amazing vacations like we just had." And that's how it began.
I have a seven year old son who is very supportive of mom's business. He knows that I spend extra time on my business so that soon I can have more time for my family (by letting go of my preschool job).
Thanks for all that you do. Finding Dugan's Travels was a blessing for us!
Jennifer, I fell in love with traveling while in grade school when my aunt and uncle took me on vacations. While in high school, I decided I wanted to be an airline reservationist (we're talking a LONG time ago!) and make airline reservations for vacationers. That didn't happen, but my love for travel and planning vacations grew. I realized I really enjoyed the planning phase of trips. Over the years friends and family have asked for my help in planning their vacations.
Two years ago my husband and I decided to go on our first cruise. Since never booking a cruise before, I got the name of a travel agent from a friend. I noticed her business card said "Independent Agent of Dugan's Travels". I asked her about the business and researched host agencies. I had no idea such a business venture existed. How great would that be? Helping people plan their vacations, work at home and get paid for it! I picked Dugan's becuase of the straightforward information on the website and no hidden agenda with a low start up cost. I've been with Dugan's since June 2008, and I am excited and thankful to be able to do something I truly love. All the support and help you need is an email or phone call away. Being a part of Dugan's is one of the best decisions I've made for myself. Thanks for the opportunity, Jennifer!
Lydia Luna
Bella Luna Travel
Hi Jennifer.
Travel has always been a part of my life. Growing up, my mother worked for a major airline. My weekends were spent with day trips to Washington DC, San Francisco and spring breaks in other countries. I loved it! When I turned 18, and I lost my flight benefits, I discovered the wonderful world of last minute deals and didn't miss a beat. I thought I knew it all when it came to travel.
It wasn't until I had kids and started planning my first trip to Disney World that I felt lost planning a trip. So I did research. A LOT of research. I even found out that Disney was going to be offering their dining package free and found the code I needed to book it.
I called up a travel agency I heard a radio ad for and gave the agent my information, the travel dates, what we wanted and the code. I even told her when to call to make sure the code was valid. Our trip was amazing and we went back to our lives telling our friends all about it.
Soon after, two other families we were friends with were planning their trips and called me for advice and I helped them find discount codes and plan their trips. I enjoyed helping them and learning more at the same time. They called my travel agent and booked what I had set up.
And then it clicked... I had done all of the work for three large Disney trips, and this agent had done nothing but make a phone call and collect a check. It has been a match made in heaven.
I was born to travel. I traveled as a little girl which made me appreciate travel. I like to learn as well as have fun in other parts of the world. I've always made it a point to learn at least one thing from each travel experience that I have had. I found that every time a friend or relative wanted to travel, they would pick up the phone and say "hey, can you look for me a trip to this place or that place." For the last decade or so, I've been the one to plan and book the family trips so I woke up one day and said I need to get paid for this. Travel is my passion. I am a full time Probation Officer but since becoming a travel agent, my main goal is to make memories that can never be taken away. I want to connect families, friends, and loved ones that may have never had the know-how to get the family together to take a vacation. I also enjoy the group trips where I can be the cause of joining lives together that have never met before.
KARTARA GUMBS
Gumbs Getaways
I didn't grow up in a family who vacationed in the typical sense. We would drive across the country to visit family and stop at a few museums along the way. But when I married my husband, I acquired a mother-in-law whose passion for travel was contagious. She helped me plan my honeymoon cruise, and we booked with a travel agent that neither of us had ever met.
After that, we spent most of our time talking about, researching, and planning our vacations. After 3 years and 2 kids later, I was a stay-at-home-mom. While doing some research one day for our next vacation to Cancun, I ran across a website about becoming a home-based travel agent with Dugan's. And it clicked.
Although we could afford for me to stay home without working, I was really interested in not only getting discounts on my own travel, but also making some side money by booking travel for others. That was 2 1/2 years ago, one more kid, and a newly built house later. I'm now really appreciating the extra income, have gained a lot of valuable clients, and have figured out how to keep it all running smoothly without depriving my family of my "best."
I even encouraged my mom to become a travel agent with Dugan's since retiring last year, and she is enjoying it as well.
Amber Pryor
PRYORity TRAVEL
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