There’s no denying the “out of office” travel agency model is booming right now.

So why are more and more Aussie travel agents choosing to make the change from shop front to mobile or home-based businesses?

To find out, we had a chat with Karen Merricks, founder and co-manager of Mobile Travel Agents, one of Australia’s pioneering “out of office” agent businesses to bring you this exclusive Q&A.

Travel Weekly: What’s exciting about the mobile travel agent scene right now?

Karen Merricks: Everything! We are so excited about our model, it is a great way to work and do business. It is the fastest growing, full-service sector in Australia for the Travel Industry.

More and more travel industry professionals are making the change to this way of working.

When new people join one of their main comments is that they should have done it years ago. In the early days, suppliers didn’t know the best way to work with us and were a bit sceptical. They soon realized that we were delivering sales and exceeding all expectations.

TW: What sets MTA apart from other non-office based agents?

KM: Firstly we are the pioneers in the model, two years in the planning and 18 years since our launch.  We are the experts in this model and have lived and breathed it now for over 20 years.

Another thing that sets us apart is that we are the all-inclusive model. We offer a true commission split and don’t have hidden fees and services and through our negotiations with suppliers, we maximise their upfront commissions. We really do support our Members, the list of all-inclusive benefits is mind-boggling.

What other company can you go away on a holiday, famil or sick leave and still earn your full commission on bookings that the assistance team looks after for you?

TW: Do you think there is anything behind claims that travel agents are on the decline due to the rise of the online market?

KM: It’s not what we are finding at all. More than ever people are looking for a trusted travel advisor that can help them with their travel experience.

It’s like Mathew Upchurch (CEO of Virtuoso) says: “having your own personal Travel Advisor has become cool”, we are the biggest new thing that never went away.

Our business, like other quality agencies, depends upon referrals and always providing that personal touch, something OTA’s cannot deliver.

TW: What training do you offer your agents?

KM: Our Members are hand-picked and already experts in their field, however, we have invested heavily in their continued learning.

We actively encourage our Members to go on famils and while they do we have a dedicated team of people (Assistance Team) who will look after their bookings while they are away and the Members still receive their full commission.

At the end of August, MTA will be releasing Level 1 of our three-tiered ‘Professional Plus’ program which is geared, in association with ATAS, to demonstrating a professionalism within the industry.

This substantial learning program will be available to all MTA Members on a voluntary basis and once they have completed both the theoretical and practical sessions they will need, is subsequent years, to complete maintenance modules to retain their Professional Plus rating.

TW: What’s on your travel trend radar?

KM: We are seeing demand for a lot of bespoke, one-off experiences, multi-generational travel is still going strong, experiential travel is a really hot topic and people are travelling further and spending more.