Whether you’re the type of person who loves traveling and collecting stories or the kind of person who prefers to stay home but loves hearing the stories of others, starting a business in the travel industry is a good option for you. You’ll get to be involved in something that you love and help others have experiences they won’t ever forget. On top of that, the travel industry in the US alone makes over $1.5 trillion a year, meaning that there’s a lot of opportunity for earning big.
When people think of starting a business in the travel industry, they often think of becoming a tour guide or opening up a travel agency of their own; however, there are tons of other types of businesses that you can open that will get you into the travel space. Luckily, starting a business these days isn’t too difficult—after you have your idea and get the proper licensing, you can use a free logo creator, publish your website, and you’re ready to go! If you want to start a business, but aren’t so interested in acting as a travel guide or booking other people’s vacations, here are five other unique businesses you can start that will get your foot in the door and open up a world of opportunities:
Open a Travel Agency Franchise
Some people my not be interested in opening a travel agency at all; however, others may be interested but feel daunted by the costs required or the competition in the space. Starting a business from scratch when many well-known travel agencies already exist, and when many people are opting to use online services to book travel may not be worth the risk. If those are the reasons keeping you from starting a travel agency, then you may want to consider a franchise.
With a travel agency franchise, you get the freedom of opening your own business with reduced risk, an already established reputation, and potentially lower startup costs. There are several respected travel franchises out there, and you can review them, their costs, compare them against each other, and decide which franchise would be the best fit for you.
Become a Traveler Advocate
If you’re someone who likes to travel, then you know how complicated things can get. While you’re supposed to be on vacation enjoying yourself, you could end up in the same smelly clothes for days because your luggage was lost in transit. After you get home from a nice, peaceful vacation, you could receive an outrageous bill for damages the owner of the property where you stayed claims you caused. Traveling is supposed to be a fun and unique experience, not a hassle and a hustle.
In situations where travelers are caught between a rock and a hard place with what seems like no other options, you could step in an act as a travel advocate. Attorneys like Aaron Kelly will often specialize in a specific area of law, helping those who find themselves in unique situations. If you have a passion for making sure the right thing gets done and love to advocate for others, then investigating excessive charges, tracking down lost luggage, and acting as an advocate in other ways for travelers may be the best way for you to get into the business.
Start a Travel Blog
Blogging has become a popular way to not only record one’s thoughts and adventures but to make a living as well. More and more often, people are turning to blogs to make money while doing something that they love. If you love to travel and are always on the road, then a travel blog may be the best business option for you. As long as you have Internet, you can get your work done and make money.
As great as travel blogging can be, the market is somewhat saturated, so you’ll want to pick a niche. Whether that be traveling on the cheap or traveling nationally and experiencing unknown gems, find your niche and make that the focus of your blog when you write about your travels and experiences. As you grow your blog and get more followers, you may even get opportunities to partner with brands and businesses and get sponsorship to help you out while you’re on the road.
Launch a Restaurant or B&B
Initially, you may think that a restaurant or bed and breakfast doesn’t belong as part of a list about businesses in the travel industry, but when you think about traveler’s necessities, you’ll realize how important they are to the space. Travelers typically have the clothing and toiletries that they need, and they bring along money, but unless they’re camping and packing their own supplies, they’ll need a place to stay and to eat. Naturally, people will have different preferences on their meals and accommodations from the ethnicity of the food to the price of the bed they’ll be staying in, but if you open up a restaurant or B&B, people will come.
Arrange Caretaking for Pets
Everybody loves their pets, but when they head out on vacation, it’s not always easy to bring them along. Finding accommodations on the road can be difficult, and finding someone trustworthy back home to look after them isn’t always easy to do either. While you wouldn’t be directly involved with the travel side of things, arranging care for pets while their owners are away is an easy way to get involved in travel. Whether you pet sit yourself or connect owners with trustworthy sitters, there’s a lot of potential in pet caretaking.
How do you plan to get involved in the travel industry?
