Interested in Becoming a Luxury Travel Advisor?
Luxury Travel Advisor FAQs
At Crafted Escapes, we offer a combination of live/webinar training and online/recorded training through Departure Lounge, the Virtuoso network, and our technology platform providers. The cost for all training is covered by a one-time onboarding fee of $500 to Departure Lounge (host agency) and $500 to Crafted Escapes.
Crafted Escapes management is available to assist with all bookings, and you can also receive in-person training at Virtuoso conferences and the annual Departure Lounge travel advisor meeting held each fall. Additionally, weekly online supplier trainings provide updates on hotels and destinations, and depending on your location, we can arrange for in-person meetings with sales representatives when they visit your area.
We offer a self-guided onboarding program to be completed within the first week of employment, culminating in a final exam to assess your knowledge. This program covers everything from inquiry to booking to managing client experiences, with materials including reading assignments and webinar/video training. The final exam ensures you are fully prepared to begin working with your clients.
There is a one-time onboarding fee of $500, which covers your paperwork, registrations, and onboarding training, as well as your profile setup on both the Departure Lounge and Crafted Escapes websites. Additionally, there is a separate $500 fee to Crafted Escapes, which covers your initial training and system setup.
Example: Total Cost at Signing
*Varies state by state
$500 – One-time onboarding fee to Departure Lounge
$500 – One-time onboarding fee to Crafted Escapes
$130 – Annual LLC fees*
$350 – Annual Travel Agents and Tour Operators Professional Liability Insurance Policy (includes E&O)*
$100 – Annual subscription to Travefy & other travel platforms
$30– Monthly fee for TravelJoy
$65 – Business Cards
$1,675 Total at signing
There is a quarterly technology platform fee of $100, which includes an annual subscription to Travefy (our itinerary-building software) and access to our hotel and airfare booking platforms.
You may also qualify for an IATA ID card, available for $40 after reaching $50,000 in sales.
Advisors will need to pay an annual LLC fee to continue running their business. The cost varies by state, but an average of around $130 per year.
Another annual fee is travel insurance. Agents typically pay around $350 per year (depends on overall revenue) for Travel Agents and Tour Operators Professional Liability Insurance Policy (includes E&O).
Business cards are the responsibility of the travel advisor and typically cost $65 or less per order.
We use a CRM system called TravelJoy, which has a monthly subscription fee of about $30.
If you fail to generate at least $8,000 in gross commissions over each six-month period (either Q1 & Q2 or Q3 & Q4), you will need to pay a $600 administration fee for that period.
Level 1 – 0 – $34,999 in 12 month gross commission in revenue -65/35 split
New split to be determined at the end of month 12 for the following year.
Commission Split: Advisor/ Agency
Level 2 – $35,000-$69,999 in 12 month gross commission in revenue -70/30 split
Level 3 – $70,000 to $109,999 in 12 month gross commission in revenue – 75/25 split
Level 4 – $110,000-$144,999 in 12 month gross commission in revenue – 80/20 split
Level 5 – $150,000 + 12 month gross commission in revenue -85/15 split
Past this there is a chance to join Crafted Escapes LLC (Annie) on flat-fee contract**
Advisors are allowed to fall no more than 10% of their prior year revenue to remain at that split.
Our Crafted Escapes team stays connected through an active daily group chat, and we hold Zoom meetings every other week to discuss client issues, booking questions, processes, or just to catch up. Additionally, we host an annual Crafted Escapes Team Retreat where the entire team gathers at a new destination to learn about the area and spend time together in person.
Crafted Escapes advisors also have access to the private Departure Lounge Facebook group, where travel advisors can ask questions and share insights with the broader team and management. This group fosters shared knowledge and a strong sense of community. You’ll also have opportunities to connect with other Departure Lounge advisors at the agency’s annual fall meeting, Virtuoso conferences, and supplier trainings.
Annie will also add you to several travel marketing/sales groups, destination-specific agent groups, and new agent communities to help expand your network and resources.
The benefits of joining Crafted Escapes are numerous and diverse. Virtuoso, the world’s premier luxury travel network, offers unparalleled resources including personalized marketing, award-winning publications, extensive training, and strong supplier relationships. These resources are unmatched in the industry, and being a Departure Lounge/Virtuoso travel advisor provides access to exclusive opportunities and experiences around the globe.
One of the greatest advantages of joining the Crafted Escapes team is having a mentor with 8 years of experience, along with a supportive group of teammates who are eager to help you learn and grow in the travel industry.
