To become a Viking travel advisor, start by joining a host agency for the fastest access to an IATA or CLIA credential. Once you’re accepted by an agency, complete your host’s advisor training and register with Viking through that agency. Then, go through the Viking Travel Advisor Academy to learn the product before you book your first client.
Who can sell Viking cruises?
Anyone with an IATA number or CLIA membership can sell Viking cruises. You don’t need a special license or to work for Viking to qualify, and most U.S. states don’t require a degree or license to become a travel advisor at all. Seller of travel registration applies in a handful of states—California, Florida, Hawaii, New York, and Washington—but your host agency usually handles it. In New York, it only applies to agencies with a storefront.
A CLIA or IATA number verifies you as a travel professional so that you earn commission. Both come from your host agency, not from Viking. You can also earn the credentials by running your own agency, but that’s a slower, more complex route than joining a host agency.
1. Choose and join a host agency
Your host agency is what makes it possible to run your business without building the infrastructure yourself. Host agencies provide the licensing, supplier relationships, and the booking and invoicing tech and training you'll lean on daily.
There are both standalone cruise-exclusive host agencies and host agencies that let you book anything. Consider what you need now and where you want to be in a few years—and remember that cruise clients often need a hotel, flight, or ground transfer on at least one end of their journey. Beyond commission splits and invoicing, compare your top choices on:
Training: Is there ongoing education, and is any of it cruise-specific?
Supplier relationships: Does the host have a relationship with Viking, other cruise lines, and CLIA?
Restrictions: Are you limited to cruise? Are there any booking minimums or quotas?
Read our full guide to choosing a host agency
2. Complete advisor training
Every host starts by onboarding you on its own systems and workflow, but the depth varies a lot from one to the next. For example, Fora offers foundational training for new advisors plus specialized tracks for cruise, destinations, flights, and business skills. The training options span more than 700 hours of on-demand training and over 28 hours of live sessions per week, plus in-person events and conferences.
Beginner cruise education should include training on:
Matching clients to the right onboard experience
Popular cruise destinations
Creating a cruise proposal for a client
Cruise add-on options
How to manage a cruise booking
Fora’s training is more than enough—more than most host agencies give you.
Randy Marsden
joined November 2022Before you make your first booking, learn how Viking’s reservation and booking management system works and how to ensure your commissionable booking gets logged and paid with your host.
3. Register with Viking through your host
Viking, like most cruise lines, wants advisors booking through its own portal or its team. Your host will guide you through the exact process to register so that every booking you make is accurately tied to your agency and your name for commission purposes.
Once you have access to Viking’s Travel Advisor Portal, you can build and manage bookings and add shore excursions for clients. If you plan to sell to clients abroad, check Viking’s cross-border selling policy before you commit to a booking.
4. Complete the Viking Travel Advisor Academy
Once you’re set up with the Viking advisor portal, you can take Viking’s training through the Viking Travel Advisor Academy. Whereas your host agency should teach you about the cruise industry and how to plan a cruise broadly, supplier training like Viking’s goes deep on what you need to sell the line successfully.
The academy is free and includes four courses: Viking Fundamentals, Rivers, Oceans, and Expeditions. A great travel advisor will understand how to match every client to the right ship type and itinerary based on their travel style and preferences—river longships for smaller groups and a slower pace, ocean ships for a mix of sea and ports, expeditions for adventurous travelers.
Get to know:
The three distinct products: River sails on small ships in Europe and beyond, ocean covers worldwide itineraries on larger ships, and expedition runs two ships—Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris—into regions like Antarctica, the Arctic, and the Great Lakes.
Inclusive value: Viking fares are often inclusive, particularly on ocean sailings, where a shore excursion in each port, Wi-Fi, and meals come with the fare. Inclusions differ across river, ocean, and expedition.
Adults-only product: Every Viking sailing is for travelers 18 years and older, making it a good option for solo travelers, couples, and groups or families of adults.
Explorer Society: Viking’s loyalty program influences how past guests rebook, so understand how it intersects with your workflow.
Once you complete all four courses, you’ll get a credential to display on your website and email signature. You’ll also get access to Viking’s graduate community, where Viking shares reduced advisor rates and Fam sailings. Viking also runs periodic booking incentives for academy graduates, so ask your host what’s available once you finish your training.
5. Book your first Viking cruise
Your first client is usually someone you already know—Viking’s typical guest is a mature, culturally curious traveler who wants an inclusive, adults-only trip, so start by thinking about who in your circle would be a fit. You’ll quote, hold cabins, and apply group rates through Viking's Travel Advisor Portal.
