Top travel agency franchise for veterans has given away 58 free home-based travel businesses since 2012
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (December 13, 2022) – One of the leading travel agency franchise for veterans, Dream Vacations, recently awarded two military veterans with free travel franchises as part of its 11th annual award-winning annual business plan contest “Operation Vetrepreneur: Become Your Own General.” To celebrate the milestone, one military veteran also won the grand prize of a cabin at the Dream Vacations’ 2023 National Conference aboard the exciting Carnival Celebration. Currently more than 35 percent of franchise owners within Dream Vacations are military veterans and in the past decade, the travel agency franchise has awarded 58 free franchises valued at more than half-a-million dollars to deserving military veterans.
“Our military veterans and their families have sacrificed so much so that we can live the American Dream. Therefore, it’s a privilege to be able to support their entrepreneurial dreams,” said Drew Daly, senior vice president and general manager of Dream Vacations. “As I do every year, I am amazed at the quality of candidates. With the travel industry booming, I can’t wait to see what this year’s recruits accomplish.”
The Dream Vacations franchise contest was open to former members of any of the six branches of the U.S. military (Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Space Force, and Coast Guard) who are retired, off active duty and/or honorably discharged prior to the contest start date this past July and are residents of the U.S. Candidates participated in a rigorous three-part application process which included creating a business plan, video essay and phone interviews. Nearly 4,000 people have applied for franchise ownership through Operation Vetrepreneur since 2012.
This year’s winners are Army Veteran Crystal Ureta of Kingwood, Texas, who also won a berth at the 2023 National Conference cruise and U.S. Coast Guard Veteran Lara Herrmann of Albany, Ore.
“I am ecstatic that I was chosen as one of the winners of a Dream Vacations Franchise,” said Vetrepreneur winner Herrmann. “It’s great to know that my military service is appreciated and that my years of being an entrepreneur helped get me to this point! I love travel, and I already feel so supported by the Dream Vacations staff to propel this opportunity into a huge success! I can’t wait to get started!”
All military veterans who purchase a Dream Vacations travel agency business receive a 30 percent discount off the initial franchisee fee. Veterans also receive an enlistment package valued at more than $5,000, which includes waived administrative fees valued at $1,350. In addition to having access to the Command Center, an internal portal with veteran-specific training and veteran-themed marketing assets, all veterans and Gold Star families receive a waived training fee for a business partner and the ability to hire active-duty military immediate family and veterans as associates at a discount. Additional veteran incentives include the ability to move residences and stay in business, travel discounts for military customers and access to veteran networking groups.
As the only travel franchise to receive a 5 STAR ranking from VetFran, Dream Vacations proudly supports military veterans and is consistently recognized by leading industry publications as a veteran-friendly franchise. It was ranked the #2 franchise for veterans by Entrepreneur magazine in 2022, and other recent number one rankings include Military Times and Forbes. Additional recognitions include inclusion on G.I. Jobs annual “Hot Franchises for Veterans,” US Veterans magazine’s “Top Veteran-Friendly Companies”, USA Today’s “50 Top Franchises for Military Veterans” and recognition by MSC Cruises in its Seaside Salute Award. The Operation Vetrepreneur program won gold from the Travel Weekly Magellan Awards and the IFA Franchising Gives Back Awards.
Dream Vacations is committed to being “Rich in Diversity” and empowers all owners, franchisees and employees to reach their highest potential by leveraging their broad range of talent, experiences, personalities, viewpoints and ideas to generate business growth.
Military veterans and community heroes who are passionate about travel with an entrepreneurial spirit who would like to be part of a travel agency network that cares more about its agents, travelers and military veterans, should visit www.DreamVacationsFranchise.com or call 888-249-8235 to learn about franchising with Dream Vacations.
Photo Cutline: (Left to Right) Debbie Fiorino, Lara Herrmann, and Brad Tolkin celebrate Herrmann as one of the 2022 Operation Vetrepreneur Winners.
About Dream Vacations
Travel agents with the top-ranked home-based travel agency franchise Dream Vacations have the resources to plan and create seamless vacation experiences for their customers while offering the best value. A member of the International Franchise Association, Dream Vacations is part of World Travel Holdings and has received franchise partner of the year, a top-ranking status, by all the major cruise lines as well as national recognition for its support of military veterans. For more information about Dream Vacations, visit www.DreamVacationsFranchise.com. Like Dream Vacations on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DreamVacationsFranchise, follow on Twitter at @Dream_Franchise and watch its videos at http://www.youtube.com/DreamVacationsBusiness.
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Media Contact:
Michael Cadigan, Public Relations Manager
Dream Vacations
954-958-3627
mcadigan@wth.com
