How to start a thriving travel business with Expedia Group

Travel advisors come from all different backgrounds and working experiences, many dabbling in it for fun, the love of travel or some extra income. University students, new parents, non-profit workers, corporate employees and more are all discovering the benefits of transitioning into a full-time travel advisor career: financial opportunities, flexible work schedules and the chance to explore the world while helping others do the same.

Travel advisors apply their entrepreneurial spirit and love of travel to provide people with personal and curated trip experiences. Expedia Group’s Travel Agent Affiliate Programme (TAAP) helps travel advisors deliver on this promise through a booking platform that is user-friendly and efficient and offers an extensive inventory with exclusive rates. With dedicated support to provide their clients with the best possible experience, advisors can independently grow their business at scale.

Kentucky-based travel advisor Rebecca Smiley realised soon after college that she wasn’t fulfilled with her work as a counsellor in higher education and wanted to turn her passion for travel into a career. Smiley established and grew her travel business quickly with the help of social media marketing, word-of-mouth referrals and the Expedia TAAP booking platform. 
 

With an expansive clientele of younger travellers who crave bespoke experiences, Smiley uses the Expedia TAAP platform to curate personal trips for each of her clients. Expedia TAAP’s multiple filters allow her to cultivate unique options specific to her clients’ needs. 

Smiley booked over $500,000 in travel sales in 2023 and is tracking at 81% growth in 2024. Expedia TAAP continues to be a proven partner and she has more bookings with Expedia Group than other online travel agencies (OTAs).  

For a growing number of people, renting out a second home often begins as a side hustle but is quickly evolving into something more as they find themselves reinvesting those profits to grow their property portfolio. And, as their expertise deepens, some hosts begin managing properties for other hosts, turning what began as a part-time endeavour into a thriving, full-time gig.  

Vrbo^® hosts are taking their holiday rental businesses full-time by reaching the more than 10 million average daily visitors on Expedia Group sites—a whole world of valuable travellers who spend more and stay longer.⁴

Hosts with one or two properties need tools and technology to manage their businesses, while property managers who oversee multiple properties also require supply management and technology support. We make it easy with APIs to manage their businesses with their connectivity partner of choice.

Portland, Oregon Vrbo host Michelle Ruber leveraged her background in design and love for travel to launch Shift Vacation Rentals. The flexible lifestyle and ability to share her unique city with others made a career as a holiday rental host appealing.

She recognises that Portland is ‘brimming with people that have turned their passion into their business,’ and successfully tapped into that entrepreneurial spirit. Her holiday rental business is the ‘absolute best career choice I could have made.’

Over 10 years later, Ruber’s business is thriving. She credits Vrbo as one of her best promotional tools: over 50% of her bookings come from the Vrbo platform. The longstanding relationship with her account manager as well as the available host tools, including the Vrbo app and MarketMaker pricing tool, support her business’ continued growth and success. 

As entrepreneurs break into online travel, they can be faced with challenges building supply, maintaining supplier relationships and managing customer service. A seamless platform and technology integration that fits into your business without the hassle of a massive tech overhaul is key. 

Partners turn to our Rapid API solution to deliver choice and trust to their travellers. We offer travellers access to: 

Inspiration can strike anywhere—and at any time. This was the case for four friends and entrepreneurs from Cattolica, Italy, who established Salabam Solutions. Years after launch, the team wanted to evolve what started off as a gift box startup into a travel tech company specialising in online travel booking solutions and services. With the right technology and tools, that idea turned into a reality.

Since they started specialising in travel, Salabam Solutions has worked with Expedia Group as a strategic partner because of our breadth of inventory, data and technology, including the Rapid API solution that led to their significant early growth.

After the first year of partnering with Expedia Group, Salabam Solutions’ global booking value increased by 258% year over year (YoY) in 2019. And since then, they’ve seen continued growth, with 79% YoY growth in 2023. According to the team, it’s thanks to our people and technology that they’ve been among the Financial Times’ top 500 fastest-growing companies for two years running.  

The travel industry is full of entrepreneurial energy as more people look to translate their passion into flexible, self-driven careers. We’re your co-pilot in travel, here to help you stay ahead of the curve and grow your travel business with the right technology, tools and support.