The Sub Plot: How Sub-Agents Are Reshaping the Travel Industry

"There's a lot of chatter about why you shouldn't be an IC, so we thought what if we did something different?"

In her fifth year in business, independent contractor Meredith Tudor is hoping to double sales at her agency, Simple Traveler Vacations, to $2 million. But she knows she can't do it alone. So she is signing on sub-agents whom she will train and mentor — and to whom she will provide back office and social media services, and refer clients — in return for a share of their commissions.

In so doing, Tudor is joining a growing number of ICs who host ICs of their own. Unlike more usual host agencies, these promise an environment that is small, personal, hands-on and entrepreneurial. And with four sub-agents already onboard, Tudor says her own business has taken off.

"There's a lot of chatter about why you shouldn't be an IC, so we thought what if we did something different? What if we created a space where ICs can grow and specialize while we do the heavy lifting?" she told TMR.

Former travel journalist McLean Robbins, meanwhile, got so many requests for help from her high-net-worth readers that 10 years ago she started "what I thought would be a side hustle" to book their trips. By 2025, Lily Pond Luxury Travel was selling $11 million, with the help of nine sub-ICs she hand-picked from among her hotel industry contacts.