Travel Agent Chatter | Friday 15

Host Agency Reviews

We’ve got two listening delights for you on this channel, folks! 😲 Season 1 is Travel Agent Chatter (TAC), a spotlight interview of a wide variety of travel advisors that we publish every quarter. Season 2 is our shorter, but more frequent Friday 15 series, where every Friday we answer your travel industry questions for — you guessed it — 15 minutes! Travel Agent Chatter -- a Host Agency Reviews audio series -- inspires you with in-depth interviews featuring successful travel agents. We dig into what they do that makes their agencies flourish and how they did it. Transcripts, videos and TAC show notes can be found at https://hostagencyreviews.com/TAC The Friday 15 comes out every Friday at 12pm CT. For 15 minutes over the lunch hour we answer your travel industry questions. Submit your questions at https://hostagencyreviews.com/friday15 Travel Agent Chatter and the Friday 15 are hosted by Steph Lee, the founder of the website Host Agency Reviews and travel industry veteran. She's insatiably curious. A lover of travel, writing, gardening & the stars. Most importantly, she ♥'s her dogs, Fennec and Orion!

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Top 10 Travel Agent Chatter | Friday 15 Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Travel Agent Chatter | Friday 15 episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Travel Agent Chatter | Friday 15 for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Travel Agent Chatter | Friday 15 episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

TRUE Travel Agency & Host Agency Accreditation

Travel Agent Chatter | Friday 15

03/24/21 • 1 min

Learn more about the TRUE accreditation options for travel agencies and host agencies. We've got a 2-minute sound bite giving a high level overview of the program. For more information on TRUE and other travel agency accreditation options, visit www.hostagencyreviews.com

Head spinning with CRMs - Help! Tools to Track Expenses? Fall Foliage Tour Bookings.

Travel Agent Chatter | Friday 15

10/18/24 • 22 min

In episode 178 Steph is co-hosting with Jennifer Dugan of Dugan’s Travels! Here are the questions for this week!

1. I loved the HAR CRM and Itinerary article. My head is spinning: I've looked at so many, Planiteasy, Travefy, Traveljoy, Unmapped, Axus, Tess, Tern. Which one can I either forward the email confirmation from hotels/air/car and it will input all the details not just the confirmation, dates... like prices, room type and cancel policies, or do they all make you enter this again to create the client itinerary once finished booking the reservation? Which let you import confirmations directly from suppliers and help create itineraries?

So yes I want a unicorn, a central repository for all my client's profiles and their bookings, plus the ability to create and send itineraries...that are of course beautiful. Haha.

-Janette

2. Does anyone have a place that they can recommend to track expenses? I'm using an excel spreadsheet and honestly I'm not a fan of it. -Dina

3. Hi there! I have a client wanting to go on a fall foliage tour back east this year. I already quoted her a land tour, but now she’s asking about a train tour. Walking a lot would be a problem for my client. How should I balance all of these requests and find the right suppliers? Thank you for all your feedback. -Anonymous

RESOURCES:

Find itinerary builders, read over 90 advisor reviews + more in HAR’s new travel agency software list! (https://hostagencyreviews.com/travel-agency-software)

Freshbooks. https://www.freshbooks.com/

Xero. https://www.xero.com/

Quickbooks. https://quickbooks.intuit.com/

Expensify. https://www.expensify.com/

What travel expenses can you (and can’t you) write off? https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-expenses

Travel agents, here’s how to qualify clients. (Tutorials + real-life examples) https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/how-to-qualify-clients-travel-agent

Host Week EduSpot: Shifting Identities - Making Travel More Accessible. https://www.youtube.com/live/tT7cHbr_y-g?feature=shared&t=19139

Host Week EduSpot: Growing Your Business Through Accessible Travel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0cSwYJxyOU&t=15922s

Dugan's Travels’ profile with reviews and info (https://hostagencyreviews.com/hosts/dugans-travels)

https://www.facebook.com/duganstravels/

System for Supplier Contacts? Go Independent? Thank You Gifts?

