Staffing issues, rental costs, utility bills, licences, professional insurance… running your own travel agency comes with a lot of expense, worry and time spent doing accounts and paperwork. A travel franchise is a great way to get the best of both worlds – you get to run your own business and have the backing of an established global company behind you.
From your administration to finance, marketing to PR, the team at Travel Counsellors head office are there to help you every step of the way. You get to focus on what you love doing best – creating and selling incredible holidays.
There is a fantastic business development team who are experts at helping with the transition from high street agency to the TC model. They are on-hand to help whenever you need them and will be by your side throughout the move and beyond.
Travel agency owners Emer McDermott, Gearoid Mannion, and Martina Forde (above) all made the move and they tell us why they believe it has been the right move for them.
Emer McDermott, Co Mayo
Westport-based business woman Emer McDermott joined Travel Counsellors last November after moving her operation from the highly regarded and successful agency McDermott Travel, which she had founded in 2001, to become part of Travel Counsellors. Emer is from Galway originally and worked in the trade there for many years before opening her own agency in Westport, Co Mayo, and running it for over 16 years.
“I had my own travel agency for the last 16 years, but having made the move, I feel that the Travel Counsellors business concept is the progressive way forward. For me, the cost of running a retail agency, both personally and financially, had become a real burden. Travel Counsellors represent the same ethics and beliefs as McDermott Travel, so I can continue to provide the same level of exceptional service that my customers are used to.
“I have to say that it was crazy busy moving from my own agency, but I had the support of the most talented and dedicated team at the TC Head Office. I am still running my own business, but now I have access to the very best in technology, product, PR and marketing – and I don’t have to deal with the added stress of staffing, licensing and bonding!”
Gearóid Mannion, Co Clare
Almost two years ago Gearóid Mannion made the life-changing decision to close his family-owned travel agency in Ennis, Co Clare, after over 50 years of trading, so that he could run his business in a different way, as part of Travel Counsellors.
“It is the best decision that I have ever made. With my overheads cut, access to modern booking technology, and an incredible amount of support from the Travel Counsellors global team, the pressure of running my own business has reduced dramatically. I can be more selective with my time, giving each client a better service than ever before – all with the bonus of earning more money now than I ever did!”
Martina Forde, Co Limerick
Martina Forde, also originally from Galway, spent 27 years running two travel agencies in the county. She left the travel industry 10 years ago and decided to study for an MBA, which led to working for a large multi-national company as its Customer Experience Manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa, as well as Asia Pacific. Five years ago, she moved to Adare, Co Limerick, and was commuting to Galway for work.
“Last August I had the opportunity to take voluntary redundancy and I had intended to retire, but by January I had itchy feet to get back to doing something I enjoyed. I have always loved travel and I was sitting at home one evening in January when I saw a Travel Counsellors post on Facebook and I thought that it would be right up my street. The idea of working from home with flexible working hours, doing something that I love and not having to worry about licensing, bonding and everything else, appealed to me greatly. After meeting the Travel Counsellors team in Cork, I was blown away with the entire set up. The technology available to me as a Travel Counsellor is second to none. I am really looking forward to organising bespoke travel for my customers again but also enjoying a really good work-life balance.”
If you dream of combining your passion for travel without any of the hassle of running your own retail agency, get in touch to start your journey as a Travel Counsellor – and remind yourself why you joined the travel industry.
