Pulaski Tickets and Tours Independent Travel Agent

If you're like me, and you love to travel, maybe you thought about being a travel agent. Then, reality kicks in: travel agents don't make a lot of money, it takes years to become a travel agent, and of course, someone would actually have to hire you. But, if the travel bug has bitten you, and you'd like to try it out, here's what you can do: become an independent travel agent.

I spoke to Patrick Hartough, owner of Pulaski Tickets & Tours, an organization that trains and provides services to thousands of its members, who are all independent travel agents. Here are some nuggets from our conversation.

If you love traveling, you might as well save money while you're doing it. Becoming a travel agent allows you to get travel agent discounts. What most people don't know is that travel agents also get access to exclusive FAM (familiarization) Trips, which allow them to travel at deep discounts and sometimes even free. Many FAM trips are designed to be learning experiences but some are just perks of the profession.

When you join an independent travel agent organization like Pulaski Tickets and Tours, you get certified (and trained if you like) to be a travel agent. It may cost several thousand dollars to join, but will usually include lifetime training, support, and access to travel agent tools to help run your business.

Even if you don't plan on making it your full or even part time profession, you can still often get wholesale, commission-free travel, or even receive commission if you are travel agent. If you travel often, you can easily pay for the cost of joining a travel club.

Working from home or on a flexible schedule has become a very attractive and popular option for a lot of people. Being an independent travel agent allows you to set your own schedule and work from anywhere, especially with all the technology we have today.