5 Best Platforms for a Travel Agent Side Hustle

Having a travel agent side hustle is becoming a trend due to the many benefits it offers. According to a Travel Weekly survey, 17.5% of advisors are booking at a rate far beyond that of 2019, and 13.6% report that business is steady. This is an indication that the travel industry is picking up again after a lull that was caused by the pandemic. 

Travel agents cater to a wide demographic, from individuals to corporations. They book flights, cruises, hotels, rental cars, and package tours, among others. 

Although commissions used to be their main source of income, that has shifted in recent years, with travel agents supplementing their income by booking personal travel planning services. For these reasons, starting a travel agent side hustle is an exciting and profitable endeavor that allows people to earn extra income and enjoy flexible working hours.

So, where and how can you find the best way to make money with a travel agent side hustle? We list the 5 best platforms so you can compare and find one that fits your situation, and start earning that green, RIGHT NOW!

Start Your Travel Agent Side Hustle on Upwork

Upwork can help you find freelancer jobs to earn money for your travel agent side hustle.

Side hustle type: Freelancer

How to work: Search for jobs and apply 

Time consuming: ⏰⏰⏰⏰⏰ (It’s possible to apply for multiple jobs and never hear back)

Competition: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 (High)

With thousands of top-rated travel agents already present on the website, freelancers can easily land remote travel agent jobs. Upwork’s advanced search feature allows individuals to filter out job posts from clients with no previous hires or unverified payment, providing a safe and secure platform to work on. 

There is a steady flow of travelers looking for travel services. With 165 open jobs available at the moment in the trip planning category, it’s clear that many travelers are seeking the guidance of a professional Travel Planner to make their vacation unforgettable.

Personalized travel plans are highly sought after, and Upwork has a variety of planners who can create plans for three, seven, or even ten destinations. Many of these travel planners have years of experience and a passion for travel, which ensures travelers that their trip will be in good hands. Whether it’s leisure or corporate travel, Upwork has a Travel Planner who can deliver highly detailed itineraries with a focus on attention to detail.

Freelancers can find work as travel planners and develop a long-lasting relationship with clients. Upwork offers the least amount of risk as individuals can still work their regular job while building a potentially full-time business through Upwork. Furthermore, the platform allows freelance travel agents to market their skills to their personal network for free via email and social media accounts, expanding their reach even further. 

Despite scamers posing as real clients, Upwork remains a top freelancing website for a travel agent side hustle across the globe.

Start Your Travel Agent Side Hustle on NanoWhat

Open your own itinerary shop to earn money from a travel agent side hustle.

Side hustle type: eCommerce

How to work: Convert travel itineraries into digital products to sell 

Time consuming: ⏰⏰ (Save lots admin & logistics time by using their free service）

Competition: 🔥🔥 (low)

As a travel agent, if you already have many travel itineraries and vacation plans for different destinations, then NanoWhat is a place to help you sell them!

More and more travel agents, bloggers, and Google Local Guides list their travel itineraries under their own shop on NanoWhat. The platform lets you easily convert blogs or social media posts into digital products so you can sell them to travelers all over the world.

As a travel agent, if you frequently receive inquiries from clients for customized travel itineraries, then you might want to consider making travel itineraries for in-demand destinations on NanoWhat. Simply share the link to your customer and they can instantly buy your pre-made travel itinerary directly from your shop, eliminating the risk of planning a trip for a customer that may disappear before paying you for your time.

NanoWhat provides a free “conversion service”. You can send your existing travel itineraries directly to their customer service center, and they provide a free service to convert these contents into sellable products and put them directly in your own e-Shop! This saves a lot of administrative time and logistical efforts for your travel agent side hustle.

Tips: Search on NanoWhat first, and try to make itinerary products for destinations that are not currently available on the website. This can greatly increase the competitiveness of your products.

Start Your Travel Agent Side Hustle with a Dream Vacations Franchise

Join a franchise business to earn money from your travel agent side hustle.

