How to Start a Senior Travel Business

How to Start a Senior Travel Business 1-2-3

There are many areas of senior travel that you can focus on. For example, some retirees may be interested in taking a vacation where they can learn more, whether it be a class or visiting a historical site.

Others may be interested in a volunteering trip, where they can take the opportunity to give back in a unique and memorable way. There's also the out-of-doors or adventure travel type who want to go hiking, camping or river rafting.

Seniors may want an organized vacation with a group of other seniors, or a planned activity with close family. What you want to do is decide on a "niche" of senior travel that interests you and specialize in that rather than trying to provide an all-in-one solution. You will have less competition and have an easier time trying to gain clientele. You will also have a better chance of building a repeat customer base with customers who enjoy a specific type of vacation.

Checklist for Starting a Senior Travel Business:

2. Get a business license. Check with your local government office to find out which licenses and permits you need for your travel agency business and application instructions.

3. Open a business bank account. You want to keep your personal finances and company finances separate. Also, your banker can be a good source of small business financing if you need any.

4. Arrange a meeting with an accountant to discuss tax strategies and ways to maximize your business tax deductions. You can get referrals from other local business owners. Also, your banker may be able to give you some names.

5. Meet with an insurance agent to discuss insurance you may need for your senior travel business. The IIABA (Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America) is a good place to start. You can also get free quotes online for business insurance.

6. Set up your business phone system. Whether you use a toll-free 800 phone number, a multi-line phone system, VoIP or simply add an additional phone number to your existing service, you'll want a designated line to establish a professional business image.

7. Start advertising. Set up a simple website for under $50/year to advertise your travel services. Help people find your business in the search engines: get listed in 20 search engines for free or in 300 search engines for $4.

8. Local Search is becoming more and more popular. People are many times using online search instead of the traditional yellow pages to find local businesses. Local Search sources that are affordable and receive substantial traffic include: Google Local, Yelp, Super Pages and Insider Pages.

9. Order business cards. One of the cheapest ways I know of to advertise a business. See how you can design your own professional business cards online, plus simple tips for increasing your sales.

10. If you don't like selling and want to avoid marketing, word-of-mouth, or referral marketing, is a great way to grow a senior travel business. Getting referrals can be difficult or easy or completely ineffective, depending on the methods you use. Marketing expert David Frey has had so much success with referrals in his own business that he created an actual "referral money-making system".

Senior Travel Business Resources:

The Senior Journal Website has a section dedicated to travel ideas, news and solutions specifically for senior citizens. When starting your own senior travel business, this is a good site to look for ideas about your target market and what it wants. AARP also offers good insight into the senior citizen market.

Travel Spot will let you become a partner with them for free and start your own online travel business using their online travel booking system. Get a private branded site (already set up) that offers flights, hotel, cars, activities, featured deals and insurance to your website visitors.

The Home-Based Travel Agent offers excellent start-up business advice. Aside from walking you through the business set-up process, there are great tips on finding clients and increasing business revenue. Recommended if you want to run your business from home. You'll find some great ideas on cutting costs and saving money.

For a travel business start-up guide that covers mainly the basics of senior travel, cruises and tours, Entrepreneur magazine has put together the Travel Business Start-Up Guide, an overall education of the field. This is a good book to pick up, especially if you don't have much experience in the travel industry. I think you can get it used for about 10 bucks, so it's really a steal

To reach the senior citizen market online, you can advertise your senior travel service on websites where seniors go to get information, such as www.seniorjournal.com, www.suddenlysenior.com or www.seniormag.com . High-traffic areas in your community, like libraries or your church may also be good spots to get the word out.