How to build an independent income alongside your job in a couple of hours a day.
Watch firstThis short video explains what I found and why it suited me. Watch it before reading on.
The state pension age in the UK is 67 with similar numbers around the world. For most women in employment right now, that's the default leaving date - not because they've chosen it, but because they can't afford to give up work before the state pension kicks in. They have no pension or savings to fall back on and for some, even the state pension is barely enough.
And the thought of working another 10 years, tied to the same desk, always asking permission for time off, dreading Monday morning and spending your days in a limbo of restlessness while you wonder if there's another way - you might be asking the wrong question.
Not "can I afford to stop working soon?" - most people know the answer to that. The real question is: "Is there anything I can do now that would mean I don't have to wait until 67 to have a choice about this?"
That's what I started trying to answer when I hit my late 50s. Because I no longer wanted my time controlled by someone else. I wanted to be the one deciding how much I do, and when, and on what terms. I wanted to take more holidays and travel, without worrying about the inbox all week.
That's when I found Travorium - I joined as a customer because I love to travel and then discovered I could make an income too. So I decided to take the plunge, put all my "what ifs" behind me and start building alongside my job.
My name is Chrissie. I'm middle aged, I live in North Wales, and we went through a major life upheaval when we had to sell our beloved family home. It wasn't a choice - it was just down to a change of circumstances out of our control due to lack of money, and it left us in a position we hadn't expected to be in at this stage of my life.
It made one thing very clear: financial security isn't something you can assume will work itself out. You have to build it deliberately, while you still have time and income to do so. And I vowed never to be in that position again.
When I joined Travorium and then was told I could make money helping other people save money on their travel I was sceptical. I'd had an experience before in business that hadn't ended particularly well, and didn't want that to happen again.
But when I looked at the actual savings, I looked at how the income compounds, and I looked at the integrity and honesty of the company (no buying stock and jamming up the garage!) I began to get excited, for the first time in years.
The best part - I started building it around my job so there was no big risk. It doesn't require a big following or any prior sales experience.
Travorium is a wholesale travel membership. Members book hotels, resort stays, car hire, tours and activities at rates that aren't available through standard booking sites - because the business model is different. Booking.com and Expedia take the base hotel rate and add a significant margin to cover their marketing spend. Travorium cuts that out and passes the saving to the member instead.
Access to over 2 million hotels and resorts at wholesale rates
Up to two resort stays per year included - some at £0 - no timeshare, no presentations, no contracts, no blackout dates
Savings on cruises, car hire, activities, transport and everyday travel, not just holidays
World tours - group trips to 4 and 5-star properties worldwide, often with breakfast or all-inclusive included and not available to the general public
Monthly travel points that convert to actual bookings
Credits with every booking that convert to more savings
110% guarantee on your bookings
The membership has 3 tiers, depending on your budget and the savings and experiences you want. Take the partner option as well, introduce 3 people at the same level as you, and your membership becomes free as long as they stay members.
If you choose to, you can refer other people to the membership. When they join, you earn a monthly commission. It's residual - once someone's a member, you keep earning from their membership without doing anything additional each month. It never resets to zero as long as they stay a member. As you build, you're rewarded with further bonuses and perks to help your income grow. As with any business, nothing is guaranteed - your effort determines the outcomes.
People want and love to travel, so sharing access to something most people genuinely want - the ability to travel more and spend considerably less doing it - tends to be a straightforward conversation. The savings are real and visible before anyone spends a penny.
Three referrals cover your own membership - you're at break-even from the start
A small, consistent customer base generates a meaningful monthly supplement to your salary
As your customer base grows, so does the income - and it keeps coming in whether you're actively working that week or not
The goal for most women I work with is to build enough additional income that stepping back from full-time work becomes a real option - years ahead of pension age
To access the income opportunity, there's a small yearly partner registration - £277 one-time, then £80 annually. That covers your website, back office, training and marketing tools, as well as access to support from the wider community. No mandatory purchases, no inventory, no events you're required to attend. The membership itself is around £100 per month at the level most people choose.
This isn't for everyone, and I'd rather be upfront about that.
Most travel clubs are timeshares in another form. Travorium has no presentations, no contracts, and no blackout dates. You can see the savings before you join - I can show you a live comparison on any hotel you're planning to book. The company is 13 years old, operates in 120+ countries, and pays commissions reliably every week.
It uses a referral income structure for promoting the product, and building a team is optional. The product - the travel membership - stands entirely on its own. Members stay because the savings are real and they use them, not out of any obligation. You'd be sharing something genuinely useful, not convincing people to buy something they don't need.
I work on it around my job. Realistically, a few hours a week in the early stages - mostly conversations with people who've already shown interest, not cold outreach. It's built to fit around existing commitments, not on top of them.
Neither am I, in the traditional sense. What I do is have honest conversations with people who are already curious about travelling more or building income outside of employment. There's no pitching strangers. The women I work with find it manageable because we're talking about something real that people can see the value of immediately.
The first few months are about getting established and finding your rhythm. Some people earn their first commission within weeks. A realistic first-year target for someone building consistently is to cover the membership cost and begin generating a small but real supplementary income. The compounding happens as the team grows. I'll always be honest with you about timelines rather than give you inflated expectations.
No. Build through conversations first. A following helps but it isn't a requirement. Most people already know others who travel - and that's where early conversations naturally start.
Usually when this doesn't work, it's because someone started without a clear plan, had no real support, and quietly stopped when the first few conversations didn't go anywhere. I work directly with the people I bring in. You wouldn't be figuring it out alone.
The membership saves money on travel, so there's genuine value even if you never refer a single person. And the women I work with who are building income are doing it through real conversations rather than sales tactics - which makes a significant difference to how it feels and how it lands.
If you're employed full-time and managing everything else, your time is already committed. What I'd want to do is look at what's realistic for you, rather than give you a one-size-fits-all answer. Some people start with two or three hours a week. That's enough to get moving.
"5-star family stay in Crete that would have cost us thousands more anywhere else. The savings were obvious before we'd even booked."
"7 trips between Getaways and World Tours, retail value $12,000. We paid under $3,000. It keeps stretching our travel money in ways we never imagined."
"I became a member to both save money on travel and make money. I've been to Las Vegas, Orlando and Hilton Head for ridiculously low cost - and I've started actually earning money every month."
"After 18 years as an educator I never imagined something like this existed. I've saved thousands on hotels and family experiences - and I now earn residual income helping others do the same."
I won't paint an unrealistic picture. But this is what's achievable for someone who puts in consistent effort over the next year - and what I'm working towards myself.
A monthly income that covers the membership and contributes meaningfully to your finances
Travelling more, and spending noticeably less doing it
A plan that's actually in motion - not just a number you revisit every January and feel vaguely worried about
A leaving date that feels real - something you're genuinely moving towards
Work becoming something you do because you want to, not because you have no other option
The point isn't to accumulate wealth. It's to build enough income outside of employment that you have a genuine choice about when to step back and how much you keep doing. That's what I'm building. That's what I can help you do.
Todd Strand covers both the travel savings and the income opportunity side by side in 10 minutes.