Both of these are online travel agencies that promise you a home based business. I am a working mom looking to make some extra cash and I came across both of these ads for a home based business. Both companies require an initial investment, hence my research to ensure they are legit and not just trying to scam me out of my money.
2006-07-17 09:19:05 · 2 answers · asked by wonderingwifenga 3 in Business & Finance ➔ Careers & Employment
I am a home-based agent and I have heard of GTI - not much of it positive. This is what we call a mega-host. They are big and don't offer a lot of support to their ICs (independent contractors). A lot of these types of host agencies promise a lot and don't deliver. Be very wary of any host agency charging huge fees for new agents. Often, they are just "card mills" and will rip you off coming and going.
Take a look at www.nacta.com. There is a lot of information on host agencies there. Also take a look at OSSN (Outside Agent Sales Network).
Yes, I do believe that new home-based agents need to be affiliated with a host agency.
Also, you may want to try America's Vacation Center/America Express. As a new agent, you will only be able to sign onto their Gold Program (the Platinum is for experienced agents). This is a big host, but not a mega-host. They have a very good rep.
Also, try you might want to look at host agencies affiliated with Carlson Wagonlit. I have also heard that Duggan's Travel is great for new agents. Stay away from Joystar. No fees, but they are in financial trouble and don't pay commisions in a timely manner.
(See if you can get yourself registered on MailPound.com. There are some great resources and an agent forum there.)
Always look for a host agency that is affilated with a large consortium like Jurni or Vacation.com. This not only gives you higher commissions, but considerable clout with suppliers. It also attests to the host agency's legitimacy.
There is a book I would recommend very highly to you. It is "How I Made a Small Fortune as a Home-Based Travel Agent" by Anita Pagliasso-Balamane. It is available though NACTA on their site, and I believe through OSSN and even Amazon.
Be aware that no matter what you do, you are going to have to generate your own clientele, and this will take time. To be a successful home-based agent, I you will have to take advantage of training opportunites and FAM (familiarization) trips. The days when a travel agent could just make money being an order-taker are over. You have to be an expert in vacation planning.
Hope this helps.
2006-07-19 03:46:55 · answer #1 · answered by Ruth R 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Hmm. I haven't done much reading on this. But I can probably take a pretty good educated guess. First off, When one travels, they carry their cultures with them. Some of those culture conflict with others causing cultural tension. Also there is this idea in the west that the western culture is the best culture, that we don't respect other cultures, or even understand the wide array of meanings for certain signs. While in the western culture sex is talked about freely. In other cultures, the world for sex either doesn't exist, or isn't used to the point of being almost obsolete. As far as change. Its not only the west that sees its culture as the "best". Other countries and cultures pick up on the "vibe" if you will, and try to copy other cultures. This causes cultural blending, and tensions within cultures. You find people of the same culture hating each-other because half have decided to "westernize" their culture and the other half are trying to desperately to keep their cultures intact. As far as on a global scale. The blending of cultures is a loss of diversity. There is a certain beauty in cultures that have been around for ages. Take a look at the Masaai in Western Africa, or the Maori in New Zealand/ Australia area (I can't exactly remember which one at the moment). As we're trying to create this "global village" ideas and cultures are circulating at a pace that is absolutely astounding. But the more uniform the culture becomes, the more ideas begin to circulate, and the fewer "different" ideas there are. On the other hand if the world were to adopt a single culture. Tourists could travel with out offending other cultures, there wouldn't be a need to respect other cultures. But that leads to the loss of diversity. Its something that leaders today have to deal with as globalization is really starting to "dig in its heals". I hope this helps you get at least an idea of where to start with this. E-mail me with any questions you might have. Leelah
2016-03-16 01:06:30 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, and all those places are scams... they take your money and that's it.
2006-07-17 10:01:47 · answer #3 · answered by heidielizabeth69 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