Are you thinking about starting a business as a travel consultant? A travel consultant business offers many rewards including helping people realize their dream vacations. You must have a passion for travel to make a good travel consultant. That passion will translate to enthusiasm when you are working with a client and that enthusiasm is contagious and will lead to sales. 
     The challenge of starting a travel consulting business is excatly that, starting the business. Your friends and neigbors may question your sanity because many people have the belief that everyone uses the internet to book travel. This is not true by the way. A recent article in the Miami Herald quotes a study by Forrester Resarch revealing the number of people using the web to book travel has dropped by six percent betwen 2007 and 2010. A study conducted by the American Society of Travel Agents found almost half of the travel agents reporting had an increase in their business in 2010, even during our tough economic times. The United States Department of Labor says the employment of travel agents will increase as fast as the average occupation through 2020. 
     I'm convinced the real challenge of starting your travel consulting business is getting your first five clients. Referrals and repeat business will come your way after you break this initial barrier, assuming you are going out of your way to provide good service, following up before and after clients take their vacation and asking the client for a referral.
     Joel Barker, a management and leadership guru says, "Vision without action is merely a dream, action without vision just passes time. Vision with action can change the world." So, create your vision. Commit to paper how you will give great customer service, provide value to your clients, create a plan to break through that five client barrier, and then take action.