When I look back at how I built Prism Premier Travel, I can point to the LLC, the niche, the blogging strategy, the referral network. Those things matter. But if I'm being completely honest about what got me through the hardest parts of building this agency — it was people.

Other agents.

I talked to agents at wedding shows. Not to compete with them — to learn from them. I found Facebook groups and lurked, then participated, then genuinely connected. I found mentors who gave me real advice when I felt like I was drowning. People who had been where I was and made it through.

There were mornings I cried on the way to my 9-to-5 because I was convinced I would never make it. That this agency was a dream I couldn't afford to keep chasing. In those moments, a marketing strategy wasn't what I needed. I needed to pick up the phone and call someone who understood. Someone who had felt exactly what I was feeling and could tell me — honestly — that it was going to be okay.

I had that. And it changed everything.

Finding your community is not a soft, optional add-on to building your business. It is a strategy. It is infrastructure. It is just as important as your LLC, your niche, and your SEO plan. Maybe more.

This is what nobody puts in the business guides. So I'm putting it here.

There is a piece of advice I wish someone had handed me on day one of building my travel agency. Not about LLCs. Not about E&O insurance. Not about niching down or SEO or host agencies.

It's this: your host is not your only community.

Read that again if you need to.

You are allowed — encouraged, even — to talk to other travel agents. Agents at other hosts. Independent agents. Franchise agents. Agents who do things completely differently than you do. The travel industry is wide enough for all of us, and the agents who thrive long-term are almost never the ones who built walls around themselves.

The Battle Zone Nobody Warned Me About

When I started my agency, nobody told me I could only talk to agents inside my host. It wasn't a rule. It wasn't even implied. But I didn't know how to reach out to other agents, and when I tried, the landscape was... rough.

It felt like a battle zone.

Every agent seemed to be fighting for every single piece of business. Questions were met with eye rolls. Basic inquiries — the kind every new agent has — were sometimes mocked openly. And this wasn't just in general travel agent groups. It happened in host groups too. Spaces that were supposed to be supportive felt competitive and, at times, just plain unkind.

I get it. This industry is commission-based. People are protective. But that culture has a cost, and newer agents pay it first.

I almost let it discourage me entirely.

What Changed When I Found the Right Rooms

Once I niched down, I stopped trying to fit into every space and started looking for the ones built for me.

I found romance travel groups. Honeymoon communities. Mentorship-focused Facebook groups where people actually answered questions without condescension. I followed advisors on TikTok who shared real knowledge generously. And something shifted.

There are genuinely kind agents out there. Agents who remember what it felt like to not know anything. Agents who will answer your questions, share their experiences, and celebrate your wins without seeing you as competition.

Some of the most generous ones I encountered weren't even in my host. They weren't trying to recruit me or sell me anything. They just wanted to help.

That changed how I thought about community entirely.

One thing I'll be honest about: I searched for LGBTQ+ travel advisor groups and couldn't find what I was looking for. There were spaces for romance travel, for luxury travel, for destination weddings — but a dedicated, affirming community for queer advisors? It didn't exist in the way I needed it to.

So I decided to build it.

If the Community Doesn't Exist, Start It

That realization — that the space I needed wasn't there — is part of what led me to form Prism Premier Travel as a host agency in the first place. I didn't just want to build a business. I wanted to build a home for LGBTQ+ advisors who were tired of feeling invisible in an industry that should have space for everyone.

And now I'm taking it a step further.

I am building The Queer Travel Advisor Collective — a Facebook group for travel advisors who are queer. You do not have to be a Prism Premier Travel agent to join. This group is not a recruiting tool. It is not a sales funnel. It is a community — one built on the belief that queer advisors deserve a space that is genuinely supportive, affirming, and free from the battle-zone energy that makes this industry unnecessarily hard to break into.

My hope is that it becomes the group I was looking for when I started.

What I Want Every Travel Advisor to Know

Whether you are brand new, mid-career, or rebuilding after a bad host experience, here is what I want you to take away from this:

Seek out community beyond your host. Join Facebook groups. Attend industry events. Network with agents who do things differently than you. You will learn more from a wide community than from a single host's training portal.

Find your people specifically. General travel agent groups have value, but niche communities are where you will feel truly seen. Romance. Adventure. Luxury. LGBTQ+. Find the rooms that are built for what you do and who you are.

Don't let the gatekeepers stop you. Every industry has people who guard knowledge like it's scarce. It isn't. The agents worth learning from give freely. Find those people and hold onto them.

If the space doesn't exist, build it. You don't have to wait for someone else to create the community you need. The Queer Travel Advisor Collective exists because I stopped waiting.

We are in business for ourselves — but we don't have to do this alone. That distinction matters. Independence doesn't mean isolation. Build your business your way, and then find the people who will cheer you on while you do it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can travel agents network with agents outside their host agency? Absolutely. Most host agencies do not restrict agents from connecting with advisors at other hosts, independent agencies, or franchise models. Building a broad professional network makes you a stronger, better-informed agent.

Are there Facebook groups for travel agents? Yes. There are general travel agent Facebook groups, as well as niche communities focused on romance travel, luxury travel, destination weddings, adventure travel, and more. The quality and culture of these groups varies — find the ones that feel supportive and generous.

Are there communities specifically for LGBTQ+ travel advisors? They are growing. The Queer Travel Advisor Collective is a Facebook community being built specifically for queer travel advisors, open to agents regardless of host affiliation or business model.

Do I have to be a Prism Premier Travel agent to join The Queer Travel Advisor Collective? No. The group is open to all LGBTQ+ travel advisors — whether you are with a host, a franchise, or operating independently. Community is the point, not recruitment.

How do I find a mentor as a new travel agent? Look for mentorship-focused Facebook groups, follow experienced advisors on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, and don't be afraid to reach out directly to agents whose work you admire. Many of the most helpful people in this industry are generous with their knowledge.

What should I do if travel agent communities feel unwelcoming? Keep looking. The culture varies widely between groups. Niche communities tend to be more collaborative and less competitive than general groups. And if you genuinely can't find what you need — consider starting it yourself.

The Bottom Line

This industry can feel lonely, especially at the start. Nobody hands you a roadmap. Nobody tells you which rooms are worth being in. And for LGBTQ+ advisors, the loneliness can run even deeper when the spaces that exist weren't built with you in mind.

But community is out there. And where it isn't — we can build it.

Prism Premier Travel exists because I believed queer advisors deserved better. The Queer Travel Advisor Collective is being built for the same reason. And this blog series exists because I remember what it felt like to search for honest answers and come up empty.

You are not alone in this. Let's make sure it stays that way. If you would like to join our private Facebook group click here.