The Hard Truths of Being a Travel Agent

Have you ever wondered what it was like to be a Carry on the Magic Travel advisor? 

As the summer wraps up, Carry on the Magic’s newest recruitment season begins. From September 1-11, 2026, we are looking forward to expanding our team and want to address some of the more common questions we get during recruitment.   

Is this a full-time job? 

Only if you want it to be! Many of our agents do this to supplement their income, to connect with a community, or just to keep themselves busy. Many of our agents treat this as a full-time job. It’s entirely up to you!

Is it hard?

Travel can be…challenging. Depending on what niche you focus on you have to keep your finger on the pulse of world politics, changing entry requirements, airline drama, etc. You’re required to build your own clientele, which means you’re not only logistics, you’re marketing, operations, finances: every department! As challenging as it can be, it’s also incredibly rewarding. Seeing families make once in a lifetime memories knowing you helped them execute the perfect trip is priceless. 

I only want to do it to travel for free, will I make a good agent?

Honestly, no. While some vendors do offer discounts, they are few and far between, and never free. FAM trips have fees associated with them, and you have to be selling a lot of a destination to even qualify. Even if you are awarded a “free trip”, you’re still responsible for airfare, excursions, and any food that you may need. If you’re only looking to be a travel agent to travel for free, we may not be the right fit for you.

How does Carry on the Magic support its new agents?

We have an extensive onboarding training (that you do at your own pace) that truly sets up new agents to succeed in their niche. We also have amazing support in our leadership team! You can meet with them as frequently or infrequently as you like. Carry on the Magic also sponsors online training specifically for their agents several times a month. As a team we meet at least once a month to touch base and celebrate each other. Some agencies are more hands off with their agents, but here at Carry on the Magic we function more like a family. 

Choosing an agency to join when you’re first starting your travel career or making the choice to switch when you’re an established agent can be a difficult decision. We would love to help you make the right choice. If you’re interested in finding out more about our agency, please fill out an application so we can meet with you!