The Travel Franchise is the UK’s number one franchise for people new to travel. With over twenty years in the market, more than 750 successful travel consultants and a business model that has been tested, refined and proven over two decades, it gives aspiring entrepreneurs everything they need to launch their own home-based travel agency from scratch, regardless of prior experience, and begin earning industry-leading commission from day one.
In both 2025 and 2026 the company was named Best Lifestyle Franchise in the World and Best European Franchise at the International Franchise Association’s Global Franchise Awards, two years running. It is also one of the top ten franchises in the UK overall, the only travel franchise to achieve that recognition, sitting in the rankings alongside major household brands. The business is backed by celebrity brand ambassadors TV broadcaster Eamonn Holmes OBE and double Olympic champion Daley Thompson CBE.
Two packages designed around your life
The Lite Mentorship Programme is the most accessible entry point into the travel industry available in the UK today. Starting from the equivalent of £28 a week, it is designed specifically for people who want to enter the travel industry gradually and part time without giving up their current income or their existing commitments. Every Lite consultant is paired with one of twenty hand-picked experienced travel professionals from the very first day. Both parties earn commission on every booking that completes. It is a true business partnership from day one, not a training scheme or a shadowing programme, but a real commercial arrangement in which both sides are invested in the same outcome.
The results from the Lite programme have been remarkable. One consultant generated over £81,000 in sales within her first two and a half months, including a single £50,488 booking for a complex six-and-a-half-week itinerary to Canada and Alaska. She had no prior travel experience. Her mentor handled the booking. She found the lead, managed the relationship and earned her share of the commission. When she is ready to upgrade to Elite and handle bookings independently, the knowledge, the client base and the confidence will already be in place.
“I can highly recommend the Lite package. Working with an experienced consultant from day one is great. A really great way to start a travel business.”
The Elite package at £14,995 plus VAT is the most popular and the most complete version of the business. It includes five days of intensive live online training delivered in small groups and rated excellent on Trustpilot, a dedicated Business Consultant from day one, two fully funded overseas mentorship retreats as standard, the unique Money-Back Challenge which gives you the chance to get your initial franchise investment refunded if you hit a set level of commission in your first year, and the full technology suite. For anyone ready to commit fully and build something with genuine long-term earning potential, it is the strongest travel franchise opportunity available in the UK today.
What the business actually involves
Franchisees earn commission from travel suppliers every time they plan and book a holiday for a client. The average commission is around ten per cent of the booking value. The average UK holiday is worth approximately £4,500, generating around £400 per booking. Franchisees keep up to 75 per cent of what they generate, one of the highest commission splits in the sector. Two consistent bookings a week produces over £40,000 a year. As the client base grows and repeat bookings and referrals compound, the income grows with it. High-ticket niches like luxury tailor-made itineraries, cruises, destination weddings and group travel generate some of the highest commissions available in the entire retail sector, often for the same effort as a standard booking.
The consultant’s role is to find customers, build relationships and book holidays. The franchise handles everything else: the technology, the supplier negotiations, the ticketing, the admin, the back office and the ongoing training and development. Franchisees are never left to figure things out alone. The support is there from day one and it stays there for the entire journey.
What is included
- Five-day live online training rated excellent on Trustpilot, start booking holidays the same week
- Access to over 450 ABTA and ATOL bonded travel suppliers with exclusive trade-only deals unavailable to the public
- Dedicated Business Consultant providing one-to-one coaching and support six days a week
- Head office operations team handling all ticketing and travel admin so franchisees can focus on selling
- Free weekly webinars, in-person training events and annual company conferences
- Two fully funded overseas mentorship retreats to luxury destinations included in the Elite package
- Personal marketing website, ready-made social media content and professional marketing materials from day one
- TProfile quotation tool to create stunning interactive client proposals that convert enquiries into bookings
- NJT Smart AI, an AI platform built specifically for travel consultants, provided completely free
- Vision CRM acting as a personal assistant for client management and commission tracking
- Partners in Travel scheme to build a client base through local business and charity partnerships
- Investment refund guarantee on the Elite package: hit a set commission level in your first twelve months and receive your entire £14,995 back in full, the only offer of its kind in the travel franchise sector
Real results from real people
98 % of The Travel Franchise’s franchisees had no travel background before joining. Former teachers, police officers, NHS workers, corporate professionals, military veterans, paramedics and stay-at-home parents have all built thriving businesses by following the same proven model with the right support behind them. Many earn £40,000 or more part time. Full-time franchisees regularly achieve six figures. Some have built businesses generating millions in annual sales.
