From Part-Time to Full-Time: 3 Practical Tips for New Travel Advisors

Selling travel is an appealing career option for many. The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) represents over 160,000 advisors and agencies across the United States. Yet, many in the industry are not earning the equivalent of a full-time salary. 

A TMR poll from November found the majority of advisors earned less than $50,000 a year, and, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for travel agents in 2023 was $47,410.

When TMR attended the 2025 InteleTravel Quest (ITQ) conference onboard the Norwegian Joy earlier this year, many attendees TMR spoke to were InteleTravel ICs who joined the host agency for a side hustle but were interested in transitioning to full-time. 

Unsurprisingly, the training seminar “Part Time to Full Time in Two Years” was a packed house.

The seminar was led by Jessica Sitomer, InteleTravel’s vice president of training and agent success. With a lengthy career centered on training and coaching, Sitomer knows a thing or two about building a successful travel business.

Tip 1: Build A Financial Plan

Use Your Local Small Business Development Center 

The first and most important step in transitioning from part-time to full-time is a solid financial plan.

Before quitting your day job, Sitomer recommended taking an honest look at your sales and how much you need to be earning to replace your day job. Does your current employer offer vacation pay? 401(k) contributions? What about medical insurance? Once you transition to fully self-employed, you’ll be responsible for all of that out of pocket.  

“The reality is certain things have to be put in place so you can safely make that transition,” said Sitomer. “You’ve got benefits and pensions— all those kinds of things.” 

Rather than trying to do this on your own, Sitomer suggested using your local Small Business Development Center. The center’s trained experts can help you figure out how much money you’ll need to bring in each month to match what you currently receive from an employer. 

Just make sure to explain your current commission structure so that the financial plan’s sales targets are accurate. Then, you can create a plan with monthly gross sales goals that grow from your current numbers to what you need to be full-time.  

“When I started my own coaching, training, and speaking business back in 2008, I went to the Small Business Development Centre of Santa Monica, California,” recalled Sitomer. “There’s a SBDC in every city… they have lawyers, they have tax accountants, they have financial planners, they have insurance people… they have all kinds of business mentors, and it’s all free.”

While it may seem daunting, plenty of other agency owners have successfully made the leap. 

“There are plenty of business owners that have their own health insurance, plenty of business owners that put money away for their retirement, and plenty of business owners who have replaced the income that they used to have in a full-time job,” said Sitomer.

Tip 2: Find Your Niche & Build Your Brand Around It

Look for the “lowest hanging fruit”

To be successful, travel advisors need clients to sell travel to. Rather than a broad catch-all strategy, Sitomer advised part-timers look for the “lowest hanging fruit” to develop as their niche.

In the beginning, new travel advisors can look to family and friends for business and referrals. Beyond that, groups are the easiest way to build up sales numbers.

The most efficient strategy for developing a group-travel client base is to identify a profitable niche that is already easily accessible. An advisor who lives in a retirement community, for example, could focus on the 55+ niche. The point is to look for connections that are already in your network, rather than trying to build a client base in a niche from scratch.   

“Identify the profitable niches because you’re going to start off building groups in the niches that are closest to you,” she explained. “Eventually, you’re going to start adding on the niches you’re most passionate about.”

Sitomer recommended finding a “pied piper”—i.e. someone who can help drive business leads around a specific niche through their network. She used the example of working with a yoga instructor to plan group retreats with their students.  

If the idea of asking someone to help you book group travel makes you uncomfortable, Sitomer suggested approaching the conversation as a business proposal rather than a favor.

“A request is a business request. That means they can say yes, no, or give you a counteroffer,” Sitomer clarified. “People want to help you, but they don’t know what you need.”

Tip 3: Track Your Numbers

“Think about being a CEO of your own company because that’s what you are now.”

After doing the “fun” work of brand building (“Everyone gets excited about building a website and doing their social media,” said Sitomer), advisors building their business need to do the hard work of number crunching.

Growing a part-time travel business into a full-time income will require time, and how much time depends on where you’re starting. The only way to know if you’re on track with your sales growth is to spend time going over the numbers.  

Sitomer recommended tracking sales diligently, including targets and whether or not they were reached. Conducting regular performance analysis is an essential part of running a business because it’s the only way to know what’s working, what’s not, and where the pain points are.

“Think about being a CEO of your own company because that’s what you are now,” said Sitomer. “Imagine if the CEO of Costco was not keeping track of what they were selling, how much they were selling, what needed to be replaced, [and] what wasn’t selling.”

It’s also important not to be discouraged when you miss sales targets. There are going to be bad months, and to be successful, you need to stay motivated. 

“You must track monthly [and] weekly in a way that inspires you… If you just look at [missed sales targets] and let it demotivate you, then you’re not going to accomplish what you said you were going to do,” said Sitomer. “That’s business baby.”