Travel Agent Chatter | Friday 15

02/21/25 • 20 min

In episode 196, our very own Mary Stein co-hosts with the one and only Jenn Lee of Vacation Planners! Here’s the questions they’ll tackle this week!

1. Do you have a good system for organizing all your travel BD contacts and promotional material of properties? I get overwhelmed with paper and business cards and even online and notes I still cannot seem to get a system in place for everything I receive. - Sara

2. I am an IC with about 2 years in the business. I'm considering going out on my own because I'm not happy with my situation for many reasons. How do you know it's the right time to make this change? What do you see as the pros and cons of staying an IC and being independent? - Anonymous

3. Hey Guys! I'm wondering, What are some ideas for "Thank You" gifts for my clients that are traveling to All Inclusives? I feel like it's easy to do gifts on cruises, I'm just not quite sure what to do for my land vacations. Any ideas?") - Cindy

RESOURCES:

➡️ Host Agency Review’s Travel Agency Software Profiles https://hostagencyreviews.com/travel-agency-software

➡️Host Week 2023: EduSpot, Personality Selling - Gain CONTROL from the Beginning https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfZ0EIkCYZU&t=13290s

➡️Top 10 benefits of using a host agency. https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/top-10-benefits-of-using-a-host-agency

➡️Things to look for in your contract with your host agency (https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/independent-travel-agent-contracts)

➡️Advice on how to find the best host agency. (https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/tips-on-how-to-find-the-best-travel-host-agency)

➡️Brilliant Ideas to Surprise & Delight Your Clients, Host Week Eduspot Stephanie Gries: https://www.youtube.com/live/WhNhFEYhJwY?feature=shared&t=18609

➡️Ways to Contact Jenn Lee!

[email protected]

Vacation Planners Host Agency Reviews profile (https://www.hostagencyreviews.com/hosts/vacation-planners)

Vacation Planners website (https://vacationplannersfranchise.com/)

➡️Submit questions, sign up for reminders for the F15, along with that week's questions we'll be covering! https://hostagencyreviews.com/friday15

Friday 15: Tips on Choosing a Host, How can you join ATTA, What is a Consortium

Travel Agent Chatter | Friday 15

01/07/22 • 21 min

Welcome to Friday 15! Today Steph and Maureen are going to give tips on choosing a host, how you can join ATTA, and shine some light on what a consortium is. Here's a list of helpful resources for today’s episode: https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/tips-for-choosing-travel-agency-names https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-agency-websites https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/tips-on-how-to-find-the-best-travel-host-agency https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/best-host-travel-agency-2021 https://www.adventuretravel.biz/ https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/find-a-travel-niche https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/what-is-travel-consortia-travel-coops https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/host-agency-consortia-education We do this every week! If you have travel industry questions, HAR likely has an answer :) Submit your burning question here Har.News/Friday15 and join us this Friday (and every Friday!) at 12CT for travel agent tips! If you found this helpful, we'd love it if you could give it a like, drop us a comment! Listen to our Podcast ❤️ If you found the video helpful, we'd love it if you could give it a like, drop us a comment! 💬 __________________________________________________ 📧 Never miss a HAR resource. Join 30,000+ agents and subscribe to our newsletter: www.hostagencyreviews.com/newsletter 🎧 Listen to our Podcast: www.hostagencyreviews.com/travelagentchatter 🤔 Travel Agent Think Tank FB Group: www.facebook.com/groups/TravelAgentThinkTank 🌴 Thinking of becoming a travel advisor? Join our FREE 7 Day Set Up program: hostagencyreviews.com/7-day-set-up ________________________________________________________________ Facebook: www.facebook.com/hostagencyreviews www.facebook.com/iamstephly Twitter: www.twitter.com/hostagencyrvws www.twitter.com/iamstephly Instagram: www.instagram.com/hostagencyreviews/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/2534866 www.linkedin.com/in/iamstephly

Choosing E&O Insurance? When Should I Get My Own IATA Number?

