Back in 2020 – (and we all know what happened that year) I started to receive an influx in messages on Instagram from independent travel agents (ITA’s), and they all went the same way. Love bombing your profile by liking a load of photos, shortly followed by a DM expressing a mutual interest in travel or the places you’ve been, and then rounding it all off with an offer of joining an online travel business called InteleTravel to make money from all the travel you’re doing. I remember at the time similar people and instagram accounts to mine were sharing how frustrating it got.

This first impression so many people including myself had has subsequently been hard to shake I think, for the company behind the people in all of our DM’s. You just have to take a look at google and see that one of the first FAQ’s to come up is ‘is InteleTravel a scam?’ – and this post intends to answer that for you. 

Despite what many think, it is a real company. InteleTravel is essentially a network of travel agents, real travel agents who can book your holidays, trips and a lot more. Two of my close family members joined last year, and I’m the first to admit I fully poured scorn on it. I showed them my DM’s, I expressed how I just point blank wouldn’t trust it or be joining. What I was seeing was a side to it that being honest I just didn’t like. 

I did however, take the time to listen to them about it, often over dinner, plenty of bottles of wine, and sat in the hot tub at one of their 40th birthday parties. I grilled them on all aspects of it. I opened my instagram stories to anyone who wanted to ask questions, which they answered, I joined a webinar to find out more about it, and I attended one of their get together parties to learn more. 

So this is coming to you from someone who has extensively researched it, and despite choosing not to join myself which I will share more on why later, I am now convinced it isn’t a scam, it isn’t what those first impressions back in 2020 would suggest, and I have even used them as travel agents to book some of my travel for me. 

A quick summary before we get into it further, is that there are two separate businesses at play here. Inteletravel is the independent travel agent business, and PlanNet Marketing is the multi level marketing business, as when you join as an independent online travel agent you have to sign up under someone who becomes your mentor, and you join their team. This is how the MLM business works. 

So this blog post is an interview with one of those girls, my friend, my cousin’s lovely wife, and my former flatmate of 6 years Rachael of Better Travelled. She joined InteleTravel as an agent after her sister had previously – you can see Judith here.

I put all of my concerns, questions and thoughts to her and she’s answered them here. This isn’t a plea for you to join, I’ll let you make your own mind up on if it’s for you, but if you’re here you’re probably interested in learning more in some way. So here’s my genuine Q&A with Rachael that answers all those questions you might have, starting with a few on the business itself and then some on booking travel with her. 

Rachael from Better Travelled answers your questions on InteleTravel

How does InteleTravel work?

InteleTravel is a company and platform that enables you to become an independent travel agent, so that you can book travel for yourself and others and earn commission on your bookings. You also have the added bonus of travelling like an insider benefiting from offers, discounts and perks from inside the travel industry.

What made you decide to join?

I watched my sister do this for over a year and felt like I was missing out! I love to travel and enjoy searching for holidays so after hearing about her experience and how I could benefit from travel I was doing anyway with my husband and two boys, this seemed like a no brainer. I’m going on the trips and holidays that I would be doing anyway, but I get paid for booking it! It’s also so flexible with no targets so I knew I could work around my job and young family. 

How much does it cost to be an InteleTravel Agent?

There’s a £142 up front sign up fee to cover your initial training and admin. After that it’s like a monthly subscription at £32 per month. There’s a 30 day money back guarantee so if you cancel in the first 30 days you get your money back. There are also no contracts or targets, so if it isn’t for you, you can cancel anytime. 

Since you joined, how much travel have you booked? 

So far I’ve booked over £30,000 worth of travel since I started in June 2023. That’s everything from hotel stays, airport parking, cruises to ski holidays, for my family and friends, but also friends of friends and people I’ve never met. 

How much time do I have to spend on it?

You don’t have to spend much time on it if you don’t want to. There are absolutely no targets and so you can really take your time and learn the systems before you book anything. Some people might want to dive in right away and be booking multiple holidays from the start. It’s totally up to you. 

I fit this around my part time job and young family. It doesn’t feel like work because I love researching holidays and the best bit is you can do it from anywhere. On my recent trip to Dubai I made a booking from my sun lounger!

Did you have any experience prior to doing this?

Nothing other than the love of holidays! All your training is provided and there is a huge amount of support from my team when it’s needed. I’ve learned loads since I’ve started. Lots of agents specialise in different areas like Orlando or cruises depending on their preferences. You can choose to do as much or as little training as you want. 

What training is involved and how long does it take?

The initial mandatory training takes around 90 minutes – 2 hours and includes all of the legal information for booking holidays including training on ATOL and ABTA protection. Beyond this there is a wealth of non mandatory training available to you to complete as and when you need it. We are part of a hugely supportive team with very experienced agents always willing to help with any queries.