Side hustle type: Sales Commission

How to work: Sell different products to earn commission  

Time consuming: ⏰⏰⏰⏰⏰ (Requires preparation to join their webinar and hands on sales efforts）

Competition: 🔥🔥🔥 (Medium)

If you’re good at sales, have a strong network, and want to work from home to start your own business – Dream Vacation Franchise might be a good travel agent side hustle for you.

Dream Vacations Franchise is a new trend for a travel agent side hustle due to its unique business opportunity offerings. It allows individuals to start their own home-based travel franchise business and be their own boss.

The launch of ‘Dream Vacations Advisor’ also provides support and expertise for those new to the travel industry. With 40 years of experience in creating business opportunities for independent contractors, it knows what it takes to give franchisees a successful career path. 

The franchise has been ranked number one in the travel agency franchise category by Entrepreneur’s 44th Annual ‘Entrepreneur Franchise 500’ list. Although the earnings from this travel agent side hustle are not all that exorbitant, the supplemental income is a major consideration when choosing any career path. The Dream Vacations Franchise is meant to be an opportunity for travel agents to turn their passion for travel into a viable and sustainable career option.

Start Your Travel Agent Side Hustle with Fiverr

Open a Travel Planning gig to earn money as a travel agent side hustle.

Side hustle type: Freelancer Marketplace

How to work: Sell freelancing service to earn commission  

Time consuming: ⏰⏰⏰ (Most of the time is spent on creating the gig）

Competition: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 (High)

Fiverr is an online marketplace that connects businesses with freelancers offering digital services in over 500 categories. It is an excellent platform for side hustlers to showcase their skills and earn some extra cash, especially for a travel agent side hustle.

Freelancers can charge anywhere from $5 to $18,000 per project, and the most lucrative services include live action explainer videos and whiteboard animations. By listing services as “gigs”, sellers can easily earn money by completing small one-off jobs. 

Additionally, Fiverr allows sellers to choose how much time and effort they want to put into selling their gigs, making it a flexible option for those looking for a true side hustle while still working another job. Overall, Fiverr is a great place for a travel agent side hustle if  you want to earn some extra cash through your existing skills.

It is a growing trend that travelers are turning to Fiverr for their travel itinerary needs. With Fiverr’s extensive list of travel-related services, users can easily find freelancers to write travel articles, plan their trip itineraries, search for the best deals on airline tickets, and much more. Business travelers can also find travel planners and consultants to help meet their corporate trip planning needs. 

As the market for travel apps and software continues to grow, Fiverr offers a solution for those looking to streamline their travel planning or leave the apps behind and trust their vacation to a human.

Start Your Travel Agent Side Hustle with Fora

Become a part time advisor to earn money from travel agent side hustle

Side hustle type: Affiliate marketing

How to work: Providing travel advisor services to earn commission  

Time consuming: ⏰⏰⏰  (Consulting service only when leads coming in）

Competition: 🔥🔥🔥🔥 (High)

Fora has emerged as a new platform for a viable travel agent side hustle, providing an online launch pad for anyone who is passionate about travel and wants to sell travel either as a full-time or part-time job. 

As a member of the Virtuoso agency group, Fora Travel agents can enjoy perks and benefits that Virtuoso can obtain from its partners. Fora’s new platform serves as a foundation for anyone who wants to work in the travel industry and help out with trip planning, complete with training sessions, elevated support, and access to good deals for a fraction of the price you would have to pay to open their own agency.

The rise in demand for personalized experiences has also made Fora an attractive option for travel agents looking to capitalize on their knowledge and passion for travel.

Travel Agent Side Hustle Conclusion

One way to get moving on your travel agent side hustle may be to guide travelers towards alternative, less expensive routes that can reduce overall travel costs. Another way may be to market trips that focus on both leisure and business. Although the pandemic dealt a heavy blow to the tourism industry, international cooperation and assistance to mitigate its effects is essential to help rebuild and accelerate economic recovery. 

As the tourism sector gradually recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, the manner in which people travel is also shifting. This change in travel behavior necessitates that small businesses and individual service providers adapt to new ways of making more profit through a unqie travel agent side hustle. 

No matter which way you’re running your own hustle, one thing for sure is that travel agents must stay current with market trends and adapt innovatively tailored approaches to cater to the evolving needs of travelers.