Since 2021, Fora advisors have booked more than $3 billion in travel. 97% of advisors had no experience as an advisor before joining. Fora provides technology, relationships, and training that advisors can adapt to any experience level—Fora works for a wedding planner monetizing referrals she’s already been fielding and a 25-year American Express Travel veteran evaluating a switch.
How to tell if Fora is a fit for you
Fora will work best for you if people already come to you for travel recommendations and you’re ready to go find clients. Fora provides the infrastructure to run your business, but you build the client base and business strategy.
A useful test is to ask yourself how often other people ask you for travel help. Someone who travels 100 nights per year but has never had a friend ask them to plan a trip can still succeed, but will have a harder start than a school parent who fields travel recommendation requests every month.
How does Fora work, and how do advisors earn?
Fora is a host agency. Advisors run their own businesses under Fora’s accreditation and book travel through Fora’s supplier relationships. Advisors split commission with Fora, starting at 70% and growing to 80% at $300,000 in calendar-year bookings and 90% at $2 million.
Advisor earnings come from the travel they book for clients, and commission tiers move on booking volume, so the way to earn more at Fora is to book more travel.
Who makes a great Fora advisor?
Fora advisors come from all backgrounds and walks of life, but the most successful share focus, curiosity, and a passion for helping others experience travel.
Professional planners already doing the work
If you’re an executive assistant, work in a family office, or plan meetings, events, or weddings professionally, you may already be doing travel advising work while leaving commission earnings behind. Like EAs or event organizers, travel advisors source venues and itineraries, negotiate group contracts, and handle bookings and on-the-ground service.
The suppliers behind ground transportation, hotels, venues, and activities build commission payouts into their budgets. But you need an industry-recognized credential, like an IATA number, to earn that commission, which a host agency like Fora provides.
Fora advisor Alicia Anderson spent years planning weddings in Seattle before she noticed a pattern: “People asked me for advice about group bookings for weddings a lot,” she says. “I was giving free advice and help, then a couple of years ago I was figuring out what to do next career-wise and realized I could monetize what I’m already doing.”
Two Fora advisors, Stephanie Holcombe and Mindy Bockewitz, joined Fora to complement their corporate careers. Stephanie has spent 20 years in corporate meetings and events, while Mindy is a remote executive assistant. Both still work their full-time jobs, with Stephanie booking almost $2 million in travel in her first year as an advisor.
“Travelers put less influence on the fact that I hadn’t been a travel advisor before and more influence on my experience in travel,” Mindy says.
Experienced advisors looking to scale
Established travel advisors who switch to Fora often cite three things: preferred partner access, the Portal platform, and Fora handling supplier invoicing on their behalf.
Fora Reserve, Fora’s in-house preferred partner program, includes over 5,000 partners across supplier types and more than 8,000 hotels. Fora is also a Virtuoso member, offering client benefits across a global range of luxury properties. Fora advisor Janeely Mejia noticed the overlap when she returned to advising after 25 years at American Express Travel. “The fact that [Fora has] the same relationships with a lot of the same vendors gave me a lot of confidence,” she says. “I felt like, ‘I’m OK here.’”
Fora’s booking and technology platform, Portal, consolidates tools that used to live across multiple logins. In addition to built-in CRM, itinerary building, invoicing, and commission tracking, advisors can research and book rates for a property across multiple sources. “At my old host, I had to go to all those different sites myself,” says Fora advisor Seasen Acevedo-Zullo, who switched to Fora after years at another host. Fora also handles supplier invoicing on advisors’ behalf.
The idea of never having to invoice again? I was sold.
Seasen Acevedo-Zullo
joined August 2024Career changers and retirees
Many Fora advisors pivoted from successful corporate careers—real estate, marketing, tech, hospitality, media, and more—and a number joined after retiring.
Fora advisor Ryan Ali left a career in medical marketing in 2025 with a goal of $500,000 in travel sales by the end of his first year as an advisor, and booked $1.3 million instead. In addition to dedicating himself to advisor trainings, he drives referrals and repeat business through regular, personalized client outreach.
For Fora advisor Mei-Mei Kirk, a retired media executive, Fora’s flexibility was the initial draw. “I really liked the fact that there was no pressure to hit a certain mark. I could work as little as I wanted or as much as I wanted,” she says. Within her first year, she sold $650,000 in travel.
