Global Travel International (GTI) is a travel agency / business opportunity. Most people are attracted to this company because it allows anyone to become a travel agent without having to take classes. A few years back before discovering Global Travel International I actually took one of these travel agent classes and it was a very painful experience. It's probably why I stopped going after a while and never "graduated".
Global Travel International claim to fame is that you skip the painful experience of these classes and can become a travel agent by merely paying a fee. When I first joined it was a flat fee of about $200 and no trial period. At the time of this review their fee was now $29.95 per month which is about $1 a day. But when added up for 12 months you end paying more than what I initially paid a few years ago.
Although they're charging more now, there are definitely some advantages to consider.
The Good Stuff
Obviously the reason you want to become a travel agent is that you get commissions on the travel you book for others. Global Travel International claims commissions of up to 90% for their agents. So that's one great thing.
The other wonderful thing about this company which I touched upon earlier is that you don't have to dish out several hundred dollars up front like I did to start your own travel agent business. Nor do you need to rent out an office and pay for expensive training or equipment. The monthly payment plan makes this opportunity available to a greater number of people that don't have a large amount of cash on hand to start a traditional travel agent business. So that's a plus!
A recent improvement with the GlobalTravel.com program has been a 14 day risk free trial which will allows you to become a travel agent for those 14 days but can cancel and receive a refund of your first month's payment within the trial period if you're not satisified. So let's say you decide this opportunity isn't for you. You could still save yourself hundreds of dollars on your next vacation if you decide to book a trip while under the trial membership. How? Travel agents usually receive discounts of up to 50% on hotel rooms, car rentals and some cruises. So ideally you might as well book a trip and use your travel agent number to get a discount while under the trial period.
Another benefit when you become a GlobalTravel.com agent is that you get your own travel agent website, an official IATA membership card and some marketing material. You're also provided with a very indepth agent only section that has all your training information, additional marketing material, forms and the latest travel agent only deals and trips. So you really do get a lot with your membership.
But for me the best part of the Global Travel International Travel Agent Business Opportunity was the discounts I received on trips. If you travel a lot then the membership pays for itself many times over with the amount of money you save on hotels and car rentals. It's amazing how much these hotels and car rental places will cut off the prices for travel agents. Plus if you couple that with using a credit card that has a relationship with any of these companies you could end up saving up to 50%. Trust me when I say that has added up a lot!
The Bad Stuff
Okay you came to this page because you wanted to determine if Global Travel International is a fraud or legitimate. Well here it is.
If you're looking to explore this opportunity because of the prospect of making big money and being your own expedia.com then you may be a little dissappointed. I was never really impressed with my travel agent site which was designed for me to book travel arrangements for my clients or for my clients to book travel arrangements on their own. The site provided tended to be slow and didn't have the best search features that sites like travelocity.com or expedia.com had. But in the last few years they have finally improved that. However it still needs to be tweaked more. It was very frustrating to send my friends and family to my site and to hear well I had a hard time finding good deals. But again, that has improved. So that's one of my major complaints. The site you're provided isn't the most user friendly or intutive like the other travel sites out there. It's usable now but not the best out there.
In addition to their website not being the most userfriendly, they add insult to injury by tacking on an additional $5 "service fee" to the price of an airline ticket. So what would happen is that my clients would use the site and then compare prices with another bigger travel site and notice my site was charging an additional fee allbeit small. Needless to say this was always very difficult to explain and I lost some sales because of it. There was a short time they got rid of this fee. But at the time of this review it was back. If anything is a scam about Global Travel International, I guess you could view that $5 proccessing fee as one!
My final complaint about the company is the actual earning potential. This isn't really unique to Global Travel International, it's a problem that most travel agents face today. The fact of the matter is that most people book travel on their own now. There are so many great travel websites out there now that travel agents are becoming an endangered species. So although the potential to make great money is there with Global Travel Interational the likelihood of doing so will really depend on how good you are as a sales person. I find that people tend to use travel agents when they're planning a big trip with multiple people. If you focus on this niche than you could do very well with GlobalTravel.com. So just keep this in mind.
