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.”
Signal Boom Time For UK Travel Agents
Global tourism in 2024 is back to pre-covid days and with demand from British holidaymakers skyrocketing – now is the perfect time to join The Travel Franchise.
Tourism is back and holidays are once again a firm fixture on household agendas.
The latest figures from the UN Tourism’s World Tourism Barometer report released in May 2024, show that 2024 is witnessing a full and total recovery in international travel – surpassing 2019 levels by 2%.
Spain remains the number one choice for UK holidaymakers and it is the Brits that are leading the country’s Covid bounce back. In April 2024 alone some 1.5 million Brits flocked to its shores – that’s 8.5% higher compared with April 2023.
According to YouGov's UK Travel Trends 2024 report, Italy is the second most popular choice among British holidaymakers with Greece in third place.
Further afield, according to the UN Tourism report, the Caribbean is increasingly enticing holidaymakers to its golden sands. The island of Curaçao for example has seen a 45% boost in visitors in the first three months of this year compared to those pre-pandemic days.
And it seems that we’re increasingly on the hunt for adventure. Tanzania for example reported a 53% increase in tourists in the first quarter of 2024 compared with the first three months of 2019.
So, it would seem that our desire to travel has never been greater with YouGov revealing that 57% of Brits anticipate taking between two to four trips a year.
And, as the economy shows signs of bouncing back, we’re prepared to spend more on our holidays too.
According to NatWest’s Retail and Leisure Outlook Report 2024, some 17.3% of UK consumers plan to spend more on holidays this year compared with last year. Even among those expecting their finances to weaken in 2024, a third (33.5%) plan to increase holiday spending.
Not Just Travel agents are certainly feeling the surge in demand reporting record sales every month.
Consultant Ami Woods secured £270,000 worth of holidays in April 2024 alone. In the two years since launching her company with The Travel Franchise, her bookings have totalled more than £3 million.
Likewise, Becky Westaway, who launched her travel business in December 2021, has booked well over £1 million, plus, she’s opened her own office and taken on a member of staff to be able to keep up with the demand.
With the average price of a holiday on the up, big bookings are not unusual. In May 2024, numerous Not Just Travel agents secured single bookings well over £50k.
Clearly holidaymakers are sparing no expense. Confidence to travel is sky high and customers are increasingly keen to work through their bucket list of dream destinations.
UK holidaymakers rightfully want these once-in-a-lifetime trips to be out of this world and hence more are enlisting the help of a travel agent – someone who can help them choose the best destinations, the ideal hotels, the most convenient flights, the most efficient transfers and then be there behind the scenes to make sure it all goes to plan.
As Not Just Travel’s spokesperson, Eamonn Holmes OBE, the broadcaster says: “If I want something done I get someone with expertise in that field to do it and travel is no different. I would never think of booking my holiday independently. I pick up the phone and talk to a travel consultant who I know and trust, and who can add a layer of value and security to help navigate any uncertainties, ensuring a smoother and more enjoyable travel experience.”
Latest statistics from IBS Software prove that this attitude is becoming the norm. According to its research, 47% of people now prefer to book their travel via a travel agent.
And it’s the younger generation of holidaymakers – the millennials and Gen Z population – who are leading this march. Some 38% of millennials and Gen Z are opting to use traditional travel agents, as opposed to booking digitally.
“Demand for travel and for travel agents is on an all-time high,” says The Travel Franchise co-founder Paul Harrison.
“As the UK’s number one home working travel agency for people new to travel and rated the 10th best franchise in Great Britain, The Travel Franchise is the perfect choice for anyone who has a passion for travel and customer service. The future is bright and with the UK forecasting a summer of rain, business is only going to continue this upward trajectory.”
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