Advisors who start part-time and grow
Flexibility is also key for advisors who aren’t in a position to make a full-time change right away. That includes career changers and parents looking for a business structure that fits their family schedule.
“I wanted something to do for maybe three or four hours while [my kids are in] school,” says Fora advisor Megan Smith. Megan joined in 2023, and in 2025 and 2026, she was named a Fora Centum honoree, placing her among Fora’s 100 highest-producing advisors. “It’s funny now because I probably work more than full time, and it took off very quickly,” she says. “But I was in control of my destiny.”
What are the benefits of joining Fora?
Training for every experience level
Fora membership includes 700+ hours of on-demand training and weekly live sessions covering destinations, suppliers, and the business side of advising, for every advisor.
“When I started researching becoming a travel advisor, I realized a lot of companies wanted previous experience and certifications that I didn’t have, but I felt like I was already pretty travel savvy,” says Fora advisor Kristel Finns. “When I came across Fora and realized you all would train me and support the process, that really became my aha moment.”
When I saw the tech, the training, and the real sense of community, it was a no-brainer to sign up with Fora.
Amna Ismail
joined January 2023Training continues well beyond the basics, with destination training, supplier-led sessions, and in-person opportunities for established advisors.
Supportive professional community
Community is a core value at Fora, with advisors sharing intel and recommendations across experience levels and locations. “I don’t know any other company I’ve been a part of where you can get such instantaneous feedback,” says Fora advisor Kristin Staats. “If community is a component you’re not getting somewhere else, you can find it at Fora.”
Advisors connect in multiple ways, from in-person Fam trips, site inspections, conferences, and Chapters, to the virtual Forum, trainings, and WhatsApp groups.
Flexibility to build on your terms
You set your own hours, and there are no required booking minimums or quotas to maintain your membership as long as you’re booking for more than yourself. Fora provides the infrastructure you need to grow at your pace, and a breadth of resources to support you as you develop your specialty.
“For years, I’d been dreaming about opening a business centered around travel planning,” says Fora advisor Becca Santos. “Becoming a travel advisor allows me to be a part of creating some amazing memories for my clients. Fora was exactly what I was looking for to help me kickstart my own business.”
Who isn’t a fit for Fora?
Fora isn’t meant for people primarily looking to earn passive income or travel discounts. Becoming a travel advisor is an entrepreneurial commitment. Fora isn't a good match if you want:
A guaranteed paycheck: Fora advisors earn commission on the trips they book, so there’s no guaranteed salary or monthly income, especially in year one. Most advisors build toward full-time earnings over multiple years.
A passive business: Fora provides training and technology, but you still have to build your client base and do the planning work, along with managing taxes and business decisions.
Travel perks more than a client base: Fora, like other host agencies, reserves benefits like travel agent rates and Fam trips for advisors with well-established books of business.
To book primarily personal travel: Fora is built for people advising other travelers, not self-booking their own trips.
Frequently asked questions
Is Fora a legitimate host agency?
Yes. Fora advisors have booked more than $3 billion in travel since the company launched in 2021, and Fora holds preferred partner relationships with more than 5,000 suppliers through its in-house Fora Reserve program.
Can I become a Fora advisor part-time?
Yes. There are no booking minimums or quotas, so you can start with a few hours a week and scale up as your business grows.
Do I need travel industry experience to join Fora?
No. 97% of Fora advisors had never worked as a travel advisor before joining. Fora’s training covers the industry knowledge and business setup most new advisors are missing. New-to-travel advisors are most successful when they consistently dedicate themselves to training and client acquisition.
Can experienced travel advisors switch to Fora from another host?
Yes. Advisors switching to Fora cite better preferred partner access, unified technology, and supplier invoicing support as reasons they made the change. Fora doesn’t allow dual affiliation, so plan a clean cutover date before you switch.
How much does it cost to become a Fora advisor?
Fora membership costs $299 per year or $99 per quarter, which includes all of Fora’s features, technology, and training.
What if I’m still not sure Fora is right for me?
Fora is a fit if you plan to book travel for other people and you want training, technology, and supplier relationships while you build a client base. If you’re mainly after passive income or discounted personal travel, it isn’t. Advisors who are still unsure can apply and talk through the specifics with Fora’s team before committing.