Make that first client trip excellent, then ask them to spread the word once they’ve returned—referrals are one of the most reliable ways to grow a client base. To get clients from outside of your network, get comfortable talking about your advising career regularly. Look for natural openings to mention that you plan travel and the benefits clients get by booking Viking through you instead of on their own. But be patient—it can take two years or more to build a consistent book of business.
Read our full guide to becoming a cruise travel advisor
How much do Viking travel advisors make?
Viking travel advisors earn a share of the commission Viking pays your host on each booking—cruise bookings average 16% commission across lines, and commission splits usually run 70%–90% after your host’s split. For example, a $10,000 commissionable Viking fare at a 16% commission and 70% split would be: ($10,000 x 16%) x 70% = $1,120 commission.
Your actual income as a travel advisor depends on how many trips you book, the commissionable value of those trips, and how steadily the bookings come in.
The factors with the greatest impact on your earnings are:
Volume: More cruises booked means more commission opportunities.
Booking value: Commission is calculated as a percentage of the commissionable fare, so booking higher fares—from longer itineraries or larger traveler groups, for example—comes with higher commission.
Commission rates: Agency splits usually improve as you sell more or according to your membership tier, and a host with a strong Viking relationship may also have a higher overall commission rate.
Complementary bookings: Booking hotels, airport transfers, travel insurance, and additional excursions creates a more complete trip for your clients and gives them your support from start to finish, while also adding a small amount to the total trip commission.
Read our full guide to how much travel advisors make
What makes a great Viking travel advisor?
The most successful Viking specialists pair product knowledge—ideally including firsthand ship experience—with strong service and operations to keep the business running. That shows up as:
Product knowledge: Stay current across all three Viking products so you can put each client on the right voyage. Sailing Viking yourself or touring the ships makes your recommendations far more credible.
Attention to detail: Ask questions that help you pin down the right itinerary, and manage the trip so it runs smoothly from deposit to disembarkation.
Full-trip planning: Learn how to coordinate pre-cruise hotels, air, insurance, and extensions to round out the trip and match your client’s interests.
Excellent client service: People hire an advisor for attentive, personal support. Be responsive and patient both while you plan and while they travel.
Anchoring on a niche makes it easier to market your business and gives you a product to build around before you branch out. If your host allows it, add other cruise lines, hotels, and land trips to expand on what you offer.
Get tips for success from Fora travel advisors
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a license to be a Viking cruise travel agent?
No. Most U.S. states don’t require a license or degree to sell travel, and there’s no Viking-specific license. You also don’t need a CLIA EMBARC ID to sell Viking. It’s a useful credential that comes with some benefits if you specialize in cruise, but it’s not required.
Do I need to work for Viking directly to sell their cruises?
No. You sell Viking as an independent travel advisor through a host agency like Fora, as an agency employee or franchisee, or as an independently credentialed travel agent. You’re not on Viking’s payroll and your work doesn’t depend on their corporate hiring requirements.
Do I need travel agent experience to sell Viking?
No. Many people who sell travel didn’t have prior travel industry experience before starting, but are self-motivated and have transferable skills, like marketing or sales. 97% of Fora advisors had never been travel advisors before joining. Your host’s training and Viking’s academy can help you get started.
How much does it cost to become a Viking travel agent?
The main startup cost is your host agency membership fee, which runs between $200–$500 per year. Viking’s Travel Advisor Academy is free. At Fora, membership is $299 per year or $99 per quarter and provides access to training, a complete booking and business platform, and preferred supplier relationships.
How long until I can start booking Viking cruises?
Once you’re onboarded and have your booking tools and training in place, you can book your first Viking cruise. At Fora, most advisors book within 30 days of joining. Building a steady stream of requests takes longer—often a year or more of consistent effort.
Can I sell other cruise lines in addition to Viking?
Yes, if your host allows it. Fora advisors book major lines like Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Virgin Voyages, and Norwegian alongside Viking, which makes it easier to match each client to the right ship.
Can I sell travel besides cruise?
Yes, unless your host is cruise-only. Many advisors pair cruise with hotels, villas, tours, and fully custom itineraries. Even if you specialize in cruise it’s more valuable to your client when you can round out their cruise itinerary with hotels and transfers, or if they can also count on you for their land vacations.
Do travel advisors get discounts on Viking cruises?
Yes, once you’re active and booking clients. Exact eligibility and rates vary by host and cruise line, but advisors can access reduced-rate sailings and familiarization (Fam) trips to see the ships firsthand. These rates exist to sharpen your product knowledge, so Viking expects you to be actively selling to qualify.
