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.”
The Travel Franchise flies consultants to Mauritius for fully funded luxury training retreat
The world's best lifestyle franchise has taken a group of its Elite franchise owners to Mauritius for a week of in-person coaching, resort tours and business planning, all fully funded as part of the Elite package, in a demonstration of the level of investment that sets the business apart in the franchise sector.
The Travel Franchise, the UK's number one travel franchise for people new to the industry and the business behind consumer brand Not Just Travel, has flown a group of its Elite franchise owners to Mauritius for its latest Elite Experience, a fully funded overseas training retreat included as standard in the Elite package.
The retreat combines intensive in-person business training with first-hand experience of world-class resorts, in this case the Beachcomber collection. Led by the company's head of sales and training Dave Pope, alongside senior travel experts, consultants spent the week in one-to-one coaching and business planning sessions, while also touring hotels, experiencing the food and facilities and building the kind of destination knowledge that can only come from being somewhere in person.
“There is a certain kind of knowledge and confidence that only comes from being somewhere, seeing it and living it. When you have walked the resort, eaten in the restaurants and seen the rooms, you sell it with a conviction no brochure can match, and clients feel that difference immediately.”
Investment that defines the franchise
Every Elite franchisee is invited on two fully funded overseas retreats as part of their journey with the company. The first, the Millionaire's Retreat, helps new consultants establish strong foundations. The Elite Experience is designed for established consultants ready to take their businesses further, with recent retreats held in destinations including Mauritius, Japan, Dubai, Mexico and Florida.
For prospective franchisees weighing up their options, this level of ongoing investment is one of the clearest points of difference in the sector. Rather than providing initial training and stepping back, The Travel Franchise continues to develop its consultants throughout their journey, through overseas retreats, ongoing coaching, online training and a dedicated Business Consultant for every franchisee.
“We genuinely care about the success of our franchisees, and we continuously invest in training and experiences to help them grow their businesses. Flying our consultants to Mauritius, putting them in world-class resorts and coaching them in person sends them home more confident, more capable and more connected than when they arrived.” – The Travel Franchise
Real results for the consultants involved
Consultants who attended the retreat reported a marked increase in confidence and capability. One described how, having previously been unsure about actively promoting a destination he had never visited, he returned able to answer client questions with genuine authority, even sending personal room-tour videos to a live enquiry during the week. Another, who had found business planning overwhelming, said the focused coaching finally gave her clarity and direction.
The retreat also reinforced the collaborative culture the company is known for. Consultants at different stages of their journeys learned as much from one another as from the formal training, with many leaving with accountability partners and lasting professional friendships.
A business performing at the top of its sector
The retreat comes during a period of significant recognition for the business. The Travel Franchise has been named Best Lifestyle Franchise in the World for two consecutive years at the Global Franchise Awards, and Best Franchise in Europe. Its co-founders were recently awarded the John Hays Entrepreneur Award at the TTG Travel Industry Awards, where two of its consultants also won major titles, and the company was named Top Extra Large Homeworking Agency at the Jet2holidays Non-Retail Summit.
Notably, 98 per cent of the company's consultants joined with no travel industry background at all, and many are now winning national industry awards, a reflection of the training and support structure that helps complete newcomers build successful businesses.
About The Travel Franchise
The Travel Franchise is the UK's number one travel franchise for people new to the travel industry, operating under the consumer-facing brand Not Just Travel. Founded in 2001, it has helped hundreds of people build successful home-based travel businesses, with 98 per cent joining with no prior travel experience. Franchisees receive comprehensive training, a dedicated Business Consultant, access to more than 450 suppliers and the buying power of the Hays Travel Independence Group, plus two fully funded overseas mentorship retreats and the unique Money-Back Challenge on the Elite package. The Lite Mentorship Programme offers a more accessible route in, available from a deposit of £995.
The company was voted Best Lifestyle Franchise in the World at the Global Franchise Awards in both 2025 and 2026, and has been named Britain's Best Home-Based Franchise and Best
European Franchise. Its celebrity brand ambassadors include TV broadcaster Eamonn Holmes OBE and double Olympic champion Daley Thompson CBE
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