AFTER over 20 years in family businesses, Ami Wood took a leap of faith by investing in The Travel Franchise and launching her home-based travel consultancy in January 2022. Her goal was to generate extra income by doing something she loves while also enjoying the chance to travel.

But to her surprise, after earning £20,000 commission in the first month, Ami realised that she had the potential to achieve significant financial success, following in the footsteps of other franchisees who had no prior travel experience.

“It literally changed my life. It’s a job I love and I’m getting paid to do it,” says Ami, a mother of two.

In her first year, Ami hit an impressive £1 million in sales and earned enough commission to win the franchise’s Money-Back Challenge in just seven months, which refunded her £14,995 franchise fee.

“When I first signed up I had never heard of Not Just Travel (the customer facing brand of The Travel Franchise). But when I attended a conference I was gobsmacked at the scale of its operations. It’s going places and I’m so grateful I joined because I’ve experienced so much.”

In her first eight months, Ami travelled abroad with Not Just Travel on a ski trip to Colorado, explored Turkey on a supplier fam trip and enjoyed a company cruise on Norwegian Cruise Lines. Since then she’s also enjoyed several overseas trips with the company to Mauritius, Antigua and Barbados, plus a cruise on Virgin Voyages.

Ami attributes her success to her hard work and the comprehensive support and training she received.

“The training was quite intense — as the company specialises in training people new to travel there’s a lot to take in. But in the travel industry you never stop learning even if you’ve been a consultant for 30 years. It’s exciting. No two days are the same. I learn every single day and luckily I work well under pressure and I am an organised person who likes everything in order. ”

When faced with challenges, Ami can easily reach out to travel experts within the company or connect with supportive colleagues, other franchisees she has bonded with on company trips. “It’s a fantastic industry where fellow consultants are always ready to lend a hand. There’s always someone you can call for advice or support.”

Her commitment to her clients is evident in her high repeat customer rate. “I believe in offering a complete start-to-finish service. Sometimes I meet clients in person to help with their API input or hand-deliver travel documents. That personal touch makes all the difference.”

Despite her dedication often leading her to work late into the evening, Ami loves the flexibility her role provides, allowing her to balance work with family life. “I thought it would be a hobby, but I’ve been working almost full-time from the start. While some people start it as a side gig, fully committing to travel makes a huge difference in building customer confidence.”

Does she have any regrets about joining? “ZERO! It’s the best decision I ever made; it has changed my life, and I absolutely love my job!”