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Traverus Review
Company Name: Traverus
Industry: Travel
Note: This was previously a review of Paycation, which has now become Traverus. I'll update the details at a later date. Thanks for understanding!
What Is It
Sell vacation packages as a ‘travel agent’ and recruit members into Paycation as travel agents.
Quick Review
Honestly, I think the product isn’t that bad, and could be a pretty good business idea if it weren’t for all the MLM junk tied up in the program. Personally, I would rather build a website about traveling and make money through affiliate marketing so I didn't have to rely on a downline, or send money to my upline.
Product Breakdown
The very basic product you’ll be selling is a monthly subscription to a ‘vacation club’, which is supposed to get you discounts on travel packages. I did some investigation into whether or not you actually did save money, and here’s what I discovered
Sorry the graphic is so hard to read. The trip to NYC including the hotel and a broadway show is $412 total. The price of the same hotel room offered in this package alone is at least $314 and the Broadway show price ranges from $53 to $225 depending on the show. Though they don’t tell you what the show is, if they get you anything but the very cheapest of the cheap shows, you’ll probably save some money here.
There’s nothing else included in this package, so just based on the hotel alone, you’ll save money here too – about $40 per person.
This was very surprising to me, and it’s why I mentioned in the short review of Paycation that I think that product isn’t that bad. However, I have a few concerns.
1. As a traveler, I know that vacation packages are almost never what they are advertised, and there’s always hidden costs. The prices you see listed are not the final price of your vacation. I have been on package trips before, and almost always been disappointed in what I received for my money. They lure you in with a good price, then get you with other things like food costs, extra services, and whatnot.
2. The amount of money you save is probably not worth it. Your membership fees are $30/month, so even if you vacation every year, you need to save $120 just to break even. How much vacation time do you have and can coordinate with your spouse?
I just think most people won’t be using a vacation membership since most people don’t go on regular vacations. If you do have that kind of money and freedom, you probably don’t need to save $50-$100/year
3. Limitations are obvious. To save a couple bucks, you are limited to dates and destinations they choose for packages.
For regular booking of whatever trips your friends and family go on, this might not be a bad business. If that’s the case though, why not become a certified travel agent? And are you going to be able to compete with all these places like Orbitz or Kayak?
My Grandparents recently went to the East Coast for a wedding and used a travel agent. Honestly, I didn’t think travel agents still existed, but they do. I’ve never been inside one and have always booked my vacations online based on my own research and travel plans.
Opportunity Breakdown
Let’s the fundamentals of how the system works.
As a basic member, you just sell the subscriptions to the travel club and earn $10/sale. In order to make higher commissions, you need to refer at least 3 of these people. After that, you can make $20/sale and $50/sale if you sell higher levels of membership (while maintaining your status as a basic affiliate.
These are called “coded bonuses”
If you want higher commissions, you’ll need to become a Referral Travel Consultant or Certified Travel Consultant.
Your Commissions
- Paycation Travel Club (IA) – $10.00
- Referral Travel Consultant (RTC) – $25.00
- Certified Travel Consultant (CTC) – $50.00
Once your recruited agents start recruiting, you then get enrolled to earn “matching coded bonuses” based on what they sell (150%). I don’t really understand how you receive 150% of what they receive, i.e. where the money comes from.
This happens again at 100% for your 3rd IA referral.
After those bonuses are paid, you start to receive 8% commissions on monthly subscriptions of RTC and CTC. This is the point where the compensation plan starts to turn into a bunch of gobbledygook like most network marketing programs.
A lot of what’s after this point requires you to be an upgraded member, so realize that even if you are making money, you are still paying $59.95/month to maintain your membership, plus $40 annual fee (paid up front). So if you upgrade to the highest level, you are starting off at least a couple hundred bucks in the hole. They do not make it clear if you upgrade immediately to CTC if you are still require to pay the IA and RTC fees. I'm guessing that you are.
The Gobbledygook
MLM compensation plans are notoriously complicated, and I learned doing this review of Paycation, that this company is no different. Fans of direct selling and network marketing love these special tricks to make money. Critics say that it’s meant to confuse the average member, making the system sound a lot more attractive than it actually is.
For example, we’ve talked A LOT about how much money you’ll make at each level, but we haven’t even discussed what it’s going to take to get just ONE person to sign up.
So, does Paycation have systems in place to teach you how to sell? Do you plan on cold calling family members? Can you build a website or make YouTube videos and market online? Know the risks and challenges of any ‘biz op’ you get yourself into.
Beyond the basic comp plan, they start to get into a 3×7 matrix and how to achieve various levels of qualification for additional bonuses.
All of the focus is on recruiting other members into the system and getting them to upgrade to PTC and CTC packages. Those packages are meant for recruiters, so basically you are getting more sellers into the system. Now, instead of being a travel agent, you are a recruiting agent for Paycation.