Many people think InteleTravel is a scam or pyramid scheme, what would you say to this?

It’s definitely not a scam! I’ve been doing this for 6 months now and have made lots of bookings via the same travel booking systems everyone has, I’ve sold products, stays and experiences and earned lots of commission from doing so.

Pyramid schemes are often illegal and unsustainable as there is no real product attached, so that’s not what this is. When you join as an ITA you sign under someone so you become part of their team and have all the support available that comes with this. The MLM business is selling a genuine product (travel) which you can earn money from and this is why it is not a pyramid scheme.

What is the best perk of choosing to join?

The best perk has probably been travelling as an insider! I’ve made some amazing savings on my own travel. Recently I went to London and Dubai and saved hundreds of pounds on my hotels. I have also just won a free 3 night stay in a hotel in Cyprus simply by booking a holiday for a client with them. There are often incentives like this for agents which is a great bonus. 

Do you feel any pressure?

I don’t feel pressure at all. The monthly fee is £32 and one of my first bookings was for a river cruise and I earned around £600 commission so with that booking alone I covered my first 18 months of fees! Also because the company sets no targets you aren’t under any pressure to book a certain amount of travel. You can do as much or as little as you like to suit your time and lifestyle.

Are you essentially the same as walking into a travel agent off the street?

We are partnered with over 70 worldwide suppliers so we really do have access to everything. This doesn’t just include hotels, package holidays and cruises but also concert tickets, theatre tickets, excursions and sporting events.

If I were to join, would I have to start messaging people on social media?

Absolutely not, I’ve never done this! 

You don’t have to use social media at all to run your travel business. Most of my bookings have been for family and friends and word spreads pretty quickly through good reviews and word of mouth. Social media is just another platform to generate business but certainly not a requirement.

How else can I generate bookings if I don’t use social media?

Word of mouth! Book for family and friends or start by booking travel for yourself! It’s amazing how quickly news travels. I have made lots of bookings for friends of friends and work colleagues, and I held a party one night at my house for anyone interested to learn more. It’s entirely up to you how you run your business.

Would I have to spend time recruiting a team too?

No. When you join as an independent travel agent this is all about simply booking travel and earning back commission on it. If you would like to build a team and help to mentor others then at any time you can join the MLM business and get involved in that, but it’s not for everyone. 

Now some questions around the booking side, and using these independent travel agents to book your trips:

Is it Safe Booking Travel With an InteleTravel Agent?

Steph answering this one as I went through Rachael to book my Christmas market trip to Edinburgh, and the answer is – yes absolutely. Rachael booked me a dog friendly hotel and got me a better rate than anywhere else. I’ve got a few other personal trips this year and even though I’m someone who absolutely loves researching finding the best deals, I will now always ask her to check her prices for me too.

If I book with you, can I pay a deposit and pay off my holiday over time?

Yes we offer deposit options with the balance being paid off over time.

How could people join if they wanted to? 

Get in touch with me on instagram @_bettertravelled or email me rhbattertravelled@gmail.com. I’d be happy to answer any questions or get you set up if you’re ready to go.

So there you have it, these were the frequently asked questions that I had myself and that people sent through my DM’s when I held the Q&A. I have to say I had my eyes opened, and if you’re the type of person who does travel a lot, enjoys researching and books trips yourself then this genuinely could be a potentially good avenue to take. Who wouldn’t want to save money on their own bookings? Or make money from their family and friends bookings?

Being honest it was the recruitment side of things that put me off, so it was good to find out that this isn’t a requirement, it’s only an option if you wanted to pursue this.

The reason I personally chose not to join is because despite all the travel I do, I honestly don’t book and pay for enough of my own travel for it to be worthwhile for me. My personal circumstances are that I work in the travel industry already so I have access to many discounts and offers, I also travel very frequently with work so I don’t pay myself for it. In addition to this I already run this blog and my own instagram – those are my all consuming side hustles I simply don’t have room or time for more!

I think this is like anything that you’re passionate about, and a good way to look at it is like any other subscription service. Many people sign up for beauty or food subscription boxes, because they spend so much on it or buy it so regularly that a subscription is worth it. 

Even if you don’t want to join as an agent but are booking your summer holiday soon – it’s definitely worth asking Rachael to price up your trip! I saved £50 on my Edinburgh hotel in December. 

InteleTravel is similar, if you frequently travel then the commission you earn even from your own trips is a canny little side hustle and way to earn some money back! And anyone who runs their own business, side hustle and enjoys putting time into gets my support.