The No BS Travel Advisor™️

Marcie Muensterman

PODCAST11 saves you 11% on ALL signature courses

www.thetraveladvisormarcie.com/courses

Join Maximize Your TA Business FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/maximizeyourtravelagentbusiness

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Stop Saying “Use a Travel Agent”: The Language That’s Killing Your Value

In this episode of the No BS Travel Advisor Podcast, Marcie Muensterman breaks down how phrases like “use a travel agent,” “I’m free,” and “agents should be free” quietly undermine the entire travel advisor industry. Using a powerful softball-life lesson about identity and mistakes, Marcie connects brain chemistry, confidence, and marketing language, then calls out the “free to use” messaging that attracts tire-kickers, ghosters, and bargain behavior. This is not a fee episode, it’s a positioning episode. Marcie shares her own history as a destination wedding specialist who did most weddings without charging, explains how “free” language contributed to burnout, and gives a simple script shift: hire me / partner with me / work with me.

What You’ll Learn:

Why “use a travel agent” makes you sound interchangeable and disposable

How “I’m free” attracts people who value free (and treat you accordingly)

The hidden harm of advisors shaming other advisors for charging fees

The mindset + marketing shift from “usable” to hireable

A simple language audit you can do today to elevate your brand instantly

Key Talking Points:

You are not defined by mistakes (softball lesson → business confidence)

Language changes how you perceive yourself and how prospects perceive you

“Free” doesn’t communicate value; it communicates scarcity and desperation

“Use” is commodity language. Professionals get hired, not used

“Free to use” = magnet for tire kickers, ghosters, and endless quoting

You don’t get paid until clients book + travel (so “free” is factually misleading in practice)

You can position professionally even if you don’t charge a fee

Industry reality: fee-charging is common and normalized publicly in the industry press and org messaging (but this episode isn’t about forcing fees)

Stats / Sources Mentioned:

Host Agency Reviews: At least 50% of advisors who are hosted charge fees.

Host Agency Reviews: 75% of independent advisors reported charging fees (2020 independent fee report): https://hostagencyreviews.com/

ASTA acknowledges that upwards of 72% of advisors charge professional fees: https://www.asta.org/Common/Uploaded%20files/ASTA/2025-astapresskit.pdf / ​​https://www.travelagewest.com/Industry-Insight/Business-Features/asta-travel-agent-fees

Travel Weekly summary of a WTAAA report: 55% of agencies charge fees and Travel Weekly’s 2024 survey found 44% overall charge fees: https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Survey-shows-that-travel-advisors-have-lots-of-new-clients



“If you keep saying ‘use me’ and ‘I’m free,’ don’t be surprised when you become disposable.”

“Language is training your prospects how to treat you.”

“When you say ‘use me,’ you attract people who will use you.”

“You are not a Kleenex. No one is using you.”

Your Homework:

Do a “language audit” across your IG bio, website, pinned posts, DMs, and reels

Replace use / free with hire / partner / work with

Share this episode with a newer advisor who’s still using “free to use” messaging

DM Marcie and tell her what shift you made and what changed immediately

Chapters:

00:00 – Softball weekend + the mindset lesson (you are not your mistakes)
04:45 – Why language changes brain chemistry and confidence
07:10 – The phrases that are undermining advisors: “use” + “free”
10:25 – Why this is NOT a fee episode (it’s positioning)
13:05 – Marcie’s destination wedding era + burnout from “free” positioning
18:30 – “It’s giving desperate” — what prospects feel through your marketing
22:10 – Patty’s story: “use ChatGPT instead of an agent” + advisors defending “free”
26:40 – The Dollar Tree prostitute quote (and why it stings because it’s true)
31:10 – What “free” attracts: tire kickers, ghosters, endless quoting
35:35 – The “we don’t get paid until they travel” reality
39:10 – The language shift: hire me / partner with me / work with me
43:20 – How to coach others without being rude (and why we need industry accountability)
47:30 – Quick fee reality + why shaming either side hurts all of us
51:30 – The language audit challenge + closing hype



SEO Keywords

stop saying use a travel agent

travel advisor language

travel agent positioning

travel advisor marketing

travel advisor perceived value

hire a travel advisor

Secondary keywords:

