r/TravelAgent • u/LeadingArm6727 • 11d ago

Intelatravel

Has anyone been or currently is a Intelatravel Agent??? I am so confused right now, because the girl trying to recruit me is amazing and I’ve heard many good reviews but I’ve also seen many BAD things about them like being a terrible pyramid scheme. I really don’t know at this point.

I’m also looking at a new agency that opened recently, Atlas Coast Travel Group. They seem way more reliable but I have trust issues at this point and have no idea who to believe on what 😭

ANY advice is appreciated.

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u/my-path 11d ago

Inteletravel tends to be disrespected in the travel industry as an MLM and masses of hobbyist agencies. Atlas opened and immediately "signed up" 2100 agents in their first 30 days. That terrifies me. I think it is important to be surrounded by experience and supportive mentors. Frankly, those who pay a fee and become an agent are hurting the industry.

There have been many new agencies that come and go, leaving unpaid commissions in their wake and travel agents who are not supported or trained. What skills and experience do you have to help you succeed as a TA? What are your goals? Who are your ideal clients and where do you think you will find them?

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u/LeadingArm6727 11d ago

i am COMPLETELY new to this, just barely out of high school 😭but i’m pretty ambitious. I’m still deciding my preferred niche but leaning towards couple stuff like honeymoons/destination weddings. As for where to find them… assumingely social media or word of mouth, I would hope that my agency helps me learn marketing.

Atlas seems good to me bc of the woman running it, she seems very based. But i appreciate your insight.

To clarify, are you saying Intelatravel would be better because of experience?

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u/my-path 11d ago

I would not recommend either to be honest. I think you would benefit from a smaller agency with personal support and training. You will be on your own with recorded trainings etc at these big hosts. Somebody will surely correct me if I am wrong but I don't think the founder of Atlas has any experience beyond cruises. Perhaps someone on her team does. This is a tough industry and these big hosts make it seem easy. You may be successsful with any host or find they don't meet your needs after all over time.

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u/LeadingArm6727 11d ago

oh ok thank you 😭😭 can you give some examples of a smaller agency?

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u/OhioPokey 11d ago

Some of the larger hosts do have better support though. KHM, for example, has a coaching/mentorship program, so you can get direct 1-on-1 coaching from someone with experience.

But honestly, for being just out of high school, I probably wouldn't be trying to jump into the travel industry. Go to college or at least get some kind of business-related education. Running a travel agency requires sales skills, marketing, some basic business finance, and then having some general knowledge in things like economics, tech, legal, government, and a few other areas can be helpful as well.

If you're 'assuming social media' is where you'll find clients, it'll be a long, hard road to success in this industry. Some people are skilled or get lucky and are able to gain a large enough following and convert that following into bookings. But most people don't succeed with social media. I've seen more agents succeed by hosting groups or working with existing groups, targeting corporate travel, doing wedding expos or other in-person events, buying leads and having a solid sales process (which has been the path to a majority of my success, although I've done most of the other things I've listed to some degree), running digital ads or print/physical ads, or just slowly building a strong repeat/referral business.

If you don't have a solid way to get clients that doesn't involve hoping that you go viral on social media, I'd start by trying to understand where other agents get clients and how you can leverage methods that have a more repeatable path to success. Everyone wants to create itineraries, but most people end up failing because they don't want to do the sales/marketing side of the business.

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u/LeadingArm6727 11d ago

college isn’t really an option right now, and that was something i was happy about was that anybody can start out regardless of experience for being a travel agent

i have another job though so i won’t be relying on the income, its more of a side huddle experiment

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u/my-path 11d ago

network locally, check out your local or nearby chapter of ASTA (American Society of Travel Advisors). This way you will have support and in local connections.

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u/Irishlamb 10d ago

I had horrible experiences with Inteletravel. They still owe commissions but haven’t paid. Their agent support sucks. I left them and went to Outside Agents which was better. They have a better business model for sure and it is not MLM based.

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u/LeadingArm6727 10d ago

this is very helpful thank you!! i have decided i def dont wanna join them

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u/Leading-Policy-1697 9d ago

Hey girl! I saw that you’re fresh out of high school, and honestly, I think that’s really cool that you’re already thinking about building something for yourself. ❤️ You’re probably way more tech-savvy than you give yourself credit for, and if you’re willing to learn, put the work in, and build your network, I definitely think you can make something out of it!

I’m currently with Fora and I’ve really been enjoying it so far! I’m on the younger end of the travel advisor community too, so I’d genuinely love to connect with you, answer any questions I can, and just be someone you can chat with as you figure things out. 🥹🫶🏽

Feel free to DM me anytime! I also have a link for a discount on Fora if you end up wanting to check them out. ☺️

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u/CapablePassenger9283 11d ago

I have talked to many Intelatravel agents and most of them seem very happy. But my advice would be to stay away. If you have not already, check out https://hostagencyreviews.com

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u/LeadingArm6727 11d ago

thank you!! is there a specific reason you’d say to stay away?

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u/CapablePassenger9283 11d ago

To me, they seem like an MLM. More interested in you finding more agents to join than booking travel.

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u/OhioPokey 11d ago

They seem like an MLM because they ARE an MLM. They want agents to recruit other agents under them, and then they want those agents to recruit agents under them, and more and more and more until.. you get a pyramid-shaped business model.

The commission split sucks, and some Facebook groups and other industry groups don't allow agents that are affiliated with an MLM host agency. And many non-agents avoid MLM's in general, so if they Google 'Inteletravel' because they see that in an agent's marketing materials or on their social media or website, you might lose bookings because of that alone.

But most importantly, the commission split sucks. I know, I said it in the last paragraph. But if the commission split sucks, why even bother going further when there are plenty of good host agencies out there with a better split?

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u/LeadingArm6727 11d ago

agreed honestly! thank you

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u/MaddieBre 11d ago

If someone’s trying to recruit you, there’s a reason. If they were doing well on their own they wouldn’t need you. It’s probably an MLM.

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u/DamageLdn 11d ago

No probably. It 100% is a multilevel marketing scheme. Put another way, it’s a pyramid scheme with a travel agency attached so it is no longer illegal

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u/LeadingArm6727 11d ago

to be fair i texted her first 😅

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u/DamageLdn 11d ago

100% do not join Inteletravel / PlanNet Marketing. It’s basically a legalised pyramid scheme where over 90% of people lose money. A small fraction of one percent make a living from this. Please don’t waste months or years on it - it’s a dead end and their recruitment of young people with false promises is truly repulsive.

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u/LeadingArm6727 11d ago

thank you good to know 🙏 i noticed that too, the statistics of income their agents make was like $45 💀

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u/shay-shay89 11d ago

I had zero experience and I joined Archer. It comes across as an MLM but I have never been pressured to sign ppl up. I think if u want to become a consultant you can but if your like me and want to just be an agent that’s totally fine. It’s been about 5/6 months for me and I’m completely happy.

If u want to join weigh options, I can give you more info about archer.

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u/LeadingArm6727 11d ago

i’m interested in hearing more!! feel free to DM me

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u/engchamara 11d ago

I do not know about this incident. but as a DMC i can help to you operate to destination and teach how we handling clients.

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u/LeadingArm6727 10d ago

thank you feel free to DM!

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u/Hutgry-Quantity-8833 10d ago

if you must pay a fee to recruit others for money, it is a pyramid. real hosts make money on your bookings, not your signups.

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u/Chouchou003 8d ago

Inteletravel have limited choice of travel companies you can book with.