Travel Agent Chatter | Friday 15

12/20/24 • 30 min

In episode 187, Steph Lee and Jennifer Dugan of Dugan’s Travels discuss a variety of topics this week, including E&O Insurance and when it’s a good idea to get your own IATA number! Here are the questions in all their glory:

1. I would like to hear the Pros and Cons and the best strategy on choosing a supplier for E&O insurance. –Diane D.

2. Hello! I came across a blog and wanted to reach out as I am becoming more and more confused as I search. I am a 1099 contractor under a company with an IATA # I've been using to sell travel for approx 10 years. But my main business is wedding planning. I would like to earn commission on my hotel room blocks at 100%. For many reasons, but most hotels are capped at 7% so I am not gaining anything with my current travel partners volume. I do still want to sell travel under his IATA for Sandals, and most other trips that I book with TOs and benefit from higher commissions due to volume I would not have on my own.

I do not sell air. Can I/ Should I get my own IATA # to book the hotels and non volume commission bookings and keep 100%. If so, can I continue selling under his IATA (I have my own IATAN card under his number for my own personal travel perks).

Or is there another accreditation I could use just for hotel commissions (mostly Hilton and Marriott). I was reading about clia and arc and true... etc. I don't need a complex answer. But I'd love some direction. Thank you very much in advance! –Anonymous

RESOURCES:

Do Travel Agents Need Errors and Omissions (E&O) Insurance? (https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-agents-need-eo-insurance)

What Is An IATA Number? (And How Do You Get It?) (https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/iata-number)

What is a CLIA Number? CLIA vs. ARC and CLIA vs. IATA (https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/what-is-a-clia-number)

Travel Agency Accreditation Options [Infographic + More] (https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-agency-accreditation)

Belonging to more than one host agency: The pros and cons. (https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/belonging-to-more-than-one-host-agency)

Things to look for in your contract with your host agency (https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/independent-travel-agent-contracts)

Use HAR’s commission plan calculator: https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/host-agency-commission-plan-comparison-calculator

More on host agency relationships (and more) in our Hosted Travel Advisor Report. https://hostagencyreviews.com/page/travel-advisor-research-reports/

Do Travel Agents Need Errors and Omissions (E&O) Insurance? (https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-agents-need-eo-insurance)

Dugan's Travels LLC | Host Agency Reviews

NYT Travel Show Panel: Medical Tourism for Travel Agents

Travel Agent Chatter | Friday 15

06/05/17 • 43 min

A medical tourism panel for travel agents at the NYT Travel Show. Hear about medical travel from a medical travel facilitator, a medical tourism insurance specialist, and a medical tourism destination representative. What are the risks? What do you need to know? Look for links to resources in our show notes. E&O Insurance Information: http://hostagencyreviews.com/travel-agents-need-eo-insurance/ Moderated by: Anne Marie Moebes, Well-Being Travel : http://www.well-beingtravel.com/ Panelists: (Medical Travel Facilitator) David Boucher, Companion Global Healthcare: http://www.companionglobalhealthcare.com/ (Medical Complications + Medical Tourism Insurance) Tracy Simon, Global Protective Services : https://www.globalprotectivesolutions.com/ (Medical Tourism Destination) Dr. Mary Wong, Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council : https://www.mhtc.org.my/

Starting Out as An Advisor – in Canada! Tips for Starting a Host Agency? How to Join a Preferred-Agency Program?

Travel Agent Chatter | Friday 15

09/13/24 • 20 min

In episode 173 Steph and Lindsay Taylor answer a bunch of excellent questions submitted by you, our faithful viewers and listeners. If you have a question, by the way, send it our way at https://hostagencyreviews.com/friday15!

1. Hello Friday 15 team! I live in Ontario Canada & my question is, how do I get into the travel industry as an advisor with no experience but have the schooling as well as TICO Certified? Thank you kindly for all you do! –Chrystal M.

