💼 Start Your Travel Business: How to Set Up Your Business Legally in the UK

There are two main ways to structure your homeworking travel business in the UK:

🔹 Sole Trader

This is the simplest and fastest way to start. You just register as a sole trader with HMRC (free), and off you go.
Perfect for most new homeworking travel agents.

You’ll need to:

• Register for self-assessment: https://www.gov.uk/register-for-self-assessment

• Keep records of your income/expenses

• Submit a tax return once a year

🔹 Limited Company

More admin-heavy but offers limited liability and potentially better tax options long-term.
You can set this up on Companies House.

If you’re just starting out, you don’t need a limited company — and at Medlife, you can start earning while still trading as a sole trader.

Even if you’re a sole trader, it’s a smart move to separate your business finances.
A simple online business account (like Starling or Monzo Business) works well and keeps your Medlife commissions easy to track.

When you join Medlife Homeworking, you’ll:

• Earn 80% of the commission on each booking

• Get paid directly into your account

• Receive statements to help track income for your tax return

We’ll guide you through all this during onboarding, but you’ll want to keep records of:

• Client booking values

• Your commission received

• Any extra income (like upsells on parking, hotels, excursions etc.)

👉 Related reading: How Travel Agents Make Money (Real Examples)

Because you’ll handle customer data, you need to register with the ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office).
It costs just £40/year and only takes a few minutes:
🔗 Register here

This shows clients you take their privacy seriously (and it’s legally required).

While Medlife has financial protection through TTA, it’s wise to consider additional public liability or professional indemnity insurance — especially if you plan to attend wedding fairs or public events.

It’s not compulsory, but it adds peace of mind.

Here’s the good news:

✔️ You don’t need to apply for your own ABTA or ATOL licence
✔️ You don’t need to negotiate with suppliers
✔️ You don’t need to worry about legal small print or booking systems

As a Medlife agent, you’ll operate under our:

• TTA membership (100% financial protection for clients)

• Fully bookable website with flight + hotel search

• Done-for-you business setup: from tech to training

All the boring backend? Handled.

Before you take your first booking, make sure you’ve:

• Registered as a sole trader or set up a limited company

• Set up a business bank account

• Registered with the ICO for data protection

• Understood how your Medlife commission works

• Saved your login details for HMRC self-assessment

Check out our packages here and get started within days — not months.