If they would cut out all the fat and just have THIS, I might even recommend Paycation.
…odd, there wasn't much mention of the CTC Travel Training Course til now. I wonder why they downplayed the certification. It sounds like a perk to me!
Other Comments
Everything sounds great on paper, and while investigating an exciting new thing, it’s easy to imagine the way things will be. But sit down and have a serious conversation with yourself – how often do YOU go on vacation?
If you really dream of helping people book vacations, become a travel agent, but it’s not as glamorous or full of riches as it may seem.
If you really are interested in travel, you should create a business related to traveling! The best way I know how to do this is to make a small website and earn money from ads on the website. You can learn how to build a website about traveling and make money from it here.
Even if you want to be a travel agent, having a website about traveling can get your business listed in Google, and help you get more clients to your business.
If you are serious about starting a business, you need to get a real business plan. Part of that plan has to be how to reach a wide audience to advertise your products, or even help other companies advertise. Learn how to start an online business about traveling or anything else at this online business training center. It's where I started over 5 years ago, and now I run my own business from my home.
Whatever type of product you decide to promote, it's VITAL that you generate leads to grow your business.
But let's face it, "parties" are boring, and no one likes the annoying Facebook friend who's always promoting a biz-op.
That's why I use this lead generation system. Learn how to generate leads outside of your circle of friends and family and discover what it means to truly own your own business, rather than just be a cheerleader for one network marketing company.
Nathaniell
What's up ladies and dudes! Great to finally meet you, and I hope you enjoyed this post. My name is Nathaniell and I'm the owner of One More Cup of Coffee. I started my first online business in 2010 promoting computer software and now I help newbies start their own businesses. Sign up for my #1 recommended training course and learn how to start your business for FREE!
I’m trying to decide which travel network marketing company to join, any experiences from people that actually tried this themselves? For 6 months at least? Thanks
Despite your review ( and yes it was good), but I am still going to join paycation. I’m in the transportation industry, so traveling is second nature to me. I’m a professional driver. It just makes sense for me to join right now. Some may say it’s a pyramid scheme and I say, so is corporate america.
You can do as you please, but “corporate America is a pyramid scheme” is a false fact spread by MLM people. Tim cook doesn’t sell iPhones, nor does he recruit Apple employees. McDonalds cashiers sell Hamburgers, they don’t recruit more McDonalds cashiers. The problem with MLM is that you make most of your money recruiting more reps.
However, if you plan on selling stuff instead of recruiting, be sure to report back your results!
Well even though they don’t do airfare look at the bright side at the end of the year it can be wrote off in taxes
Are you sure about that? Have you talked to a CPA about this or are you just guessing?
Thanks for the review! I found your review looking for an answer why my cousin’s husband is hellbent on making me become an agent as opposed to just effing offer me a good deal on a trip, wherever that may be. I see his passionate posts on Facebook selling his “business” but as a recruiter! If he ends up recruiting all his friends, who’s going to end up booking trips from him? I don’t really what to tell him since he’s more concerned about recruiting than booking me. Isn’t that what travel agents do, get you the best deal on flights and what not?
And you’re right, my cousin in law is more concerned about making money. He’s never traveled anywhere before. He couldn’t even book a Disneyland trip for his family like he said he would.
I appreciate your review but Paycation is actually a really good opportunity considering the fact you need to help people build their team so that everyone wins in the long run. Instead of being greedy and signing people up. There are many beneits to this company and many ways to get paid. Good review though!
Not everyone wins in the long-run. What about people that don’t build a team, or can’t?
Thanks for the advice buddy
Nathaniel,you son of a B….Why didn’t you write your review last week or even last year? I just signed up with Paycation and did the CTA training last night. Maybe if I saw your review before I would have hesitated a bit. Anyway, being an all time honest reviewer you did not outright killed the program. You wisely outlined the pitfalls and caution others not to just jump into it or any other program for that matter, if you are not committed to what you plan to do or understand what you are doing.
I am a travel enthusiast and love it with a passion. I enjoy traveling and talking and writing about it. I believe I can make the commitment to make the program work for me. How I look at it the cost to stay in the program for one year at my level is a little under $1000. If i can’t make that in commission for a year then i don’t belong in any marketing program at all. As for the MLM side of things I will treat it as the residual side of the business. I will let you know how things work out in a couple hours, days, weeks, months, hopefully years.
Haha. I read your first sentence and was ready for a flame war! j/k. Well, my best advice to you at this point is to not get too deep in. A lot of times MLM will start you off at one price, then offer lots of upgrades along the way until you are $10,000’s in the hole, and feel as though you can’t leave without making your money back. Keep your head on straight, and above all, make sure that the people who buy your product are getting something good for their money.
Stop by in a few months and let us know how it’s going.
So how’s it going for you Alvin B?
Hello. So, it has been a year. How are things going?
Yah, I always wonder how people do a year or two after they join programs like this.