Celebrating 15 Years

It’s hard to believe that AGENTatHOME magazine has been providing sales advice and business assistance specifically for home-based travel agents for 15 years. Fifteen years!

Debunking Misconceptions

Back in 2004, the number of travel agents who worked from home was growing, although they were sometimes nicknamed “Kitchen-Table Mabels”—people who dabbled in leisure sales. That idea was quickly debunked as more and more experienced advisors closed their storefronts since they could just as easily work via email, phone and laptop. It was during this time that AGENTatHOME was launched.

Meteoric Growth

The slow but steady growth turned into an avalanche. In January 2005, Credit Suisse First Boston released a revelatory report called “Home Bookin.’ ” The landmark study found that home-based agents were growing by 5 to 8 percent a year—faster than any other part of the distribution system—proving to skeptics that this was a powerful sales force.

More recently, in 2017, a study by The Travel Institute found that 62 percent of all travel agents worked primarily as independent contractors, from their homes, their cars or local coffee shops—a complete turnaround from 2008, when 71 percent of all travel agents were employees.

Going Strong

That report only validated the reasons ModernAgent.com—now travAlliancemedia.com—launched this publication in September 2004. Other companies also launched home-based agent magazines, but this is the only one that has survived through the years, as the at-home channel boomed and, indeed, became predominant.

AGENTatHOME now comes out twice a month and continues to offer advice on successfully operating at-home travel businesses, as well as how-to-sell articles on commissionable leisure travel. We’re grateful to be celebrating our 15th year and thank our advertisers—who have supported the magazine for so long—as well as our loyal homebased agent readers.