“travel agents are free” myth

“free travel agent” marketing

travel advisor boundaries

tire kickers and ghosting travel clients

travel advisor professionalism

travel agent consultation value

Long-tail keywords (great for YouTube + blog):

why saying “I’m free” attracts bad travel clients

how to position yourself as a travel advisor without charging fees

why “use a travel agent” undermines the travel industry

how travel advisors get paid commission timeline

how to stop being price shopped as a travel advisor

Marcie Muensterman

PODCAST11 saves you 11% on ALL signature courses

www.thetraveladvisormarcie.com/courses

Join Maximize Your TA Business FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/maximizeyourtravelagentbusiness

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This episode is part anniversary reflection, part business intervention.

On her 19th wedding anniversary, Marcie Muensterman draws a bold parallel between marriage and building a travel business. Because here’s the truth: you cannot build long-term success with casual ass energy.

If you want commitment-level results, you need commitment-level standards.

In this episode, Marcie talks about:

The difference between dating your business and being married to it

Why burnout is often a boundary problem

How toxic host relationships mirror unhealthy partnerships

The danger of 16-hour workdays

Why six-figure travel advisors don’t operate like employees

The symbolism of the Year of the Horse (momentum, stamina, independence)

How to reset your business without burning it down

The real reason you’re stuck (and how to fix it)

This is not fluffy motivation. This is accountability wrapped in love.

If you’ve been:

Working nonstop and feeling resentful

Afraid to leave a bad host

Scared to charge fees

Hoping someone else fixes your business

This episode is your wake-up call.

💌 Homework Assignment:
Write a love letter to your future CEO self. Seal it. Open it one year from now.

Because long-game energy builds long-term wealth.

⏱ Chapters

00:00 The Mic Meltdown & Why Little Things Derail Big Days
04:30 19 Years of Marriage & What It Taught Me About Business
09:15 Dating Your Business vs. Being Married to It
14:40 Burnout Is a Boundary Problem
20:25 The 16-Hour Workday Intervention
27:10 Toxic Hosts & Red Flags You’re Ignoring
33:50 Year of the Horse: Momentum, Stamina & Independence
40:20 Why You Can’t Build Six Figures with Casual Effort
47:15 Leaving My 70/30 Split & Rebuilding in 2018
54:30 The Love Letter Assignment to Your Future CEO Self
59:00 Final Thoughts: Commit or Quit (But Stop Hovering)

🔎 SEO Keywords

Primary Keywords:

travel advisor business tips

how to grow a travel agency

travel agent burnout

six figure travel advisor

travel advisor boundaries

leaving a host agency

charging travel planning fees

1099 travel advisor

building a luxury travel business

travel agent business coaching

Secondary Keywords:

year of the horse business meaning

entrepreneur marriage analogy

long-term business commitment

host agency red flags

travel agent commission split

how to avoid burnout as a travel advisor

CEO mindset for travel advisors

Marcie Muensterman

PODCAST11 saves you 11% on ALL signature courses

www.thetraveladvisormarcie.com/courses

Join Maximize Your TA Business FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/maximizeyourtravelagentbusiness

Most travel advisors got into this industry because they love travel, planning, and helping people, not because they dreamed of funnels, CRMs, consults, and closing calls.

And then reality really hits: this is a sales and marketing business and NOT for what you think you are selling… and most host training barely touches that part.

In this episode, Marcie breaks down the truth: you’re not selling the resort, the itinerary, or the “deal.” You’re selling you! You have to clearly demonstrate your energy, personality, process, boundaries, expertise, and the experience only you can provide. She shares her iconic “Red Wagon of Tomatoes” story (and how her first VIP client taught her demand, positioning, and value at age seven), plus why oversharing your personality (not your supplier secrets) is the fastest way to build trust and stop getting ghosted.

You’ll also hear how Marcie thinks about “like/know/trust,” why “quote me in the DMs” is killing your conversions, and how to build a sales process that actually works with your brain, especially if you need help fully understanding your own processes.

