Your first 90 days as an independent travel agent
Your first months are a chance to build reliable habits before chasing a large volume of enquiries. This planning framework separates learning, practice and customer development. It is an adaptable example, not Unlocked’s official onboarding timetable or a promise of booking results.
What should I focus on in my first three months?
Start by understanding your agreement, training and support routes. Practise handling an enquiry through the approved process, then build a small, clear marketing routine within your permissions. Review your skills, enquiry quality, costs and time at the end of each month. Progress should be based on readiness rather than an arbitrary sales target.
Days 1 to 30: understand the framework
Keep a simple onboarding record: what you have read, which systems you can access and what must be completed before handling bookings. Read the cost and commission terms carefully. Find out who answers a training question, who supports a live booking and how urgent matters are escalated.
Use the learning materials to practise understanding a brief and comparing complete options. Ask a mentor to review your reasoning, including the details you have not yet checked. Record the next learning task so each discussion builds on the previous one.
Days 31 to 60: build a repeatable enquiry process
Once you have the relevant approval, use a consistent process for new enquiries. Confirm the brief, explain the next step and agree when you will come back. Keep quotes and customer decisions in the approved systems rather than scattered between personal notes and messages.
Create a small set of useful explanations in your own voice: what you help with, what information makes an enquiry useful and how the booking process works. Have any required agency wording checked before publishing. Test the enquiry form and contact links you plan to share.
Days 61 to 90: review and refine
Review enquiries by quality and outcome, not only by how many arrived. Which had clear dates and budgets? Which needed more questions? Which were outside your present knowledge or available products? These answers show whether the marketing is attracting suitable work.
Look at the time involved in research and follow-up alongside actual costs and any commission received. A booking total is not the same as income in your bank. Use the review to decide what to learn next and where to focus your customer service.
Use a progress log you can discuss
A short weekly record is easier to maintain than a complex dashboard. Keep examples anonymous when using them for a general learning discussion and follow the agency’s process for customer information.
If you get stuck, make the next action specific. “Ask support to explain the amendment workflow for this product” is easier to complete than “get better at bookings”. Bring the log to a conversation about mentoring.
| Area | Evidence to record | Next decision |
|---|---|---|
| Learning | Completed tasks and reviewed practice | Which gap needs support? |
| Customers | Enquiry type, response and next step | Which service fits best? |
| Time | Research and administration hours | Is the workload manageable? |
| Money | Actual costs and income received | Does the budget still work? |
Your next-step checklist
- Confirm permissions, training tasks and support contacts.
- Keep a record of reviewed practice enquiries.
- Use one consistent enquiry and follow-up workflow.
- Review actual hours and costs each month.
- Choose the next learning priority from evidence.
Common questions
Will I have bookings in my first 90 days?
A planning framework cannot predict bookings. Customer demand, your available time, capability and the business terms affect results. Use the period to build a dependable service and assess whether the business fits.
Is this the Unlocked onboarding programme?
No. It is a general planning framework. Ask the community team for Unlocked’s current onboarding requirements, training sequence and the support available at each stage.
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