Travel as a Home Business!

Do you love to travel?

Well, then you might already be doing the work of a RTA(Referring Travel Agent). Traveling to new places and then telling your friends about it when you get home is a big part of being a travel agent. Word of mouth advertising is essential to the travel industry and as RTA’s.

Taking pictures and showing them to your friends, or talking about your destination over coffee when you return is advertising for where ever you just returned from. Yep, and that is a big part of what a RTA has to do: refer friends and family to the destinations that they know about.

When I return from a trip is just basic human nature to ask about my trip(and live a little vicariously). And when anyone wants to know the details of my Bahamas trip; that is the advertising for the Bahamas and my travel website, IdesTravel.com.

When some of my friends first thought of becoming an RTA(Referring Travel Agent) some of them thought; “I cannot handle one more thing…”

Well, it dose not have to be something you work all of your free time on. For my sister and I, it is about plannig a few activities for the week and following through with them. For example, follow-up calls, blogging and ordering cards… Also, when the right person appears whom you know will love this you share the opportunity with them. Oh, and booking my summer vacation to Mexico is part of this business.

This business can be as time consuming or not as you make it to be. I take a 2-3 hours each week and devote it to my IdesTravel.com business. Sometimes more, if we are planning to host a party or want to advertise the business more that week. I could make it a full-time second job, as some do, but at this time I don’t want to take that much time away from other things in my life.

Do not get me wrong, I love this business. And YES, we make money with our business, but I want to gradually make IdesTravel.com my only J-O-B! And when you love what you do is it really a job?

My typical day as co-owner of IdesTravel.com is somewhat simple. I get up in the morning and check my website’s back office and check for sales or departures and write this blog. Then I go to work or on a day off usually the coffee shop and talk about my business if the chance arises.

It is that simple…yet it takes some openness to do it. It is not always easy to just talk to strangers, but travel is easy to talk about. Everyone has their own favorite trip or dream vacation that lets others do the talking. Everyone likes to talk about themselves and save money.

That is what makes it easy to start a conversation; just let the person whom you want to talk to about travel or the travel business do some of the talking. Most do not want to own an online travel store, but they can be my customers!! Besides who do they know better me or Mr. Orbitz?

Well me of course!