          
          
          
                       Start Your Own Travel Agency
          
               Worldwide, over a trillion dollars are spent on
          travel each year; over six billion in North America
          alone.
               Travel was the second largest employer in the U.S.
          and Canada, supporting over 6 million jobs.
               Travel represented 7% of the U.S. and Canadian
          Gross National Product.  65% of U.S. and Canadian
          residents took at least one trip over 100 miles.
               Nearly 42,000 travel agencies averaged $22,500
          each week in airline ticket sales.  Agencies book an
          additional 40% in tours, cruises, hotels, etc.,
          therefore making the average travel agency volume
          $1,500,000, according to the U.S. Department of
          Commerce. 
               Net profits average 4% to 5%, making the potential
          net profit in a travel agency $60,000 to $70,000.
               The travel industry has been growing even during
          the recent recession and is now experiencing
          unprecedented growth worldwide.
               You can start your own travel agency, which can be
          operated from your home, for under $10,000, including
          required training, operations manuals, reservations
          software and access to the airlines reservations
          computers, and initial supplies (stationery, posters,
          brochures).
               These services are provided as part of a package
          by TPI Travel Services, who also provide a TPI photo ID
          card for immediate free and reduced rate travel
          benefits.  
               You also receive the right to use the TPI name and
          its trademarks.  This will make it much easier for you
          to obtain high profit commercial accounts, as they
          supply you with references of existing accounts
          serviced by TPI.
               The commissions are also higher than you would
          receive as an independent travel agent, because TPI has
          volume contracts with airlines, cruise lines, and other
          suppliers and passes the increased commission on to its
          agencies.
               This is one of the easiest ways to get into the
          travel agency business, and is a fraction of the cost
          of doing it independently.  If an investment of this
          size is in your budget, you'll want to look into this
          opportunity, as starting a travel agency from scratch
          can easily cost $25,000 to $50,000.
               If you can't afford an investment this large, you
          might want to get one or more partners to share the
          deal with you.  Another successful strategy can be to
          line up commitments from one or two large business
          customers for their travel needs, and then use those
          commitments to make the investment more interesting to
          a partner.
               For more information, write to Travel Business
          Information Package, P. O. Box 1201, Skyland NC 28776.
          
          
          
