Teppanyaki Two Nights in a Row, Shrinking Shrimp, and the App That Left a Blind Man Standing in Line Written By: Tom Ogg, Co-Founder and Co-Owner – HomeBasedTravelAgent.com Part 3 of 3 We covered a brief ship overview and the various ports on this cruise. In this part of the review, we’ll take a look … Continue reading “Alaska Aboard the Norwegian Joy A Review in Three Parts (Part 3)”
Interview: Passing the Torch: Jackie Friedman Reflects on Building Nexion’s Culture and Her Own Next Adventure Interviewing: Jackie Friedman, Nexion Travel Group Interview By: Joanie Ogg, CTC, MCC, Co-Owner and Co-Founder – Travel Professional NEWS After 22 years with Nexion, the last 19 of them as president, Jackie Friedman is stepping back. She joined the … Continue reading “Interview: Passing the Torch: Jackie Friedman Reflects on Building Nexion’s Culture and Her Own Next Adventure”
Written by HBTA Team
A Practical Guide to the Ten AI Tools Every Travel Advisor Should Be Using in 2026 Written By: Tom Ogg, Co-Founder and Co-Owner – HomeBasedTravelAgent.com Yes, the robots are here. No, they’re not stealing your job. But they will absolutely steal your excuse for not answering emails faster. Let me be honest with you and … Continue reading “10 AI Tools Every Travel Agent Should Be Using Right Now”
Written by Tom Ogg
Most Alaska Cruise Reviews Read Like Brochures. This One Doesn’t. Written By: Tom Ogg, Co-Founder and Co-Owner – Travel Professional NEWS Part 2 of 3 In Part One of this review, we took a look at the Norwegian Joy and its first port of call, Ward Cove. In Part Two, we’ll cover the rest of … Continue reading “Alaska Aboard the Norwegian Joy A Review in Three Parts – Part 2 of 3”
Written by Tom Ogg
You Can Handle the Supplier Hold Queue. It’s the Tuesday Afternoon With No One to Call That Breaks People. Written By: WorldVia Travel Network Nobody put it in the job description. But if you’ve been a travel advisor for more than a year, especially as an independent, you know the feeling. It’s a Tuesday … Continue reading “The Loneliness Problem in Travel: Why Community Is the Benefit Nobody’s Talking About”
Written by HBTA Team
The Commission Percentage Is the Headline. Everything Else Is What Actually Runs Your Business. Presented by: Cruise Planners Choosing how to start a travel business can look surprisingly simple when opportunities are presented as percentages: 70/30, 80/20, 90/10, 100% commission with monthly fees or a royalty-based model. But those numbers do … Continue reading “Beyond Commission Splits: What New Travel Advisors Should Compare”
Written by HBTA Team
4,622 Passengers, One Spectacular Coastline, and a Few Honest Truths About Sailing Alaska on NCL Written By: Tom Ogg, Co-Founder and Co-Owner – Travel Professional NEWS Part 1 of 3 Alaska cruises are a favorite among travelers for all kinds of reasons, the wildlife, the jaw-dropping scenery, the shopping, the dining, and the chance to … Continue reading “Alaska Aboard the Norwegian Joy: A In-Depth Review – Part 1 of 3”
Written by Tom Ogg
The Commission Split Gets the Attention — The Back-End Support Gets the Business Built Travel is an appealing business for obvious reasons: the destinations, the relationships, and the satisfaction of helping someone take a long-awaited trip. Yet much of what determines whether a travel business can grow happens after the exciting part. Commission tracking, … Continue reading “Beyond the Commission Split: What Strong Support Looks Like”
Written by HBTA Team
How to Apply for CruiseWorld’s 2026 STAR Program Before the Window Closes Written By: Northstar Travel Group CruiseWorld by Northstar is once again investing in the future of the travel advisor community through its STAR (Select Travel Advisor Recognition) Program. The application window for the 2026 program is closing shortly, and remaining space is … Continue reading “CruiseWorld’s STAR Program Recognizes the Industry’s Rising Stars and Established Leaders”
Written by HBTA Team
Seven Logins, Seven Problems — Why Fragmented Tech Is Quietly Costing You More Than You Think Written By: Cruise Planners Most home-based travel advisors are running their businesses across seven or more disconnected systems. That number comes from a 2025 Sabre global survey of 499 agencies, which found that 91% operate on four … Continue reading “What Modern Travel Agency Software Should Fix”
Written by HBTA Team