How Much Do Travel Agents Make Per Booking?

How much do travel agents make per booking? Do travel agents make good money? 

Along with asking how to become a travel agent in the first place, these are common questions to ask before pursuing a career in travel. Let’s break it down.

Eager to become a travel advisor? Connect with Fora and start your journey today.

First, why consider becoming a travel agent?

What is a travel agent, anyway? Is it really as simple as connecting prospective travelers with the right hotels and destinations? In essence, yes — but there's a lot more to it.

If you’re passionate about seeing the world and helping others do the same, becoming a Fora travel agent — or Fora Advisor, as we prefer — may be an excellent career path for you.

How do travel agents usually get paid?

Before we answer how much travel agents make per booking, we need to cover how travel agents get paid. The short answer is through commissions and, in some cases, planning fees. 

The travel industry is super old-school: most advisors are paid by check, sometimes as much as several months after a client has returned from their trip. But at Fora, we use direct deposit and take care of all the tracking and issuing of commission payments. Translation? No need to worry about following up with travel partners. We do that for you, and ensure you get paid.

How do commissions work? 

Travel agent bookings are include hotels, tours, all-inclusives, car services...we could go on. When an advisor books a hotel, say, that hotel then pays the travel agent a commission, which equals a percentage of the cost of the room (typically before tax). Hotels generally view commissions as an advertising expense. 

How much do travel agents make per booking when they work with Fora?

In terms of how much travel agents make per booking, it varies widely by destination and hotel. Hotels generally offer a commission of 10 to 15% per booking.

And that’s just for hotel bookings. Personalized itineraries, rental cars and tour bookings are great ways to expand the bottom line while offering great value to a client.

Many Fora Advisors work with corporate clients or individuals that want a more luxe travel experience, such as resort buy-outs or multi-thousand-dollar per-night suites (check out how to become a luxury travel agent if you’re interested). Clients of this nature often opt for extra services like chauffeurs, custom experiences and so on.

Do travel agents get paid for booking flights?

While you can totally book flights if you want, it's not something advisors typically start with because it's a bit more complicated. The airline industry doesn’t usually offer commissions for booking flights, but some bookings platforms do, typically for business-class seats and above. Fora Advisors can also charge their clients a fee to book airline travel on their behalf.  

What is the average travel agent commission for hotels?

It varies; but usually between 10 and 15% of the total booking cost. And thanks to Fora’s preferred partnerships with hotels and other travel companies around the world, our advisors are often paid more than that (known as enhanced commission). So again, how much travel agents make per booking varies by hotel — and by supplier type. Cruises, for instance, tend to pay higher commission percentages than hotels.

Do travel agents ever get paid to travel?

Although travel is a core part of an advisor's work, a travel advisor is not paid to go on a trip. That said, hotels and other travel suppliers may invite Fora Advisors to experience a destination firsthand, often at a special rate, after they reach a certain number of bookings.

Fora occasionally organizes trips like this, known as FAM trips, as well. For example, several of our advisors recently enjoyed FAM trips to Mexico and Nicaragua as well as an (awesome!) cruise on Virgin Voyages.

Travel bloggers and influencers may get paid to share their experiences with their audience, either on social media or elsewhere. In theory, one could be a blogger and a travel advisor at the same time — in fact, it’s a great way to attract new business. 

A few tips to increase how much travel agents can make per booking

We have a dedicated community that offers insider tips for how to be a successful travel advisor. We also offer in-house travel agent training (leading to travel agent certification) — all of which can be enjoyed from the comfort of your home, or local coffee shop or beachfront villa…

Niche travel can earn you more per booking

By no means do you have to specialize in a certain type of travel, but it can be a good strategy to focus your efforts, at least to start. This could mean focusing on booking travel to a specific destination, or a certain type of travel, such as group travel (like corporate retreats), bachelorette parties, cruises and so on. 

Fora offers plenty of resources, too, on topics like how to become a cruise travel agent or how to become a Disney travel agent. 

Custom itineraries are a key part of success

How much travel agents make per booking relies on more than hotel commissions. Custom itineraries and attached services can go a long way in boosting your revenue.

Have more questions about how much travel agents make per booking?

Need more clarity on how much travel agents make per booking? Or how to become a travel agent in the first place? We have plenty more resources to walk you through the process, including a guide on how to become a travel agent from home and on how to make money booking travel.

Ready to become a travel advisor? Connect with us today to get started.