Deal alert: use PODCAST11 to save 11%. And from Feb 1–28, all courses are automatically 14% off at www.thetraveladvisormarcie.com/courses.

Episode chapters (with timestamps)

00:00 Welcome + Florida is freezing (rude)
02:10 The truth: you’re in sales… but not selling what you think
05:15 “You’re selling YOU” and why most TA training skips this
08:10 Why advisors join: excitement, helping, travel obsession — not marketing
12:45 Host websites + the fantasy of “beach laptop life” (please stop)
16:10 Why you’re overwhelmed: no one explained the whole job
18:40 Like/Know/Trust isn’t outdated — and it’s your real job
20:30 Furniture store story: why personality sells more than product
27:00 Oversharing, politics, and filtering for aligned clients
31:50 Deal-chasers and why your marketing attracts what you tolerate
35:20 Wagon of tomatoes story: your first VIP client + value lesson
43:45 The real sale: experience, connection, reliability, trust
47:10 Stop proving your expertise and start being a real human
50:30 Why “kick them out if they didn’t book with you” is broke energy
54:00 Why consistency builds trust (and post-and-ghost kills it)
56:40 Closing: show up as YOU, ask for review, final truth bomb

SEO keywords

travel advisor sales

travel agent sales training

travel advisor marketing

how to get travel clients

how to sell travel services

sell yourself as a travel advisor

travel advisor consultation process

stop sending quotes in DMs

travel advisor lead generation

travel advisor personal brand

like know trust travel industry

how to attract aligned clients

travel advisor boundaries

travel advisor content strategy

Facebook group marketing for travel agents

social selling for travel advisors

ADHD systems for travel advisors

travel advisor workflow

sales process for travel agents

how to stop being ghosted by travel clients

SEO Phrases:

“why travel advisors don’t make money”

“travel agent marketing is hard”

“how to stop tire kickers as a travel advisor”

“how to charge fees as a travel advisor”

“what travel advisors are really selling”
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You are in sales — pretending you aren’t doesn’t change that

You’re not selling travel: you’re selling your process + your energy + your expertise

Most advisors join the industry because they love travel… and then get blindsided by marketing

Hosts teach backend + suppliers teach products but most don’t teach how to close travel deals.

Like/Know/Trust still runs the entire damn game

Why quoting in DMs attracts deal shoppers and ghosters

Why personality creates faster trust than “look at this resort” posts

The wagon of tomatoes story: demand, VIP clients, and pricing confidence

Alignment matters: deal-chasers refer deal-chasers

Consistency builds reliability → reliability builds trust → trust builds sales

Marcie Muensterman

PODCAST11 saves you 11% on ALL signature courses

www.thetraveladvisormarcie.com/courses

Join Maximize Your TA Business FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/maximizeyourtravelagentbusiness

On this episode of the No BS Travel Advisor Podcast, Marcie Muensterman delivers big-sister tough love to travel advisors who say they want growth, freedom, and scale but refuse to slow down long enough to actually take the time to make it happen.

Marcie shares what she sees constantly in her DMs: advisors who want to hire, onboard more revenue, travel laptop-free, spend more time with family, or start a second business — yet have no plan, no systems, and no follow-through.

Courses sit unopened. Coaching goes unimplemented. Conferences inspire… nothing.

This episode is a candid conversation about taking personal responsibility, why trying to build a business in the “nooks and crannies” never works, and how refusing to pause is the fastest way to stay stuck.

Marcie also shares a real-time example from her own business, where she has intentionally closed her travel calendar and said no to short-term money in order to focus on long-term sustainability, support, and growth.

If you feel busy, overwhelmed, behind, or frustrated that “nothing ever changes,” this episode will help you understand why and what needs to change first.

This episode is for you if:

You feel like your business controls you, rather than the other way around.

You’ve invested in courses or coaching but haven’t implemented.

You want more time, flexibility, or freedom, but don’t know how to create it.

You’re stuck reacting instead of leading.

You know something has to change, but you haven’t chosen what yet.

Key Takeaways:

Why you can’t build a scalable business in leftover time

How constant urgency destroys long-term growth

Why boundaries are a leadership skill, not a personality flaw

The importance of choosing ONE priority at a time

How slowing down now creates freedom later

This is coaching through care, but it’s also a wake-up call.

