Travel Agent Chatter | Friday 15

This week for the Friday 15, Shayna and Steph are thrilled to join forces with the Arch Roamright team. They'll take on a slew of questions about travel insurance this Friday at 12 pm CST, so don't miss this one!  * Sometimes clients say they’re already covered through their credit card. How do I explain the differences without sounding sales-y? * I often get questions about ‘cancel for any reason’ coverage , when is it truly worth recommending, and how do I explain the limitations? * Are there any new trends in travel insurance we should know about, things like adventure travel, cruises, or luxury trips. Where or how is coverage evolving?  RESOURCES: ➡️Submit questions, sign up for reminders for the F15, along with that week's questions we'll be covering! https://hostagencyreviews.com/friday15 [http://har.news/friday15]  ➡️ We have a great Travel Agent Chatter Podcast where Karen talks about how she sells Cancel for Any Reason and how to use it as a sales tool. I will like the podcast in the comments for you all - https://hostagencyreviews.com/travelagentchatter/travel-agent-chatter-vol-5-karen-hurlbut-hurlbut-travel [https://hostagencyreviews.com/travelagentchatter/travel-agent-chatter-vol-5-karen-hurlbut-hurlbut-travel] ➡️ Another way to find out more about HAR*Wired (Tech Week)- https://hostagencyreviews.com/page/tech-week [https://hostagencyreviews.com/page/tech-week] ➡️ We have another Podcast, more longform called Travel Agent Chatter where we interview actual advisors and we often talk about travel insurance - https://hostagencyreviews.com/travelagentchatter [https://hostagencyreviews.com/travelagentchatter]

****** Transcript, Images + Show Notes: https://har.news/vol33 [https://har.news/vol33] ****** What happens when you combine a Lord of the Rings obsession, a dragon-themed jeep, and a charismatic entrepreneur? You get Rocky Dimico, the owner of Flights and Fables - one of the most uniquely branded travel agencies we've ever featured!  Rocky went full-time from day one after a life-changing trip to New Zealand sparked his "aha" moment. But this isn't just another niche story - it's a masterclass in building a brand that people can't ignore. We're talking dragon logos on Jeeps, black tents with gold dragons at vendor events complete with a travel advisor dressed as a wizard, and a business name that came from surveying his Dungeons & Dragons community. You'll hear how Rocky's gone from zero to hero in just 20 months, selling 6 Lord of the Rings themed trips to New Zealand , expanding into anime/Japan travel, and booking his first groups. His vendor event strategy alone has generated multiple five-figure bookings from $35 investments. But here's what makes this episode special: Rocky's approach to partnerships, networking, and community building that every entrepreneur can steal. From his Chamber of Commerce connections that led to 4 media articles, to his creative partnerships with map makers and IV therapy businesses, to finding a mentor advisor as his agency grew. Whether you're looking for inspiration on niche development, want to see what fearless branding looks like, or need ideas for finding clients through in-person events, this episode will knock your socks off. Plus, stick around to hear about Rocky's big dreams for brick-and-mortar fantasy travel shops in downtown areas across the country and how he successfully found a travel advisor mentor.

This week for the Friday 15, Shayna and Steph are thrilled to join forces with Dan Christian, fellow podcaster and host of the excellent Travel Trends podcast [https://www.traveltrendspodcast.com/]. They'll take on a slew of questions about tech and AI this Friday at 12 pm CST, so don't miss this one!  * There are so many new travel tech tools out there, it can feel overwhelming to choose what’s actually worth investing in. How do you recommend an advisor figure out which tools will really help their business grow? * One of my biggest headaches is dealing with last-minute changes, like when flights get cancelled or clients want to add something at the last minute. What are your top tips for staying organized and keeping clients in the loop without losing my sanity? * I feel like my tech stack is all over the place, a CRM here, itinerary builder there, emails somewhere else. How important is it to have tools that integrate well with each other, and how do you know where to start? RESOURCES: ➡️Submit questions, sign up for reminders for the F15, along with that week's questions we'll be covering! https://hostagencyreviews.com/friday15 [http://har.news/friday15]  ➡️ https://hostagencyreviews.com/travel-agency-software [https://hostagencyreviews.com/travel-agency-software] ➡️ Another way to find out mor about Tech Week (new fun name being announced next week)- https://hostagencyreviews.com/page/tech-week [https://hostagencyreviews.com/page/tech-week] ➡️ Register for AI Summit - https://hostagencyreviews.com/travel-conferences-events/2025/travel-trends-ai-summit-2025 [https://hostagencyreviews.com/travel-conferences-events/2025/travel-trends-ai-summit-2025] (this includes a discount code for HAR at the bottom) ➡️ We have another Podcast, more longform called Travel Agent Chatter where we interview actual advisors and we often talk about tech stacks they use - https://hostagencyreviews.com/travelagentchatter [https://hostagencyreviews.com/travelagentchatter]

