How The Travel Franchise Helped Hannah Launch a Thriving Travel Business

Not only has Hannah built a successful travel business from scratch, she’s also donated part of her earnings to nine different charities – all while earning back her entire franchise fee.

A Business That Paid for Itself

Within just 11 months, Hannah hit the company’s commission target and beat its Money Back Challenge – a scheme that rewards successful new franchisees by refunding their initial investment. For Hannah, that meant getting her £14,995 Elite franchise fee returned in full.

What’s more, she achieved this by building her business through the company’s unique Partner in Travel scheme, an initiative that allows franchisees to support good causes with every booking. Hannah pledged a percentage of her commission to charity from day one, and nine organisations have already benefited, including : Brain Tumour Research, Breakthrough T1D, Bedford Blues Foundation, Alder Hey Children’s Charity, Willen Hospice, Papyrus Prevention of Young Suicide, NSPCC, Al’s Pals and FACES.

A Business with Purpose

Hannah’s passion for travel started years ago when she trained with Lunn Poly, but it was her father’s illness in 2019 that gave her a new sense of purpose. After years of family fundraising, she and her husband Jonathan started looking for a way to combine business with giving back.

They came across The Travel Franchise, which stood out for its strong support system and the Partner in Travel scheme. This initiative enables franchisees to work alongside a charity, local business or sports club – building community links while growing a travel business.

For Hannah, it wasn’t enough to simply donate.

“We didn’t want to simply donate to charities, but to work with them too. That’s really important. I work very closely with every single charity partner.”

She allows her customers to choose which charity their booking supports, and she personally visits every organisation she partners with. Her goal is to continue growing her agency, work with more charities, and eventually open high-street travel shops focused on raising funds and awareness.

Outstanding Support from Day One

One of the key reasons Hannah chose The Travel Franchise was the level of guidance and mentorship provided. Every franchisee is given a personal Business Development Manager to help them get up and running – and to keep them on track.

She also took part in the company’s overseas mentorship retreats, included as part of the Elite franchise package. These events gave her the chance to meet co-founder Steve Witt and receive tailored, one-to-one advice that helped shape her business strategy.

It’s this hands-on support – paired with the flexibility to build a business with purpose – that’s made the difference.

What’s Next?

With her franchise fee refunded and her travel agency thriving, Hannah now plans to treat her family to a well-deserved safari. But for her, the bigger reward is knowing the kind of legacy she’s building.

I’m never going to be the richest person in the graveyard, but I am going to be the one that has the memory that I helped as many people as I can – dad would be proud.