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Frequently Asked Questions

Taking the next step to partner with TravelManagers Australia (TMA) is a significant move in your travel career. It’s important to have all the information you need and answers to those all important questions. To assist you we have compiled our most frequently asked questions below.

Our team of business partnership managers (BPMs) are also available to speak with you and answer any further questions you may have or you can request an information pack here. All conversations are strictly confidential, and our BPMs can speak with you via home/virtual or meet for a coffee in your local area.

By becoming a personal travel manager you’ll have the freedom and flexibility of working your own way and running your own business, with the most comprehensive support of any mobile travel network in Australia.

Here’s what our personal travel managers say about navigating the change to TravelManagers.

Making the move

I have some ‘luxury’ and ‘high-end’ clients in my existing database. If I join TravelManagers, will I have access to any exclusive offers or deals to cater for my luxury clients’ needs?

If you specialise in inspiring luxury travellers, surprising them with one-off adventures, premier treats and seamless journeys, TravelManagers is a good fit for you. TravelManagers Australia announced a new partnership with the Signature Travel Network from the 1st of January 2022.

The Signature Travel Network is a member-owned community of leading travel agencies and supplier partners within the industry. The Network has experienced unprecedented growth in the past ten years – adding over 100 properties to their hotel program in the past 12 months. This growth is reflective of the commitment to exclusively align with the most esteemed travel partners, while simultaneously expanding their reach to more than 11,000 travel advisors in the United States, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Greece, Mexico, New Zealand and the Caribbean. With a suite of hotels and resorts, Signature helps you build your sales and retain your clients. A win-win for you and your clients.

The Signature Hotels & Resorts collection includes more than 1,100 of the world’s best hotels, resorts, lodges, villas, and spas in 90 countries and 450 unique destinations.
The collection has been designed to bring benefits for your clients as all participating hotels offer exclusive Signature privileges.

I have some clients with niche travel requirements. As a personal travel manager what would I be able to offer these clients?

Our community of personal travel managers specialise in just about every travel category there is, designing inspiring travel for individuals and groups. You can even be listed on our website as a specialist in either a destination or niche market such as spa and wellness travels so consumers searching in that category can be connected to you. TMA also has access to a wide range of corporate fares, private fares, WOMOs, cruise nett fares and wholesale airfares for our network. Your BPM can talk to you further about your clientele’s special requirements.

I specialise in selling cruises. If I join TravelManagers, what can I offer my cruise clients?

If you’re a cruise specialist, TravelManagers Cruise division will excite you with a range of unique offers and exclusive deals. Our dedicated cruise product team will keep you up to date with all cruise news and provide the support and training to make the transition to a partnership with TravelManagers smooth sailing.

I am a corporate consultant/manager. How would joining TravelManagers benefit me and my corporate clients?

TravelManagers offers you the support and technology to grow your business. We recognise that the way you manage your business is largely shaped by the requirements of your corporate client base.

These are just some of the benefits to support your corporate business:
• A dedicated Corporate Operations department with years of specialised experience
• Access to exclusive and highly competitive airfares, hotel and car hire rates through our membership of CT Partners, and our parent company, House of Travel
• Comprehensive reporting systems – you can extract the data you need
• Extensive range of customisable, documentation templates to assist you in tendering for new clients
• 24/7 ticketing via Quicktickets portal, option to self-ticket or call on our corporate ticketing experts
• Industry leading NDC booking platform
• Tramada mid-office system built for the needs of the corporate traveller
• Corporate workshops, webinars, in-house training and educational opportunities
• Corporate locum network
• Optional after-hours service
• Membership to Signature Travel Network

What are the benefits to leaving my traditional agency and becoming a PTM - personal travel manager?

TravelManagers offers agency owners/managers a low risk, high return solution that allows you to do what you love, running your own business, without the stress and costs that come with owning an agency. Being a ‘work from home’ travel agent doesn’t mean you should lose any of the credibility associated with a shop front or walk-in office, in fact you offer a more personalised service, and you have the support and back up of a premium travel network with all the advantages.

With TravelManagers you can:

  • Forget about your landlord, no more rent
  • Improve your cash flow
  • Reduce your compliance costs
  • Eliminate the cost of finding and employing staff
  • If you currently have employees and wish to bring them on board – you can
  • Have the support you need in marketing, finance, training, technology and more

Finance and administration

What are my ongoing costs with TravelManagers?

We’re very transparent about what’s included. Becoming a business owner is an important decision, so you want to be sure you are choosing the right partner.

Our all-inclusive monthly administration fee covers a comprehensive range of support, training and marketing assistance; from technology to accounts and system interfaces through to customer relationship management and IT help desk support.

Depending on which model you have chosen for your business, the following will apply:

If you choose the Lifestyle Plus model, the monthly fee is $170 +GST per month.

If you choose the Business Pro model, the monthly fee is $370 + GST per month.

Will I need to provide my own professional indemnity insurance or does TravelManagers offer this? If so, what’s the cost?

If you don’t already have your own professional indemnity insurance, we can arrange this for you for $240 + GST, charged in two instalments per year.

Will I need an Australian Business Number (ABN)?

Yes, you’ll need an ABN number prior to signing your TravelManagers contract. This is very easy to obtain and can be done online.

How often will my commission be paid to me?