Crafted Escapes, through Departure Lounge, holds preferred status with top luxury brands, offering exclusive perks for both clients and advisors. These prestigious partnerships include renowned names such as Four Seasons, Belmond, Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, Luxury Collection, Bulgari, Edition, W Hotels, JW Marriott, Park Hyatt, Andaz, Grand Hyatt, Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, LXR, Langham, Rosewood, Rocco Forte, Preferred Hotels, Small Luxury Hotels, Abercrombie & Kent, Peninsula, Shangri-La, and many more. These relationships provide unique advantages, from special amenities to rare travel experiences.
Travel advisors benefit from exclusive discounted travel opportunities with top providers worldwide. They are invited to participate in exceptional familiarization (FAM) and study-tour trips, offering firsthand experience of destinations and services. Many properties and travel providers also offer special travel agent rates, leading to significant savings. For certain conferences and FAM trips, we ask that advisors have achieved $500K in sales to be eligible for participation.
Crafted Escapes has a structured social media program in place. Annie is in the process of onboarding a Social Media Management company that will handle daily and weekly posts, responses, and provide customized newsletters. Between Virtuoso, which sends emails directly to your clients, and the marketing support from Departure Lounge, there’s ample assistance to help you promote your services.
We currently provide newsletter templates and branded social media templates for you to use on your own social media pages. We encourage all advisors to stay active and post regularly. With Annie’s marketing background, she is also available to help you create a personalized marketing plan and answer any questions you may have along the way.
Access to Departure Lounge’s social media videos is available for posting on personal or business Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn pages. These videos spotlight preferred hotels or cruise ships, quickly showcasing the value of the travel product and emphasizing the benefits of booking with a knowledgeable advisor. They serve as an effective way to engage your social media audience, providing consistent reminders that you are well-connected, informed, and add significant value to their vacation planning.
Your commission revenue typically starts at 10% or more of your sales. In their first year, successful travel advisors generally sell between $300K and $500K. By the second year, sales often increase to around $750K, and in the third year, they can reach between $1 million and $1.5 million, depending on various factors. This means that over three years, your income from travel sales (excluding any planning fees) could range from $28,000 to $150,000 annually, based on achieving these sales levels. With an average booking value of approximately $10,000, this translates to around 40-50 bookings in your first year, 100 bookings in your second year, and 140 to 200 bookings by your third year.
As a Crafted Escapes travel advisor, you can begin selling travel immediately after completing our onboarding process. The pace of your initial training is flexible and depends on you, with much of the necessary training available as recorded sessions online. This is further supported by in-person or live webinar training. Our management team is available to guide you through each booking opportunity until you feel confident handling bookings independently. Additionally, both Departure Lounge management and fellow travel advisors offer ongoing support, sharing recommendations and the latest updates on destinations and products to keep you at the top of your game.
We do have a Minimum Revenue Policy, as outlined in your contract. This policy has been established by Departure Lounge.
To maintain your agreement with Crafted Escapes and Departure Lounge, you must generate at least $8,000 in gross commissions over each six-month period (either Q1 & Q2 or Q3 & Q4). If this target is not reached, a $600 administration fee will apply for that period.
Personal Travel: Commissions earned from personal travel, where you receive 100% of the commission, do not count toward the $8,000 requirement. Personal travel is defined as any booking (hotel room, cabin, rental car, etc.) in which you are a participating traveler.
First Six Months: The first six months of your agreement include a grace period with no minimum sales requirement. After this period, the $600 fee will be waived if you meet the $8,000 gross commissions goal for the next six-month period.
Missed Revenue Targets: If you fail to meet the minimum revenue goal for one six-month period, you will be placed on probation. If the target is not met for two periods, either consecutively or non-consecutively, your agreement will be automatically terminated.
Timeline:
First 6 months (Onboarding): Minimum commission requirement is waived.
Second 6 months: If minimum is not met, a $600 fee is charged, and a warning is issued.
Third 6 months: If minimum is missed again, a $600 fee is charged, and the agreement is automatically terminated.
Crafted Escapes distributes commissions and fees on a monthly basis. For any commissions fully received in the Crafted Escapes bank account by the last day of the month, the advisor’s share will be paid no later than the 17th of the following month. Payments are made exclusively via direct deposit into the bank account specified by the travel advisor.
We have extra leads available to pass on to advisors, but it’s important not to rely solely on them. Annie collects incoming inquiries and distributes them to the group on a first-come, first-served basis, taking into account a few factors. We strategically assign leads to advisors with relevant destination or travel-type knowledge. To receive leads, you must be fully prepared to handle them and demonstrate that you can successfully close the ones provided to you. It’s also essential that you respond promptly, ideally within a few hours, and no later than the same day.
CE leads start at 60%, but increase in year 2 to 65%. Departure Lounge also offers leads to advisors, but with a 60% commission split. You’ll have a profile on their website, and leads are often shared through the internal Facebook group as well.
