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Emma Weissmann
Emma WeissmannContributing Writer
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Jamie BiesiadaContributing Writer

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When Is It Time to Leave Your Host Agency and Join a Consortium?

Jan 23, 2023
Consortia/Host Agencies  Podcasts  Training and Education  Travel Agents  
When Is It Time to Leave Your Host Agency and Join a Consortium?
Credit: 2023 Jenn Martins/Tori Halpin

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Many travel advisors get their start in the industry by affiliating with a host agency as an independent contractor. But what happens when they outgrow their host, or want to move in a different direction with their business? One possible avenue is becoming an agency member of a consortium, which is exactly what Lila Fox, owner of Lila Fox Travel Co. in Denver, did.

This week on Trade Secrets, we’ll delve into Fox’s journey in the travel industry and how she decided to strike out from a host and join Virtuoso directly. She offers advice to other advisors thinking about making the same move, shares her no-regrets attitude and more.

Theme Song: Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod (License)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lila Fox, owner of Lila Fox Travel Co.
Lila Fox, owner of Lila Fox Travel Co.
Credit: 2023 Jenn Martins

Resources Mentioned in This Episode and Related Reading

Lila Fox Travel Co.

Fox on LinkedIn

Stephanie Lee on the Humans of Travel

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From Lee: Host Agency Reviews

Andy Ogg on Trade Secrets: Should I Break Up With My Host Agency?

On TravelAge West:
A Must-Read Guide for Choosing a Travel Agent Network 

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About Your Hosts

Emma Weissmann is the Managing Editor of TravelAge West, a print and online magazine for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She is also the host of the Humans of Travel podcast, where she interviews notable individuals in the travel industry about their lives — the highs and lows that make them human.

Jamie Biesiada is a Senior Editor with Travel Weekly. She is an award-winning journalist, including being named the American Society of Travel Advisors’ 2019 Travel Journalist of the Year. Her roots are in community journalism, where she was the editor of several local newspapers and a regional entertainment magazine. 

About the Show

Trade Secrets, a podcast from the editors of Travel Weekly and TravelAge West, is where travel advisors ask — and answer — questions. On each podcast, our editors will ask a veteran travel industry insider to join them and field listeners’ questions. Topics will range from business advice to industry trends, history and more — as long as it’s travel-related, we want to address it! Find Trade Secrets wherever you get your podcasts, or at www.travelagewest.com/podcasts/trade-secrets.

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