You’ll have control of your business with full 24/7 access to TravelManagers back/mid office system. Our finance team pays your commissions during the first week of each month and provides extensive reporting. You can track and clear outstanding commissions at any time. We’ll also complete BSP reconciliation on your behalf.

As a PTM - are there any targets or KPI’s I am required to reach?

No. There are absolutely no specific targets or KPI’s you need to achieve when joining TravelManagers.

By becoming a personal travel manager you’ll have the freedom and flexibility of working your own way and running your own business, with the best support of any mobile travel network in Australia. Plus, you’ll be able to set your own goals and enjoy unlimited earning potential.

Is TravelManagers part of ATAS , CLIA and IATA accredited?

TravelManagers is accredited to IATA (International Air Transport Association) and is authorised to issue tickets on behalf of the trade body’s member airlines.

TravelManagers is a member of ATIA (the Australian Travel Industry Association) and ATAS.

TravelManagers is also a member of CLIA (the Cruise Lines International Association).

TravelManagers has the most comprehensive financial protections in the Australian travel industry.

Training, Induction and Famils 

Does TravelManagers offer an induction program?

As part of their initial start-up, TravelManagers offers all new personal travel managers a three-day in-house comprehensive induction program located at our National Partnership Office.

During this time, you’ll get to meet members of the various support teams who will be assisting you to run and grow your business. You’ll also meet other personal travel managers and feel part of your new community. Our comprehensive induction program is held monthly and generally runs from Tuesday through to Thursday.

Is there ongoing training available to keep agents informed and competitive?

In this ever-changing industry, it’s vital to keep up to date, so we provide online product training via exclusive webinars. These webinars often cover product updates as well as tips on running your business. All webinars are recorded so you can view them at a time convenient for you.

From our annual national conference (often described as the best in the industry), to state meetings, get-togethers and destination days, there’s lots of national, state, and locally planned events you can be part of to exchange ideas, catch-up, learn, be entertained, and have a whole lot of fun!

Our intranet is also a comprehensive source of information for the network.

With a network of more than 430 PTMs using a closed group social media forum to share knowledge and ideas to grow your business, you’re never on your own.

Do you offer any educationals/famils?

Having a passion for travel is one thing, experiencing it first-hand is what it’s all about. We work hard with our suppliers to offer you amazing opportunities.

Last year over 200 of our personal travel managers participated in our extensive Famil program travelling all over the world.

Ticketing and Support

What support do you offer for Fares & Ticketing? And is there an after-hours service for emergencies?

Using our self-ticketing system is easy and it’s available 24/7. Our extensive fares database includes access to special negotiated netts and exclusive private airfares.

Experienced staff on the help desk will assist with fare quotes, ticketing enquiries and re-issue international tickets. Plus, after hours emergency ticketing assistance is available.

Does TravelManagers provide any ongoing business development?

Our team of state-based business partnership managers will work with you to assist in developing your business through sales and marketing strategies.

Dedicated to educating, coaching, and mentoring our network of personal travel managers, our BPMs also build strong relationships with partner suppliers in every state. They are your face-to-face support, committed to you and your business success. Your BPM is only a phone call away.

What happens when I take leave for holidays, famils or need a break? Who will look after my clients while I’m away?

We recognise that every personal travel manager needs a break from their business. Many personal travel managers have developed their own buddy system for support when they are on leave. We also have a number of personal travel managers who offer a service as locums that can handle your bookings when you’re away from our office. After all, you’re part of the family.

What GDS will I be using with TravelManagers?

We offer a choice of GDS systems, contact us for details.

Does TravelManagers provide IT support?

An experienced team of Travel IT professionals are on hand to guide you through the technology environment.  They will check the health and safety of your computer, assist with setting up your virtual office and provide ongoing IT assistance and troubleshooting.

As a personal travel manager, do I have access to wholesaler booking engines, supplier booking portals and supplier offers and communications?

The operations team wear many hats, helping you with supplier access and logins, maintenance of the Oracle intranet, organising national and state meetings, industry functions, sales reporting, in-house training etc. They provide day-to-day assistance that helps support your business.

We also streamline communications for you with a daily summary of our partner suppliers’ news sent to you, making it easier for you to stay across all land, air and cruise deals and important updates – all part of our goal of ‘being the best partner in travel’.

Marketing

Does TravelManagers provide me with ongoing assistance and tools to market to my business to existing and prospective clients?

Marketing is the key to growing your business and we’ll provide you a comprehensive suite of marketing collateral exclusively designed for your personal travel manager business model.

 

We also have a comprehensive marketing program to support you in building your personal brand and growing your business.

Your TravelManagers website is an invaluable centralised source of content for Google search to direct customers to you, plus for you to use with your social media activity.  We also work proactively with our valued supplier partners to develop and advertise fabulous travel deals to generate enquiry among existing and potential customers.

If I join TravelManagers, do I maintain ownership of my existing client database?

Absolutely. Your client database will always remain yours, and should you decide to leave TravelManagers for any reason, you take your client database with you.

Other

Once my application is approved, how long does it take to get my business set up and trading?

Once your application is approved, our Operations team will begin to set up your email, GDS and Tramada credentials along with supplier log-ins.

The Training team will look after you from the moment you sign up and will work with you to arrange your flights and accommodation for induction. Once you have completed induction, you are up and running and officially trading in your travel business.

If I join TravelManagers, am I able to work in another part time role?

Yes, so long as there’s no conflict of interest. Your business partnership manager can discuss this with you in more detail.