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These days, there seems to be more host agencies than ever.
Even before the pandemic, more and more travel advisors were driven to work for themselves as independent contractors (ICs). That was fueled further by Covid-19, which drove many to move their employees to IC status. The pandemic also gave entrepreneurial companies and individuals time to launch new host agencies entirely.
But with so many hosts out there, how do you choose the right one? And when it’s time to make a change, how do you break up with your current host agency? This week, Trade Secrets co-hosts Emma Weissmann and Jamie Biesiada get into the thick of hosts with Andy Ogg, co-owner of FindaHostTravelAgency.com.
This episode is sponsored by Windstar Cruises.
Andy Ogg, owner of FindaHostTravelAgency.com
Credit: 2022 Jenn MartinsIn This Episode
1:15 - Meet our guest, Andy Ogg, of FindaHostTravelAgency.com.
1:56 - Travel advisor Nikki compares finding a host agency to dating — you don’t have to marry the first host you date.
4:30 - How do you learn about host agencies and vet the hosts you’re considering affiliating with?
7:10 - Nikki asks: When is it time to look at changing hosts?
11:53 - When you decide to break up with a host, how do you approach that conversation?
14:23 - Travel advisor Heather switched hosts a year ago. She was looking for a bigger host with more training and an affiliation with Virtuoso. The sense of community at her new host, Departure Lounge, was a bonus.
15:48 - Why might one particular consortium affiliation appeal more than others?
18:16 - An agent lives in a state where ICs aren’t really protected. They had to walk away from their last host and left a number of commissions behind. What kind of advice does Andy have about actually leaving a host, not just breaking up?
20:13 - Listener Morgan shares some of the questions that she found most helpful the second time she switched hosts (Spoiler: there is no such thing as a “perfect” host agency).
22:27 - Andy shares his top tips.
24:46 - Which host agency is the best?
27:53 - Have travel advisors ever just decided to start their own host agency?
Resources Mentioned in This Episode and Related Reading
From Travel Weekly
- A Host of Problems: A Cautionary Tale
- A Travel Agent’s Guide to Host Agencies
- Host Agencies Have Grown With IC Numbers
- Host Agencies on the Rise
From TravelAge West
- A Must-Read Guide to Choosing a Travel Agent Network
From Andy Ogg
- FindaHostTravelAgency.com’s Top Agencies for 2022 (video)
- FindaHostTravelAgency.com’s Host Agency Checklist (free download)
- Images for Agents to Promote Their Business (free download)
- HomeBasedTravelAgent.com’s 22-Part Free Course on How to Start a Home-based Agency
Theme song
Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod (License)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Details
FindaHostTravelAgency.com
TravelProfessionalNEWS.com
HomeBasedTravelAgent.com
Need Our Advice?
If you're a travel advisor with a question about the latest travel news, trends, best business practices or more, please call our hotline and leave a message at 201-902-2098 or send an email to tradesecrets@travelweekly.com.
About Your Hosts
Emma Weissmann is the Digital Managing Editor of TravelAge West, a print and online magazine for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She is also the co-host of Humans of Travel podcast, where she interviews notable individuals in the travel industry about their lives — the highs and lows that make them human.
Jamie Biesiada is a Senior Editor with Travel Weekly. She is an award-winning journalist, including being named the American Society of Travel Advisors’ 2019 Travel Journalist of the Year. Her roots are in community journalism, where she was the editor of several local newspapers and a regional entertainment magazine.
About the Show
Trade Secrets, a podcast from the editors of Travel Weekly and TravelAge West, is where travel advisors ask — and answer — questions. On each podcast, our editors will ask a veteran travel industry insider to join them and field listeners’ questions. Topics will range from business advice to industry trends, history and more — as long as it’s travel-related, we want to address it! Find Trade Secrets wherever you get your podcasts, or at www.travelagewest.com/podcasts/trade-secrets.
