Start An Adventure Travel Agent - Business Ideas

Updated: September 15th, 2022
Start An Adventure Travel Agent

Please note that the data provided in this article are estimates and may vary depending on various factors, and should not be considered as perfect or definitive.

Adventure travel is a type of tourism in which the tourist seeks out and experiences various physical, emotional, and mental challenges.

Adventure travel agents are experts in the field of adventure travel. The travel agents know what to expect and can help you with everything from booking flights, to finding the right hotel, to getting a visa.

Adventure travel agents book trips on travelers’ behalf and helps them plan the trips. They know the best places to visit, what time of year suits that destination, and what experiences are available. A successful adventure travel agency starts with a solid business plan. A good business plan is a foundation for any business and can be the difference between success and failure.

What should you include in your adventure travel agency business plan? A feasibility study, a marketing strategy, financial projections, a SWOT analysis, and more. The key to success is finding a niche you are passionate about and well-versed in.

Starting an adventure travel agent requires a great deal of effort, dedication, and most importantly passion.

If you're interested in how to sell adventure travel agent, or selling adventure travel agent online, you can use this page as a guide for everything you'll need to know.

Key Stats

market size
$540B
revenue (monthly)
$7.5K
starting costs
$11.7K
gross margin
90%
avg product price
$300
time to build
210 days
growth
SEO
business model
Subscriptions
time investment
Full time

Startup Costs

Min Startup Costs Max Startup Costs

Office Space Expenses

$0

$7,000

Employee & Freelancer Expenses

$150

$250

Website Costs

$223

$7,015

Business Formation Fees

$600

$4,700

Software Expenses

$162

$2,894

Advertising & Marketing Costs

$0

$1,400

Total Startup Costs

$1,135

$23,259

Successful Businesses

Business URL Rank

Adventure Travel & Nature Tours

nathab.com

255,988

Find a Travel Agent

ensembletravel.com

584,222

Travel Shows

travelshows.com

606,384

Educational Tours & Graduation Trips

adventurestudenttravel.com

957,615

Adventure Holidays Worldwide

keadventure.com

982,441

Wild Frontiers

wildfrontierstravel.com

1,028,728

Travel Quest Network

travelquestnetwork.com

1,037,089

WHOA travel

whoatravel.com

1,293,463

Baboo Travel

baboo.travel

1,543,637

EXSPLORE

exsplore.com

1,733,234

Yonder

insureyonder.com

1,916,058

Pros & Cons

Pros Description

Flexibility

You can put as much time into the business as you'd like. If you like the work and have some initial experience, you can start small and manage all aspects of the business on your own.

Ability to start your business from home

It's not necessary to have a physical storefront or office space to get your business started. You can do everything from the comfort of your own home, at least in the beginning!

Little startup costs required

The cost to start a adventure travel agent costs significantly less money than most businesses, ranging anywhere from 62 to 23,259.

Rewarding work

Starting a adventure travel agent can be really rewarding work. After all, you are solving an immediate issue for your customer and you're working on something you truly care about.

Scalable

With businesses and processes changing daily, there will always be demand for new features, products and services for your business. Additionally, there are several different business models and pricing tiers you can implement that will allow you to reach all types of customers.

No overhead costs

To get your adventure travel agent started, there are no costs associated with overhead, storage, packaging, etc. This will save you a lot of time and money!

Cons Description

Crowded Space

Competition is high when it comes to your adventure travel agent, so it's important that you spend a good amount of time analyzing the market and understanding where the demand lies.

Longer Sales Process

A adventure travel agent can be a big time and money investment for your customer, so it's important you plan and predict a longer conversion funnel and stay in communication with potential customers.

Work can be inconsistent

As a adventure travel agent, the amount of work assigned to you and schedule tends to be more inconsistent, which may make your income less stable. It's important to set boundaries and budget accordingly based on the amount of work you plan to have.

Lack of benefits

With a adventure travel agent, you are typically self-employed and responsible for finding your own insurance, which can be quite costly and time-consuming.

Isolation

Often times, as a adventure travel agent, you typically work alone and do not have much face-to-face interaction with other team members.

Taxes

As a adventure travel agent, you typically pay self-employment taxes which can be quite high. It's important to understand what you will be paying in taxes each year so you can determine if the work you're taking on is worth it.

Marketing Ideas

  • 1

    Affiliate Program

    Affiliate marketing is a great way to bring in a new revenue stream, especially when you don't sell products or services.

    Simply put, an affiliate program is an agreement where a business pays another business or influencer ("the affiliate") a commission for sending traffic and/or sales their way.

    The affiliate typically gets a unique link where clicks and conversions can be tracked.

    Learn more about affiliate program ➜

  • 2

    Word of mouth

    Word of mouth is when a consumers reflects their interest in a company’s product or service in their daily dialogues.

    Therefore, word of mouth advertising is essentially a free advertising triggered by the customers experience.

    According to Nielsen, 92% of people trust recommendations from friends and family.

    Therefore, in today’s hyper-connected world, a single recommendation through a word of mouth can have a huge impact to your business.

    Learn more about word of mouth ➜

  • 3

    Social Media Advertising

    Social media advertising is the use of social media platforms to connect with your audience with the objective to build your brand, increase sales, and drive website traffic.

    According to Oberlo, approximately 48% of the global population use social media, and the number is ever-growing.

    Therefore, social media allows brands access to cost-effective advertising by enabling them to interact with a large audience.

    Learn more about social media advertising ➜