2. I’ve decided to expand my agency and diversify income. I plan to open my host agency division soon. Do you have any tips for someone starting a host agency from scratch? —Anonymous

3. Hi, I am wondering how to join 'preferred agency program' (e.g. Marriott Luminous, Hyatt Prive etc.). All the program says they are invitation-only but I am wondering what the general criteria is. Does joining a consortium help to become eligible? –Anonymous

RESOURCES:

HAR’s travel jobs board. Subscribe to weekly jobs email of new postings! (https://hostagencyreviews.com/travel-jobs)

ASTA’s Roadmap to Becoming a Travel Advisor is a fantastic course for those looking to have a strong foundation before starting in the industry! Steph partnered with ASTA on it and they have a track for employees, independent contractors (ICs), and corporate travel agents. (https://har.news/roadmap)

ARC fraud protection resources (https://www2.arccorp.com/support-training/fraud-prevention)

Veriff identity verification (https://www.veriff.com/)

Older HAR blogs with some resources on credit card fraud and thinking like a frauster. A little dated, but still good content to read through.

PATH: Professional Association of Travel Hosts (need to be 50 ICs or more to join)

All about preferred suppliers in the travel industry. (https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-preferred-supplier)

Candidate Chat: ASTA's 2021 Board of Directors Election

Travel Agent Chatter | Friday 15

07/06/21 • 179 min

Voting starts today for ASTA's Board of Directors' election! That's right, it's time to have your say in the people representing YOU and making sure YOUR priorities are being pushed forward! There are 5 spots and 13 candidates for the director at-large position. And it's a *very* qualified field of candidates. Listen to our Candidate Chat to get to know the candidates better and to make sure that the candidate that best represents your interests is elected! We ask each candidate the same two questions: 1) What are your #1 and #2 priorities if you were elected? 2) What role should ASTA play in consumer awareness of travel advisors? Here's the candidates we interview: ⭐Small Business Network Candidate⭐ ✅ Rhonda Shumway, TerraMar Travel ⭐Director At-Large Candidates⭐ ✅ Alvin Adriano, Travelwise International ✅ Kelly Bergin, OASIS Travel Network/Palm Coast Travel ✅ Roger Block, Travel Leaders Network ✅ Thomas Carpenter, Huckleberry Travel ✅ Skip Fortier, Avoya Travel Network ✅ Kareem George, Culture Traveler ✅ Jennifer Lee, Travel Planners International ✅ Ann Lewis, Just Travel NYC ✅ Vanessa McGovern, Gifted Travel Network ✅ Mo Noubani, The Travel Box International ✅ Anita Pagliasso, KHM Travel Group ✅ Patty Thorington, Plaza Travel ----Helpful Links---- ➡️ASTA's Election Landing Page: https://www.asta.org/About/content.cfm?ItemNumber=26911&RDtoken=11358&userID= ➡️Video Recording of the Candidate Chat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZ0R3KkPlrA *This is not an ASTA sanctioned event, but don't worry, we did consult with them to make sure it was a fair and balanced forum for all the candidates. :)

What is a FAM? Why is GDS avoided by HAs + Which Ones Offer Access? Training Courses After HAR’s?

Travel Agent Chatter | Friday 15

09/20/24 • 23 min

In episode 174 Steph is co-hosting with Heather Kindred of Nexion! Check it out below – a record-breaking four questions that they’ll cover! Tune in this Friday at 12 pm CST.

1. What is defined as a FAM? Would I be able to describe it as a business trip on my tax filing? Do I have to have any official reports, etc.? –Anonymous

2. Why are host agencies apprehensive about advisors having access to the GDS systems? Or they say it "takes years" to master? And with some hosts you have to have 2 or more years experience to qualify in order to have access. I used Sabre years ago and it only took a few months to learn and with Sabre Red 360 it seems easier than ever. Reentering the travel industry I have a corporate background and I will be temporarily booking air only until I learn leisure efficiently and using Sabre would be so much easier than using a CRM all I would need is a refresher in Sabre. Please help. Thank you. –Robin B.