But for me I realized the biggest benefit of Global Travel International was the discounts I received as a travel agent. It's pretty much the only reason I renew every year. I travel almost 3-4 times a year and because I'm a travel agent I always get discounts at hotels and my car rentals. I've saved hundreds of dollars every year and probably several thousand dollars at this point since I've been a member for a few years now.
So do I think Global Travel International is a scam or fraud? No not at all. But just be realistic about how much money you can earn as a travel agent. Just think about your own habits. When was the last time you used a travel agent? If you're like most it was because of a big trip with many people or when you had no idea about a place you wanted to visit. If you can tap into the group travel niche or people who aren't web savvy, then you can make a killing with Global Travel International! Are they perfect? Not really. They still need a lot of work in terms of the website they provide us agents. But I don't really know any company that doesn't have room for improvement. So give Global Travel International a try if you're fine with the good and bad about the company. I've been a member for years and I've been very happy with my membership solely on the fact that I get huge discounts on my yearly travel expenses. But you may be more savvy than me and can make it work from an income point of view!
If one of you agents scam someone-you will all be considered crooks. Keep that in mind, and hold one another accountable. I was lied to, coerced, and am now experiencing extreme rudeness and lack of cooperation. They show all the signs of a scam.
I never recall signing up for this business, and yet they claim they sent me a packet of materials that I have to return in order to cancel annual automatic deductions from my debit card. What is really strange and makes me believe anyone connected to this company is a scam artist, is that they somehow got my new card number after I canceled the one on file. I furthermore have requested cancellation and a refund for UNAUTHORIZED CHARGES, and no one will return my calls or emails. The only calls I got were from the original agent, who said that I will be an agent and will pay-and can never cancel. THIS IS VERY MUCH OF A SCAM.
I guess a lot has changed since I wrote this review. You should call your credit card company and have them reverse the charges.
I have belonged to GTI now for about four years. I have booked separate things for clients (hotel, rental cars, airfare) as well as vacation packages and cruises. Even though it is not my primary job, I enjoy the benefits of discounts of travel for me and my family. I also have several clients who book with me annually. They understand that the prices we can find through GTI match and sometimes beat those found on Orbitz, Expedia, and Travelocity. But they know that they have an agent and customer service to fall back on if they encounter any problems. When they make a reservation through GTI, the reservation confirmation prints out with the customer service number on it. I always put my business card in with their package with my contact information on it as well. I have always found customer service to be extremely helpful in answering any questions that I have.
Hi all,
I have a time-share with a major hotel for my annual family vacation. As such, I am not so worried about the hotel cost but the rental and airline cost. Can membership with GTI help with the airline cost?
No it won’t. It does nothing for airfare.
no the dont offer any discounts on airline tickets.
@gale:
I am not involved in any travel work at the moment. I own a daycare and look after children 5 days a week.Thank you for responding.:)
@Kelly:
What agency are you with now?
Hi there I am a certified travel agent and currently run a daycare out of my home. I would still like to keep active in the work field I love and the city I live in only has one travel agency which is a bit sketchy. GTI sounds too good to be true. I have read several complaints and am unsure what to think. I would love to have any ones opinion on the matter. My ideal would be to book for friends and family and supplement my daycare job. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thank You.
@RAQUEL:
Hello guys,
First of all GLOBAL TRAVEL GROUP and GLOBAL TRAVEL INTERNATIONAL or GTI is totally a different thing…..i enjoy being in GTI because i make extra money so far i havent encounter any problem yet and my repeated customers are happy……as GTI we can be flight consolidators too tru skybird travel…..SO keep in mind GLObal travel group differrent from GTI…
Hi all;
I want to start a home based travel agency and have been doing some research on suitaqble host agencies. I came across Global Travel Group. I believe this is not the same GTI you peoploe are talking about? Anyhow, the Global Travel Group actually asks for 20 thousand pounds to affiliatte with them….. does this GTI asks for ONLY $200 per year fee? Is that all? At least in the UK I couldn’t find a host that doesn’t ask for a HUGE sum of money upfront to start you up and then there is more to pay MONTHLY …. I am really confused! I was impressed with the Global Travel Group package and I thougt I wuould google other agents view…now I don’t know what to do, which way to go…
Any advise?
