Dugan's Travels

I have been disappointed in the leadership of my host agency, Dugans Travels, specifically emailed correspondences to me from Agency owner-Jennifer Dugan. It is common to get short, curt email responses from Jennifer in asking questions to Dugans help desk. But most recently this week I was disenchanted by Jennifer's recommendation that I take a 1-year leave of absence (which is completely unpaid as you are a self-employed travel agent with Dugans Travels and is not a favor to any agent; in reaction to simply asking a couple critical questions. One being: Is there a way to receive simply mandatory emails from Dugan's vs the several times daily, optional training and other generic emails agents are sent?
There was an assumption vs a question asked by Jennifer that I must be going through a difficult emotional time that was impacting my judgement, if not why would Camille be sharing negative, critical feedback with us. They encourage agents to share positive feedback and experiences only.

It's odd to me that Dugans Travels care so much about my review of the company while I was a Dugans Agent; that 2 years after the review was left in 6/2024. They chose to clean up their initially nasty and accusatory response to my review in 2024, so they now in 2026 appear as a caring and supportive travel agency vs looking internally to make their processes and training simpler, more time efficient, so independent agents can spend more time pursuing and building their book of business, which takes tremendous effort, motivation and time, especially for agents in their first 2 years. If they had chosen sincerely to list changes and improvements they've initiated at Dugans and better ways to encourage respond to agents honest concerns and feedback would have been a much better choice in a creating a revised response, 24 months after the review was posted.

Dugan Travels excessive, generic emails, complicated, lengthy and complicated training modules, lengthy, confusing input methods of client details and travel info. It's A lot as a newer agent trying to just bring clients in to survive and make decent money as a travel agent, suggesting a 12 month leave unpaid, leave of absence, which would be basically a death sentence to any self-employed agent vs asking me or any of their agents if that's what they want, or calling me to discuss my questions, or anything else other than what Jennifer chose would have been better than a blunt 1 sentence recommendation to take a one-year leave of absence. It was distressing and sad to me. I felt abandoned by Dugans. So I sadly cancelled my vacation plans to join Jennifer, staff and Dugan's agents on a FAM Cruise I had planned for months to attend and was to start in just 7 days from Jennifer's email.

It was obvious to me I was not an agent someone Jennifer cared enough about to pick up the phone to talk to or a suggestion that we discuss things in person when we meet up on the cruise the following week.

I've additionally found Dugans Travels numerous recorded, training modules are much less efficient than more frequent hands-on mentoring training would work better for groups of new agents that meet regularly and consistently to brainstorm and share real ideas to attract new customers that actually commit and are successful would be a much better use of agents time.

For those of you considering coming to Dugans Travels as a new agent and starting up as a self-employed Travel Agent it is very difficult, especially now in the age of AI where people and companies can type in online a possible vacation concept and get numerous free options or book directly online without any additional cost. I thought you deserved understanding some of what I have experienced as a newer independent agent with Dugan's. I'm sad what the future holds with Dugan's Travels for me.

Update: Well I found out what my future held with Dugans Travels. I was fired, had my contract cancelled for posting this and 2 other honest reviews online. Instead of looking within or wanting to seriously look at how Dugans could improve policies, training, small group mentoring, etc. They decided to just end my contract with Dugans, prior to its renewal. It is definitely not just me with Dugans who feels that they lack individual support of their agents, are also overwhelmed by excessive Dugans emails, difficult outdated computer software programs, etc. But I hope at some point they survey their agents for honest feedback even if it is anonymous, to see how everyone experiences current Dugans training, support in how to bring in and keep clients, and what is lacking within Dugan's Travels so they can better support and motivate their agents when times get tough.

Thankfully as one door closes, better opportunities present themselves.