Jamie Wake Travel sets up remote working division with no joining fees

Welsh agency Jamie Wake Travel has launched a remote working division with no joining fees in a bid to bring “a fresh approach” to the travel industry.

The new venture, called The Independent Travel Consultants, offers a “collaborative model” which will see consultants help shape operations, training and other elements based on their feedback.

The division will operate under Protected Trust Services and prioritise mentoring, training and sustainable growth over “headline recruitment numbers”.

Jamie Wake, managing director of the Torfaen-based agency, which he set up in February, said: “The collaborative approach for me is about seeing someone as a salesperson with a name, a niche, a motivation, and offering a personal service. That personal service should be offered to the people selling travel as well as the people buying it.”

He added: “[Other businesses] see recruitment of remote workers as the way to make money [with joining and associated fees], not for the workers themselves to make money.

“I’m very passionate that the people who work for us are making money for themselves, instead of the business. I want them to thrive, because at the end of day they are part of the Jamie Wake Travel family.”

Wake said the new venture will have no joining fees and no “overpriced start-up packages”.

It will host weekly ‘huddles’ to allow consultants to help each other with their enquiries.

The Independent Travel Consultants has six homeworkers, and aims to reach 10 by the end of the year and 20 by the end of 2026.

Wake has received enquiries from people based in the US and Hungary about joining. His first appointment was a new-to-travel homeworker, who switched from a career in teaching, based in Wales.

The initial cohort of homeworkers have specialities spanning cruise, Disney, Turkey and luxury travel, said Wake.

He added: “I want to build something with great foundations and the right people. If you get that connection right with everyone, you can celebrate their successes, but also ensure someone’s got your back when something is not quite right.”

Wake also operates Wide Awake Holidays, which specialises in travel for the LGBT+ community, and Awake in the Wild, which offers safari holidays.