How to recruit travel agents: where to find advisors and how to make an honest offer

To recruit travel agents, go where new and experienced advisors already gather: certification programs such as The Travel Institute's, career changers, supplier and destination specialist communities, and referrals. Then make an honest offer. Publish your split and every fee, describe training and leads plainly, and leave out income promises, which federal rules restrict.

Here is where recruits come from, what to offer, what the FTC lets you say about earnings, how to avoid looking like an MLM, and a checklist to run before you post.

What does recruiting travel advisors involve?

Recruiting means bringing advisors into your agency as employees or as independent contractors who book under it. Most now work the second way. The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) says nearly two-thirds of advisors are independent contractors, up from 20 percent in 2020.

That choice shapes what you can control, what you disclose and which tax forms you file. Decide it first.

Where do agencies find travel advisors?

Four channels are worth working. Each brings a different kind of recruit, so match your offer to it.

Training programs. The Travel Institute's TRIPKIT is built for new and aspiring professionals, needs no prior travel industry experience and takes about 40–60 hours. It includes the TAP test, which the Institute calls the only industry-recognized credential for new, entry-level travel professionals. Its CTA, CTC and CTIE certifications mark advisors further along.

Career changers. The Travel Institute pitches TRIPKIT to aspiring travel advisors and career changers.

Supplier and destination communities. Suppliers and tourism boards train advisors too. Tourism Australia's Aussie Specialist program describes itself as a travel agent-only training program. Specialists from these programs already know what they want to sell.

Referrals. Your own advisors know who is good. Be careful how you reward them, and how wide you cast the net (both are covered below).

What should you offer a travel advisor?

Offer four things, in writing: the split, every fee, the training, and how leads work. Recruits compare all four.

The split. Waybird, which runs its own hosted program, puts splits at 60/40 to 90/10 in the advisor's favor, with 70/30 a common starting point for newer advisors. Travel Planners International (TPI), in a sponsored post, says host agencies typically take 10–40% of your commissions. Treat both as host-published ranges, not survey averages. Commission split models compares flat, tiered and lead-based plans.

Fees. List them all: setup, monthly, per booking, technology and training. Waybird warns that a better split with higher fees can be worse for a low-volume, high-value business.

Training. Say what is included, who runs it and what it costs.

Leads. Say how leads are assigned, how many a new advisor can expect only if you can back the number up, and how the split changes on a house lead. If you charge a fee and promise leads, read the next section closely.

What can you legally say about earnings?

This is general information, not legal advice.

You can describe your offer. You can't promise income you can't prove. Two sets of FTC rules matter: the Business Opportunity Rule, which may apply to your offer, and the FTC's general standard for earnings claims, which applies to everyone.

Does the FTC Business Opportunity Rule cover your agency?

It might. The Business Opportunity Rule (16 CFR Part 437) covers an offer when three things are true:

1. The seller solicits a prospective purchaser to enter into a new business.
2. The purchaser makes a required payment, meaning all consideration that the purchaser must pay to the seller or an affiliate, either by contract or by practical necessity.
3. The seller says it will provide locations, buy back what the purchaser produces, or provide outlets, accounts, or customers, including, but not limited to, Internet outlets.

What this means for agencies (our reading, not a legal opinion): an agency that charges advisors to join and promises to supply clients or leads may fall under the Rule. Its definition of providing customers includes furnishing the prospective purchaser with existing or potential locations, outlets, accounts, or customers. An agency that charges nothing to join, or promises no customers, likely isn't covered. The FTC's MLM guidance makes the same point about network sellers: they are not exempt from the Rule if they otherwise fit the definition of a business opportunity. This is an inference, so ask a lawyer to check your offer before you recruit.

What does the Rule require?

If the Rule covers you, you must give a disclosure document on the FTC's set form at least seven calendar days before the recruit signs or pays. It answers yes or no on earnings claims, certain legal actions from the past 10 years, and any cancellation or refund policy.

The Rule also bans misrepresenting how or when commissions, bonuses, incentives, premiums, or other payments from the seller to the purchaser will be calculated or distributed. For an agency, that is the split.

What counts as an earnings claim?

More than you'd think. The Rule defines it as any oral, written, or visual representation of a specific level or range of sales, income or profits. Its own examples include earn a six-figure income and earn your investment back within one year, plus any chart or calculation showing possible results.

If you make one under the Rule, you need a reasonable basis and written substantiation at the time you make it. You also need a separate statement titled EARNINGS CLAIM STATEMENT REQUIRED BY LAW. It gives the claim, the dates it covers, and the number and percentage of purchasers who reached at least that level. In ads and other general media, the dates and that percentage must appear in immediate conjunction with the claim.

What applies even if the Rule doesn't?

The FTC's general standard. Its MLM guidance says any earnings claim should reflect what the typical person is likely to achieve, and should take into account both what participants earn and what they spend. Showing atypical earnings is likely to generate a deceptive impression.

The FTC has also put sellers on notice. On October 26, 2021, it sent more than 1,100 companies, including franchises and business opportunities, a Notice of Penalty Offenses. It covers false or misleading earnings claims, including claims that profits are typical or that recruits don't need experience to earn income, or must act immediately. Each violation can now cost up to $53,088, the 2025 inflation-adjusted maximum, unchanged for 2026.

