TravelLocal launches partnership program for US-based travel agents

Here at TravelLocal, we have been quietly changing the way people experience the world — connecting travelers with handpicked, locally-owned travel experts across almost 100 destinations, and earning more than 4,000 five-star reviews on Trustpilot along the way. Now, we’re excited for the next step in our journey: we’re opening up our platform and network to travel agents, in a new partnership program designed to help agents sell the kinds of trips that genuinely change people’s lives.

“We built TravelLocal because we were travel agents ourselves,” says our Co-Founder and CEO Tom Stapleton, who brings more than 20 years of industry experience to the business. “We know what it feels like to be entrusted with a client’s dreams, spending days and nights hoping our suppliers could deliver the magic we’d promised. We built the network of boutique DMC partners that we always wished we had. Now, we want to put that same network, expertise, and peace of mind to work for travel agents and their clients.”

A platform built on trust and strong values

Since launching in 2013, we have helped more than 75,000 travelers embark on the trip of a lifetime. Our model is simple but powerful: we connect travelers directly with the best, carefully vetted, locally-based partners in the destination. These are small, family-owned businesses with deep community ties, lived expertise, and an insider’s knowledge of the places they call home.

For travel agents, that means something genuinely valuable: access to a network that took years to build, and the ability to offer travelers bespoke, multi-day itineraries that no off-the-shelf package can replicate.

As a business, we’re committed to upholding strong values within the industry, aligned with our mission of reimagining travel as a force for good. We’re proud to be a certified B Corporation and Travellife partner, committed to sustainable, ethical travel. We champion local enterprises and guarantee safe, equitable working conditions for our on-the-ground teams.

We’re also an ASTA member with an outstanding Trustpilot reputation built on real, verified traveler feedback — a track record that gives agents something powerful to point to when selling to discerning clients.

What’s in it for travel agents?

This partnership is designed to make life easier for agents, not harder. We match agents with the ideal DMC partner in the destination. From there, agents and DMCs plan the trip together — we only take care of handling the logistical heavy lifting throughout.

Our local experts design fully customizable itineraries in almost 100 destinations worldwide. They focus entirely on in-destination content — accommodation, privately guided activities, and transfers — giving agents the flexibility to manage international flights exactly as they prefer. These itineraries are priced in a way which reflects the quality of service offered by our local experts, and the hard work they do to fine-tune trips, perfectly matching them to travelers’ needs.

What’s more, our local experts are deeply embedded in their communities, and have formed lasting relationships with local service providers. They unlock exclusive access to local attractions: private museum visits, after-hours activities, and more experiences that simply aren’t in the guidebooks. Through them, we offer travelers a deeper, more meaningful and truly immersive experience.

The trips that travelers remember forever

The proof, as ever, is in the experiences themselves and what our travelers have said about the trips they’ve taken with us. Over the years, travelers have likened our local experts to friends, and have described their tailor-made trips as surpassing anything they could have arranged independently; swapping the headache of planning big trips for the comfort and ease of working with a trusted expert. Many of these travelers have returned time and again to explore new destinations with us. That depth of experience translates directly to agent reputation.

Make it happen

Becoming a TravelLocal agent is straightforward: email agents@travellocal.com with your name, contact information, and a link to your website where applicable. Our team will be in touch to get the conversation started.

For more details, read our guide for travel agents and have a look through our dedicated FAQ articles for travel agents and for travelers.