Shayna and Steph team up with Stephanie Gries from Travefy to cohost the Friday 15 this week! You can check out Travefy’s profile here: Travefy | Host Agency Reviews [https://hostagencyreviews.com/travel-agency-software/travefy]. Here are the awesome questions they’ll tackle this Friday at 12 pm CST!  * There are so many new travel tech tools out there, it can feel overwhelming to choose what’s actually worth investing in. How do you recommend an advisor figure out which tools will really help their business grow? * One of my biggest headaches is dealing with last-minute changes, like when flights get cancelled or clients want to add something at the last minute. What are your top tips for staying organized and keeping clients in the loop without losing my sanity? * I feel like my tech stack is all over the place, a CRM here, itinerary builder there, emails somewhere else. How important is it to have tools that integrate well with each other, and how do you know where to start? RESOURCES: ➡️Submit questions, sign up for reminders for the F15, along with that week's questions we'll be covering! https://hostagencyreviews.com/friday15 [http://har.news/friday15]  ➡️ Another way to find out more, is we do have our Travel Tech Week, like Host Week, but focused on Tech coming up in October. We haven’t officially launched it, but everyone listening, feel free to register - it’s completely free and fully digital, so you can listen anywhere you happen to be. To learn more, take a look here - https://hostagencyreviews.com/page/tech-week [https://hostagencyreviews.com/page/tech-week] ➡️ We also have a comparison chart in our blog around Travel Itinerary Buildershttps://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/best-travel-itinerary-builders [https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/best-travel-itinerary-builders] so you can easily see the differences ➡️ Take a look at the Travel Agency Software available in our directory page - https://hostagencyreviews.com/travel-agency-software [https://hostagencyreviews.com/travel-agency-software]

Shayna and Steph team up with Jenn Lee from Vacation Planners to cohost the Friday 15 this week! You can check out Vacation Planners profile here: Vacation Planners | Host Agency Reviews [https://hostagencyreviews.com/hosts/vacation-planners]. Here are the awesome questions they’ll tackle this Friday at 12 pm CST!  * I'm stuck on making a decision. I've only had two clients in the last year (my friends). They are FITs, its honestly been a pain to deal with. I do have a supplier helping me with this, but it's still been rough. I know I've only had 2 clients because I haven't advertised. It really seems social media is the way we need to market, and the idea of doing videos and reels of myself makes me nauseous. Plus, any training on marketing. Along with training in general for things so so time consuming. There's no time. I work a full time job already, so it all seems overwhelming and impossible. Should I just bag this whole thing of working for myself, and work for a supplier if I can? * Can you talk about the practice of DMCs presenting quotes in gross vs net commission, and is it preferred or acceptable to request one over the other?  * I am an experienced agent (going on 6 years) but looking to switch hosts (participated in Host Week and have been researching since). I recently met and have been speaking with a travel company franchisee about joining them as an associate with 90/10 commission split (which is much more than my split now) and approximately $40/month fee. However, my hang up is I would have to operate under their brand and after royalties and the franchisee taking their 10% it appears that I would actually end up with approximately 73%. They do have amazing tech, training, and support. Trying to figure out if that is worth it or a host agency that isn't a franchise. I'm having analysis paralysis with all the info available and want to make a good choice! Help!  RESOURCES: ➡️Submit questions, sign up for reminders for the F15, along with that week's questions we'll be covering! https://hostagencyreviews.com/friday15 [http://har.news/friday15]  ➡️ Take HAR’s advisor survey [https://hostagencyreviews.questionpro.com/a/TakeSurvey?tt=zl%2BdXUs6zdkECHrPeIW9eQ%3D%3D] – get a free 80+ page report! https://hostagencyreviews.questionpro.com/a/TakeSurvey?tt=zl%2BdXUs6zdkECHrPeIW9eQ%3D%3D [https://hostagencyreviews.questionpro.com/a/TakeSurvey?tt=zl%2BdXUs6zdkECHrPeIW9eQ%3D%3D] ➡️ We have an article about Travel Agent Social Media - https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-agent-social-media [https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-agent-social-media] ➡️ Training & Education - why it’s important and worth the short term pain of your time - https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-agent-training-travel-agent-education [https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-agent-training-travel-agent-education] ➡️ What is a DMC - https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/what-is-dmc-destination-management-company [https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/what-is-dmc-destination-management-company] ➡️ Franchise or Host - https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-agency-franchise-or-host-agency [https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-agency-franchise-or-host-agency]