“We finished training at 3pm on the Friday and by 4.30pm on the same day we had our first booking. And it was from a complete stranger. What an amazing feeling!”
The Elite package also includes something unique: the chance to get the entire franchise fee back. It works like this. If an Elite franchisee reaches a set level of commission within their first twelve months, The Travel Franchise refunds their entire £14,995 investment in full. No small print. No conditions beyond hitting the commission target. For franchisees who follow the model and put in the work, it means the business can effectively cost them nothing. Dozens have achieved it, some in as little as six months. It is the most compelling proof available that The Travel Franchise genuinely believes in its own model.
“There were other similar companies but The Travel Franchise and its customer-facing brand Not Just Travel pulled me in due to the high level of support.”
Franchisees win back franchise fee in first year with The Travel Franchise’s
Two women with no previous experience in the travel industry have just received full refunds of their £14,995 investment having successfully met their first-year sales targets through The Travel Franchise’s exclusive Money Back Challenge.
The premise is simple: hit a clearly defined commission target in your first year and receive 100% of your franchise fee back. It’s a bold move that sets the company apart, particularly in a sector where few models offer such a tangible, performance-linked incentive for early success.
Neither of the June winners, Amy and Lori-Ann, had any previous experience in the travel sector before launching their businesses. Yet within 12 months, both not only established profitable consultancies — they met the challenge criteria and earned back their entire upfront investment.
“We created the Money Back Challenge to give franchisees a powerful focus during their first year — the period when new business owners need the most support,” said co-founder Paul Harrison. “It encourages consistency, builds confidence, and demonstrates that the model works when followed.”
The Travel Franchise reports that 98% of its franchisees have no prior travel industry background, yet many achieve six-figure sales in year one through the company’s structured training, ongoing mentorship, and marketing support.
The Elite package also includes two overseas retreats, combining professional development with real-world travel experience — a feature Amy and Lori-Ann both credit as transformative.
Both winners cited the Millionaire’s Retreat — held in Turkey and exclusive to Elite-level franchisees — as a turning point in their journeys. There, franchisees gain direct access to the company’s leadership team, receive immersive training, and build long-term peer support networks.
Lori-Ann, who previously worked in corporate sales, built her business alongside a full-time job and caring for two young children.
“I often worked late nights and weekends to make it happen,” she says. “The challenge was tough, but now I have the confidence to go full-time.”
“It doesn’t feel like a job — it feels more of a hobby than an actual job because I just love travel so much.”
Now Lori-Ann is looking forward to her next free retreat in Mauritius in the autumn.
Amy, formerly in financial services for over 15 years, leveraged local partnerships and social media to generate luxury bookings — including a £50,000 trip to the Maldives — all while working from home in rural Kent.
“The franchise is fantastic. A hundred percent. It’s always investing so much money in new technology and training and support and we get so many opportunities to broaden our knowledge.”
Her advice for anyone thinking about taking the leap?
“If travel’s your passion – don’t wait. You don’t need travel experience. You don’t need to know everything. You just need to be willing to show up and follow the process. That’s what I did. And it’s been life-changing.”
With its emphasis on accessible entry, structured training, and goal-oriented incentives, The Travel Franchise is attracting a growing community of career-changers seeking freedom, flexibility, and real returns. Its success stories like Amy and Lori-Ann’s, illustrate just how viable a well-supported franchise model can be — even in a specialist sector like travel.
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