3. Do you have a list of host agencies that have GDS access? —Anonymous

4. Has anyone purchased any additional training courses beyond HAR's? HAR's has been great for getting me started. I would be lost without it! However, now, after being in business for about six months, I want to learn more, especially about marketing and growing my business. I want something that offers some certification along with a mentorship. In my research, I have found a wide range of costs. Do you have advice on picking a program to leap to next or any programs you love and have found helpful? —Anonymous

RESOURCES:

What travel expenses you can (and can’t) write off. https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-expenses

Travel Agent FAM Trips: What They Are + How to Find Them + Etiquette (https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-agent-fam-trip)

Over 200+ travel agent rates and info on how to access them

How Travel Advisors Can Make the Most of a Cruise Ship Inspection (https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/how-travel-agents-can-make-the-most-of-a-cruise-ship-inspection)

The Definitive Site Inspection Checklist (https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/definitive-site-inspection-checklist)

Stephanie Cannon–CPA turned travel advisor–financial resources for advisors (https://withstephaniecannon.com/resources)

In-depth information on what the GDS (global distribution system) is and which travel advisors use it. https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/what-is-gds

Tips on how to become a corporate travel agent. https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/become-corporate-travel-agent

What is a travel agency debit memo? (https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-agency-debit-memo)

Host Agency List with filters for GDS and tons of other stuff! https://hostagencyreviews.com/hosts

Training and education options for travel agents. (https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-agent-training-travel-agent-education)

Travel with Small Children? How To Organize Digital Info?

Travel Agent Chatter | Friday 15

03/14/25 • 24 min

In episode 199, Steph and Shayna co-host with Jennifer Dugan of Dugan’s Travels! Here’s the questions they’ll tackle this week. Please join us!

1. What is your favorite place to travel with children under 5? ---Staci W.

2. Hi guys, my question is about organizing and processes. Working independently it's difficult to see how other people organize not only their workflow but how they store

their information to recall it. From as simple as an A-Z address book to put formats or special codes for suppliers, sometimes you just want things simple and quick.

I struggle with how to set up my files to recall information. I see Steph saying "oh I'll attach a link ..." and she retrieves it.

Any tips on how to organize computer files? Any help on notes on webinars watched?

Thank you! —Theresa W.

RESOURCES:

➡️ Project Management Software: Trello, Asana, Monday.com

➡️ Software that allows different programs to pass information between them: Zapier

➡️ HAR’s list of travel agency CRMs https://hostagencyreviews.com/travel-agency-software/category/crm

➡️Voices of Innovation: Celebrating Women's Leadership in Travel | Host Agency Reviews https://hostagencyreviews.com/travel-conferences-events/2025/voices-of-innovation-celebrating-women-s-leadership-in-travel

➡️Ways to Contact Jennifer!

Dugan’s website https://joindugans.com/

Dugan’s HAR profile–ask your questions and read reviews https://hostagencyreviews.com/hosts/dugans-travels

Dugan’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/duganstravels

Dugan’s Instagram https://www.instagram.com/duganstravels/

➡️Submit questions, sign up for reminders for the F15, along with that week's questions we'll be covering! https://hostagencyreviews.com/friday15

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Travel Agent Chatter | Friday 15 currently has 321 episodes available.

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The podcast is about Entrepreneurship, Podcasts, Business and Careers.

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The episode title 'How to start a podcast. 5 podcast hosts tell you why + how to do it.' is the most popular.

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The average episode length on Travel Agent Chatter | Friday 15 is 26 minutes.

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Episodes of Travel Agent Chatter | Friday 15 are typically released every 7 days.

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The first episode of Travel Agent Chatter | Friday 15 was released on Nov 28, 2016.

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Travel Agent Chatter | Friday 15

Host Agency Reviews

Top 10 Travel Agent Chatter | Friday 15 Episodes

FAQ

How many episodes does Travel Agent Chatter | Friday 15 have?

What topics does Travel Agent Chatter | Friday 15 cover?

What is the most popular episode on Travel Agent Chatter | Friday 15?

What is the average episode length on Travel Agent Chatter | Friday 15?

How often are episodes of Travel Agent Chatter | Friday 15 released?

When was the first episode of Travel Agent Chatter | Friday 15?

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