How to Get Big Money from A Little Home Based Travel Business

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By Anne Wanchic
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Home Based Travel Agent Freedom!

Many people are beginning to realize the benefits of a home-based travel agency. It's easy to run and with just a part-time commitment you can be earning full-time income. These are the insider lessons to make your business a success from day ONE!

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Internet access
Home Based Travel Agency

Step 1

Set up the business for tax benefits

Start out by setting up your home based business for tax benefits. You need to select an area of your home dedicated to business only. It could be the dining room that you use only twice a year to eat meals in, but the room will be your home office the rest of the year. Start collecting ALL of your utility bills and keep receipts of any purchase that is business related or needed in your home to run your business. This includes internet access bills, computer purchases, cable bills (as you watch travel shows and educate yourself on news that effects travel, etc.) that can be turned in to your accountant for deductions. Also, get the square footage of that room that you are using for an office so you can deduct a portion of your mortgage.
Start tracking your business related mileage. (See my article link in the Resources Section Below on how to get Gas for $1.00 per Gallon) Any time you travel, review the hotel and hand out your business cards. This will help you write off your vacation as it can be easily converted to a working business trip. These are all key deductions that will come into play at tax time. The better records you keep you will find the better your write offs become and more money is kept in your pocket April 15th. It could be thousands like it was for me.
Step 2

The more the Merrier!

Next, focus on booking travel. And here is the big key - book groups. The really huge money is in booking group travel. You still need to hand out business cards to everyone you contact to get the word out to use your online travel website, - these are easy small commissions that all add up. The bigger money comes by setting up groups. My colleague has set up a cruise for a High School Reunion and is scheduled to make approximately $8000. net commission from that group. It was easy to set up and after she was done, the reunion committee took over to promote the cruise and get people signed up. This can be done with any group - Family Reunions, Church groups, Red Hat Ladies, Alumni groups, Football Fans, High School Students, the list is only limited by your imagination.
Step 3

Find the right place to send your group

Once you find your group, find the right travel to fit them. Cruises are easy and they are all inclusive for the guests, but it can also be a Ski Week in Colorado, Guided Tour of Italy, Wedding Party in the Caribbean, etc. Once you find the right place, set up the travel plans, get the word out to the group and they book it personally on your website. You don't have to book the travel personally, just tell them where to find it on your website and they book it themselves.
Step 4

You can become the Groups' Go To Agent

Duplicate these steps. The more groups you can set up to travel the more money you will make. It really does not take much to set up the travel, once you talk to a group, the group leaders take over the promotion and you collect the commissions. And when the individuals of your groups need to travel, who do you think they will turn to? You, of course, since they have already sampled your incredibly easy Online Travel Agency and have great memories from their latest trip!