Many travel agents are not aware of one of the key features of going home-based. What is it? Tax breaks!

As an employee you have relatively few opportunities to reduce the taxes deducted on every paycheque.

Not so when you are home-based because you are running your own business, and there are many tax breaks associated with operating your own home business –from expensing a portion of your household costs (condo fees, mortgage payments, utilities, etc.) to writing off all business expenses. Speak to an accountant to take full advantage.

And the benefits of going home-based don’t stop there. How often do we hear the phrase ‘work/life balance’? Well, that is actually achievable when you run your own business from home.

You decide how many hours you work, and what those hours are. Also, you can work from anywhere – just take your smart phone with you. Stagger your hours … work when you want to!

With today’s technology you can literally be anywhere on the planet and look after your clients. You can manage your life as you choose.

Another benefit is being able to sell the product you want, meaning that if you want to specialize in a certain destination like the Caribbean or Europe or Asia, or a certain type of product like cruise or coach tours, then you can do that. You are your own boss.

You can choose what you want to promote on your own website and other marketing tools. You will have way more control over what you want to promote.

Using a good Customer Relationship Management tool (CRM), you can reach out to your clients regularly, and remember birthdays, anniversaries and important milestones.

Setting yourself up to work from home is easier than you think. Make sure your host agency has the systems, training and programs you will need to be fully supported in running your own business.

Best of all, you can watch the traffic jams every morning and evening on your home TV and smile!