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”
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
The Best Host Agencies for New Travel Agents With No Experience in 2026 Written By: Tom Ogg, Co-Founder and Co-Owner – Travel Professional NEWS I hear this question all the time and the answer to it is a resounding YES! Many host agencies have formidable opportunities for brand new travel agents with absolutely no experience … Continue reading “How to Become a Travel Agent Without Experience in 2026”
Written by Tom Ogg
What New Travel Advisors Should Do in Their First 90 Days With a Host Agency Written By: Tom Ogg, Co-Founder and Co-Owner – HomeBasedTravelAgent.com Congratulations. You’ve survived the gauntlet: the business plan drafts, the late-night research rabbit holes, and the very important question of whether to use “travel advisor” or “travel agent” in your email … Continue reading “So You Signed With a Host Agency – Now What? A 2026 Guide for the Modern Travel Advisor in an AI-Driven World”
Written by Tom Ogg
We Were Skeptical Too. Then the Itinerary Came Back and We Stopped Exchanging That Look. Written By: Joanie Ogg, CTC, MCC – Travel Professional NEWS How travel agents can harness artificial intelligence to build stunning itineraries, impress clients, and maybe, just maybe, reclaim their weekends. Let me confess something. When a publicist first pitched us … Continue reading “Your New Best Employee Never Takes a Lunch Break (or a Vacation) – Part 1”
Written by Tom Ogg
How to Build a Unique Value Proposition That Stands Out in an AI-Saturated Travel Market Written By: Tom Ogg, Co-Founder and Co-Owner – HomeBasedTravelAgent.com Let’s address the robot in the room. Since the explosion of AI travel tools beginning in earnest around 2023, every armchair traveler now has a pocket-sized digital concierge that can compare … Continue reading “Crafting Your UVP (Unique Value Proposition) in 2026”
Written by Tom Ogg
The Real Advantages of Running a Home-Based Travel Agency in Today’s AI-Driven Landscape Written By: Joanie Ogg, CTC, MCC – Travel Professional NEWS Let’s be honest, the COVID pandemic was terrible. Truly, spectacularly, historically terrible. But if there’s one silver lining buried somewhere in that storm cloud, it’s that millions of people discovered that they … Continue reading “7 Surprisingly Awesome Benefits of Being a Home Based Travel Agent in 2026”
Written by Tom Ogg
A Simple Mid-Year Review Every Travel Advisor Can Do Contributed By: Nexion Travel Group It’s hard to believe we’re already at the midpoint of the year. For many travel advisors, the first half of the year has been filled with client inquiries, bookings, departures, and all the moving parts that come with running … Continue reading “Mid-Year Business Check-In: The Questions Every Advisor Should Ask”
Written by HBTA Team
How Cruise Planners Bundles Marketing, Technology, and Support Presented By: Cruise Planners “For two years, I kept asking my previous host, ‘What are your plans for technology?’ The answer I kept getting was, ‘Get an assistant.’ I was already spending more than $400 a month on additional tools just to run my business. I … Continue reading “How To Modernize Your Travel Business Without the Burnout”
Written by HBTA Team