Cruise Ship Travel Agent

Startup Costs: $2,000 - $10,000
Home Based: Can be operated from home.
Part Time: Can be operated part-time.
Franchises Available? Yes
Online Operation? Yes

Working from the comforts of a homebased office, you can plan and book cruise vacations-of-a-lifetime for your clients. Travel consulting experience is recommended for this opportunity; if you do not have experience, I would advise you to contact the National Association of Commissioned Travel Agents to inquire about training courses in your area. You could also choose a franchise cruise agent business, which provides all franchisees with intensive training in the areas of marketing, administration and reservation booking. The cruise travel agent industry is competitive, but at the same time it is also the fastest-growing segment of the travel industry. Key to success in this business is marketing. You have to tap in to the demographic groups that are most likely to take a cruise'-which include the 50-plus crowd and newlyweds'-and target your marketing efforts to these groups. You might also want to consider specializing in a niche area of the cruise holiday industry, such as singles-only and alternative lifestyle cruises.