Feeling overwhelmed, busy, and stuck in your travel business? In this Thoughtful Thursday episode, Marcie Muensterman breaks down why travel advisors who want growth, freedom, and scale often stay trapped in reaction mode — and what it really takes to change that. This episode covers boundaries, systems, responsibility, and why you can’t build a business in the “nooks and crannies” of your life.

🧠 SEO KEYWORDS / PHRASES

travel advisor burnout

travel advisor business growth

travel advisor coaching

scaling a travel business

travel advisor boundaries

overwhelmed travel agent

systems for travel advisors

travel advisor workflows

hiring a VA travel business

running a travel agency

travel advisor mindset

business planning for travel advisors

⏱️ CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS (GREAT FOR SEO + CLIPS)

00:00 – Why This Episode Matters
04:30 – The Pattern Showing Up in Advisor DMs
10:15 – Wanting Growth Without a Plan
17:40 – The Lie of “Nooks and Crannies”
25:10 – Radical Responsibility in Business
32:20 – Why This Isn’t a Host or Client Problem
38:00 – Choosing Patience Over Immediate Money
45:10 – One Priority at a Time Framework
53:30 – Why Nothing Changes If You Don’t

Marcie Muensterman

Facebook Groups Course: https://thetraveladvisormarcie.com/fb-group-course

Podcast11 saves 11%

Maximize Your Travel Advisor Business: https://www.facebook.com/groups/maximizeyourtravelagentbusiness

In this deeply personal episode of the No BS Travel Advisor Podcast, Marcie Muensterman pulls back the curtain on something most travel advisors quietly struggle with: loneliness in the independent travel industry.

As she celebrates three years of building the Maximize Your Travel Advisor Business Facebook community and her coaching business, Marcie shares the unfiltered story of how imposter syndrome almost stopped her from creating the space that thousands of advisors now call home. She talks openly about building community from scratch, putting people over profit, and why your host agency was never meant to meet your emotional, relational, or growth needs.

This episode is not anti-host but it is pro-connection. And, sometimes, you have to create community outside of where you are contracted.

Marcie explores why isolation is so common in the travel industry, how the shift to independent contracting changed everything, and why real growth doesn’t come from courses, training and product knowledge. It does come from relationships, peer support, and honest conversations. She explains how to find (or become) a travel advisor bestie, how to create your own mastermind or accountability group, and why leadership starts with being brave enough to reach out first.

Packed with real-life stories, from leaving agencies, losing “friendships,” building new ones, moving across the country, and finding connections again, this episode is a powerful reminder that you don’t have to do this alone.

If you’ve ever felt like a satellite floating through this business by yourself, this episode is your permission slip to build the room you wish existed.

🔑 SEO KEYWORDS

travel advisor community
travel advisor loneliness
independent travel advisor support
travel advisor networking
travel advisor mastermind
travel advisor bestie
building a travel advisor community
Facebook groups for travel advisors
travel industry isolation
Marcie Muensterman
No BS Travel Advisor Podcast
travel advisor accountability group
collaboration in the travel industry

🎧 UPDATED PODCAST CHAPTERS / TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Welcome + Three Years of Building Community
03:12 – Why Maximize Exists and the Standards Behind It
06:45 – Imposter Syndrome and Starting Before Feeling Ready
11:40 – Why So Many Travel Advisors Feel Lonely
16:55 – The Shift to Independent Contracting and Isolation
21:30 – Your Host Is Not Your Community (And That’s Not a Diss)
27:10 – Finding or Creating a Travel Advisor Bestie
32:20 – Peer, Stretch, and Connector Relationships Explained
38:05 – Creating Your Own Mastermind or Accountability Group
44:10 – Moving, Starting Over, and Building Community from Scratch
52:30 – Losing Relationships When You Leave an Agency
58:40 – Why Collaboration Beats Competition
1:05:15 – Real-Life Examples of Community in Action
1:11:45 – Vulnerability, Confidence, and Being Seen
1:17:20 – Final Permission Slip: Build the Room Yourself

Let’s Talk About Community (The Real Kind)