@Susan:
Hi Susan
I am still with GTI and just sent 26 people on a cruise through them. I have used Orbitz, Expedia, BookIt, Priceline, etc., and I have never received a penny from them. They are consolidators like the rest and their people keep the commissions. I really enjoy getting some extra cash back from my trips through GTI.
I wouldn’t suggest the free cruise though because it goes through a different company and by the time you finish paying the processing fees, taxes and port charges, you might as well have booked that cheap cruise. There are a ton of cheap cruises out there, AND if you book as an agent of GTI, you get a commission from your own trip.
We can discuss this in more depth if you like at ptravelgurl@gmail.com
To All: GTI claims that with the signing of your membership you get a 3-4 days cruise with Carnival and/or Royal Caribbean.
Can someone tell me if this is true or just another hook to get you to sign. Has anyone actually claim and use this voucher or it is just another joke? Please advise.
Thanks,
i have never received one i have been with them 4 years and its not a FREE cruise
After reading all these mix messages. I don’t know if I made a mistake by signing up to GTI. However, I travel a lot and I thought it would be a good thing to save money doing my own reservations. I have been a customer of Orbitz for 8-10 years and I have not gotten a penney back from them. I also, checked the company with the BBB as Felicia suggested and you can go to the following link and file a formal complain:
https://centralflorida.app.bbb.org/newsearch2.asp?ComID=07330010000887#License
Let me know if you have additional information. Where do you find a reputable MLM Travel Agency Business? and also can anybody send me names of those MLM’s? Thanks,
I am really confused. For the last 2 weeks Ive been trying to figure out if I’m going to join GTI or not because there are so many scams going on with the travel industry. What I don’t understand is if GTI is a scam and people are having problems, why not reported them to the better business bureau? I am certainly confused becuase I went online to the Better Business Bureau site and GTI was graded as an A+. If this company is so horrible why is it that the Better business bureau graded them as an A. All I can say to you people that are having problems report them. At least you can get the word out there by warning others not to join.
@Dont want to get in trouble:
@Dont want to get in trouble:
Dear “Dont want to get in trouble,
You said you work for this company. If you wouldn’t mind, I really need your help. I’m not blaming anyone for this mistake, I’m sure I walked right into it. I received a call from someone asking if they could send me some information. I said no, and he said that all it was just information about services and I wouldn’t be charged anthing. So I said sure. Well when I got the “info” I imediately call the number and cancelled, because it said I had been signed up for this service. They said everything was cancelled and I would not recieve anything from them. Well a couple weeks later I noticed a charge on my checking account for 4.95 and a couple for 1.95. So I called the number and spoke to a very nice women who said she would cancel all three and that I would not be charged for the magazines that they sent me (I didn’t even know I had ordered them) well I recently checked my account, and they have now billed me two months in a row for things she said were cancelled. I’m not trying to get reimbursed, I’m just trying to stop this process. I need your help. I’m a teacher, and money is something I don’t have right now. If you could please let me know what to do, I would really appreciate it. Thank you for your time.
@Randall:
It won’t help
think about it do they really care if you travel if they charge you 100-200 dollars per year times 40,000 agents. I have had Hotels laugh at me with the hokey ID card. Remember there are 40,000 of them floating around now they get no respect. You used to get things but not anymore. It’s too late. Too many. Now to increase their revenue they are charging booking fees on travel you book direct. They’ll send you a bill for $19.95 and deduct it from your commission. What if the commission is only 20 bucks Save you money STAY AWAY FROM THESE PEOPLE!!!!!!!
@adianice:
There is no value in global Travel I have booked Travel for years with them. It was better when they were new now Since there are 40,000 agents now AAA, expedia, ect is a better rate almost all of the time. You would have to do $2000 worth of travel to break even then they started charging booking fees and when I tried to send my clients flowers from the commission they cancelled it and told be to pay for it out of my half that I don’t get for months. I have waited over a year for some with some stupid excuse and some you never get.