Is a new FTC earnings claims rule coming?

Not yet final. The FTC asked for comment on a possible rule on deceptive or unfair earnings claims in March 2022. On January 13, 2025, it announced three proposals by a 3–2 vote. They would extend the Business Opportunity Rule to money-making opportunities, create an Earnings Claim Rule for MLMs, and seek comment on further requirements.

As of October 21, 2026, no final rule had been announced. The FTC's August 2026 regulatory agenda still lists the proposed Earnings Claims Rule and the Business Opportunity Rule among its current rulemakings. Check ftc.gov before you rely on this.

Recruiting copy: what to say instead

Red flags: how to recruit without becoming an MLM

Pay advisors for selling travel to real travelers, not for signing up other advisors. That is the line the FTC draws.

• Rewards for recruiting. The FTC says that where recruiting is necessary to earn significant rewards, the rewards are for recruiting. A pyramid scheme's focus is promoting the program rather than selling the products.
• Pay-to-join as the business. If most of your revenue comes from advisor fees rather than travel commission, you are selling the program.
• Self-purchases dressed as sales. The FTC looks at purchases made for reasons unrelated to their own actual demand or their customers' genuine retail demand. Advisors booking trips to hit a target is a warning sign.
• No safe ratio. The FTC says there is no percentage-based test. Look at how the plan really works.

What this means for agencies: if you pay for referrals, pay a flat, disclosed amount tied to the new advisor's real bookings. Don't pay a cut of a growing downline. The host agency guide lists the same red flags from the advisor's side.

Employee or contractor: what changes when you recruit?

How you recruit and train can decide which one you have. The IRS weighs behavioral control, financial control and the type of relationship.

Training matters most for recruiting. The IRS says periodic or on-going training about procedures and methods is even stronger evidence of an employer-employee relationship.

Get it wrong without a reasonable basis and you may be held liable for employment taxes for that worker.

For the forms each status needs, see W-2 and W-9 tax forms. This is a summary, not legal or tax advice.

What to put in a travel advisor job posting

State the role, the pay model and what you provide. Leave out anything about who you'd prefer to hire.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) says it is illegal for an employer to publish a job advertisement that shows a preference for or discourages people based on a protected trait. Those include race, color, religion, sex (including transgender status, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information. Its example: an ad for "females" or "recent college graduates" may discourage men and people over 40.

Referral-only hiring has a risk too. The EEOC warns that reliance on word-of-mouth recruitment by a mostly single-group workforce may violate the law. Post openly as well.

Federal coverage starts at 15 or more employees for most claims and 20 for age. Virtually all employers are covered by the Equal Pay Act, and smaller agencies still may be covered by a state or local anti-discrimination law.

What this means for agencies: write contractor postings to the same standard. A good posting states the role and status (employee or contractor), your split and every fee in figures, the training, how leads are assigned, and only the requirements you actually need.

Onboarding: what access should a new advisor get?

Sign first, then give access. The contract should cover the split, fees, payout timing, clawbacks and bookings left behind when an advisor leaves (commission split models has the list). Then grant only what the role needs: their own trips and clients, not payout reports. Roles and permissions covers the setup, and travel advisor retention covers what keeps advisors after month one. For the rest of the setup, see how to start a travel agency.

Travel advisor recruiting checklist

How Tripdash works with advisors

Tripdash is a host agency platform that certifies travel advisors, sends qualified leads, automates follow-ups, and includes flight and hotel booking systems, and advisors keep 80%+ of every booking. See how Tripdash works for advisors.

Sources

1. Federal Trade Commission. Business Opportunity Rule, 16 CFR Part 437, eCFR, current as of October 2026.
2. Federal Trade Commission. Adjustment of civil monetary penalty amounts, 16 CFR 1.98, eCFR, current as of October 2026; Civil Penalty Inflation Adjustments, Federal Register, September 15, 2026; Regulatory Agenda, Federal Register, August 14, 2026.
3. Federal Trade Commission. Business Guidance Concerning Multi-Level Marketing, April 2024.
4. Federal Trade Commission. FTC puts businesses on notice that false money-making claims could lead to big penalties, October 26, 2021.
5. Federal Trade Commission. FTC proposes rule changes and new rule to deter deceptive earnings claims by multilevel marketers and money-making opportunity sellers, January 13, 2025.
6. Federal Register. Deceptive or Unfair Earnings Claims, advance notice of proposed rulemaking, March 11, 2022.
7. US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Prohibited employment policies/practices; Coverage of business/private employers, accessed October 21, 2026.
8. Internal Revenue Service. Independent contractor (self-employed) or employee?, updated May 19, 2026; Behavioral control, updated January 15, 2026.
9. American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA). Legislative Priorities, 2026.
10. The Travel Institute. Travel Introductory Program: TRIPKIT 6th Edition; Certification, accessed October 21, 2026.
11. The Travel Institute. Princess Cruises invests in future travel advisors with $100 tuition assistance, October 1, 2026.
12. Tourism Australia. Aussie Specialist program, accessed October 21, 2026.
13. Waybird (runs its own hosted program). 9 questions to ask a host agency before you join, August 19, 2026.
14. Travel Planners International on HostAgencyReviews (sponsored). The real costs of starting a home-based travel agency, March 31, 2025.