How much does it cost to start a travel business?

Cost is one of the first questions anyone sensible asks before starting a travel business, and it deserves a straight answer. The good news is that joining an established travel group is far cheaper than setting up a fully independent agency from scratch. This guide lays out the real numbers with no vague language, so you can plan properly.

The headline costs

With this group, the cost to get started is transparent and fixed:

• £1,750 one-off joining fee. This is a single payment to come on board, not a recurring charge.
• £35 per month membership fee. An ongoing cost that keeps your systems, support and supplier access running.
• 1.3% card transaction fee on card payments you take from customers.
• £0 franchise fee. There is no franchise fee, because this is not a franchise. You run a standalone, self-employed travel business selling under the group's Package Travel Regulations (PTR) arrangements.

That is the full shape of it: a one-off fee to join, a low monthly fee to stay, and a small percentage on card transactions. There is no hidden franchise cost layered on top.

What the fees actually include

A common mistake is comparing a fee in isolation without looking at what it buys. The membership is designed so that most of the tools and support a modern travel business needs are already provided. Included in membership:

• A professional website.
• An AI marketing assistant that writes your posts, emails, blogs and ads.
• Itinerary software.
• Booking software.
• Package Travel Regulations (PTR) compliance.
• Access to all our global suppliers.
• Dedicated support.
• A social media manager that schedules and auto-publishes to Facebook and Instagram.
• An in-house bedbank.

Assembling all of that yourself — website, booking and itinerary systems, supplier relationships, compliance and support — would cost far more than £35 a month and take a great deal of time to arrange.

Why going fully independent costs much more

To understand whether the joining and monthly fees represent good value, compare them with the alternative: setting up entirely on your own.

A fully independent agency has to arrange, and pay for, everything itself:

• Building and hosting a professional website.
• Sourcing and licensing booking and itinerary technology.
• Negotiating individual supplier agreements, often difficult without scale.
• Putting PTR compliance and financial protection arrangements in place.
• Covering support, marketing tools and systems out of its own pocket.

These costs add up quickly and often run to many thousands of pounds before a single booking is made, quite apart from the specialist knowledge required to get compliance right. For most people starting out, the fully independent route is significantly more expensive and far more complex than joining an established group.

Costs beyond the fees

Being straight about money means mentioning the costs that apply whichever route you take. As a self-employed person you are responsible for your own tax and National Insurance, and you may choose to spend on things like advertising as your business grows. These are personal business costs rather than group fees, but they belong in any honest budget. This is general guidance, not tax advice — check your own obligations or speak to a professional.

How financial protection fits in

Handling customers' money brings responsibility. With this group, customer money is held in a Trust Account with Protected Trust Services (PTS), which is part of how customers are safeguarded and how PTR compliance is delivered. This is one of the things bundled into membership that would be costly and complex to arrange alone.

Putting the numbers in context

It helps to see how the costs relate to how you earn. You make money through commission on bookings — you can keep up to 85% of eligible commission, with the group retaining 15%, and commission varies by supplier and is never guaranteed. The 1.3% card transaction fee applies only when you take card payments. For a fuller picture of earnings and commission, see how do travel agents make money alongside our commission and earnings overview.

It is worth being clear that low start-up costs do not mean guaranteed returns. The fees are modest and predictable, but income depends on the bookings you make, and results vary. A sensible plan treats the joining and monthly fees as an investment in a working business setup, not a purchase of guaranteed income.

Value over the first year

A helpful way to judge cost is to look at the whole of your first year rather than a single fee in isolation. Joining costs £1,750 once, and membership adds up to £420 over twelve months at £35 per month. On top of that, the 1.3% card transaction fee applies only to the card payments you actually take, so it scales with activity rather than being a fixed drain. For that total you have a professional website, booking and itinerary software, an AI marketing assistant, a social media manager, an in-house bedbank, access to all our global suppliers, PTR compliance and dedicated support running for the entire year. Priced individually and arranged alone, those elements would cost far more and demand specialist knowledge to set up correctly.

Watch for hidden costs elsewhere

When comparing models, look carefully at what is and is not included. Some setups advertise a low headline fee but charge separately for the website, the booking technology, supplier access or support, which can make the true cost much higher than it first appears. The value of a transparent structure is that you can see the whole picture upfront: a one-off joining fee, a fixed monthly fee, a small percentage on card transactions, and no franchise fee. That clarity makes budgeting straightforward and avoids nasty surprises later.

A simple way to budget

To plan your start-up, work with these figures:

1. £1,750 once, to join.
2. £35 each month, ongoing.
3. 1.3% on any card payments you take.
4. £0 franchise fee.
5. Set aside a personal buffer for tax and any marketing you choose to do.

Compared with the far higher and less predictable cost of building a fully independent agency, this is a low-cost, transparent way into the industry. What you can see clearly in our packages is exactly what is included for those fees — which is the fairest way to judge whether the cost is worth it for you.

This guide is general information to help you learn about the travel industry. It is not legal, tax or financial advice, and it does not guarantee any particular result. Building a travel business is self-employment: results vary depending on the time, effort and approach you bring.