Is Traverus Global a scam travel MLM company or a good business deal with lots of travel perks? I’ve been hearing a bit about this company and people have been asking lots of questions. These are questions I answer within my Traverus Global review.
In a moment we’ll dive right into things, but first up I just wanted to say congrats on finding your way here. You see, a lot of people end up wasting their time or falling for scams because they don’t research an opportunity first, but not you. You’re one of the smart ones.
I doubt you’ll ever fall victim to a scam or anything that’s not worth your time.
Now read on to discover the truth about the Traverus Global MLM scheme…
Company Name: Traverus Global
Founder: David Manning
Price To Join: $199.95
My Rating: 5/10
~ Traverus Global Reviews ~
Since the internet came about it seems to have coincided with a real surge in the number of MLM companies hitting the network marketing pavement. MLM has always been popular, but nowadays people are really spoilt for choice if it’s your thing.
The most popular niche by far is health and wellness (way over-saturated) and it’s good to see Traverus is about travel more so than diet pills and nutritional supplements.
I created my site to help people find good ways to make money and avoid scams in the process. I like to research and write reviews on MLM schemes as part of that mix. After all, reading reviews is one of the best ways to make good choices and decisions.
Anybody can make money from home these days. It’s even possible with MLM at times too. I make a fulltime income entirely online, which gives me the freedom of living the laptop lifestyle. I don’t do it with MLM though.
Nothing is without its negatives, and although the internet has opened the doors to so many awesome opportunities, those same virtual doors are wide open for all the scammers as well, so we always need to be careful.
Anyway, let’s now see if the Traverus Global network marketing platform is worth getting involved with or not.
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What Is Traverus Global About?
As I mentioned, Traverus Global is a multi level marketing company that operates within the travel niche. It was founded by David Manning. He is a motivational speaker on a global scale and has been involved in the development of network marketing compensation plans for many years.
Paycation Travel was the original name of this MLM company, but it was recently absorbed by Manning’s Traverus company. Paycation was all about offering cheap travel packages and deals.
XStream is another company owned by Manning and it’s this company that’s responsible for training members to become travel agents for Traverus. Traverus Go is the company that actually handles the travel side of things.
Traverus Global isn’t all about travel though. They also focus on personal development and health and wellness as part of the overall mix, but since this review was inspired by the travel side of this company, as well as Paycation Travel, I’ll be focusing on the travel aspect throughout the review.
I’ve reviewed a number of travel MLM schemes in the past, such as:
MLM in any niche is a notoriously tough way to make some consistent profit. In fact, most people never do make any real money.
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The Traverus Global Products
Like I said, Traverus Global actually offers more than just travel, but I’ll only be focusing on what’s available when it comes to vacations and the Paycation opportunity.
You see, Paycation is still around and was always owned by David Manning. It’s just now become part of Manning’s Traverus company.
So let’s see what Paycation actually does offer when it comes to travel products and deals.
I mentioned Traverus Go earlier, and this is the portal they use to offer people wholesale prices on travel and vacation deals.
They offer up some pretty big percentages when they talk about the kind of savings you can get, anywhere from 50% to 80% off the regular retail prices.
The company has a presentation video where they compare some of their offers with online travel giant Expedia. They demonstrate how you can save over $1000 on a particular hotel when buying through Traverus Go as compared to using Expedia.
Whether the example is for real or not, I’m not certain, but those are the kind of claims they are making.
Apparently the reason why Traverus Go can offer such great deals is because these are all booked through a platform called “Booking Ninja”, which cuts out the middleman, such as Expedia.
Unfortunately, without actually first becoming a member of Traverus Global, you can’t actually research what sort of travel deals they have available. You have to join blindly first, which very much sucks.
The Traverus Global Compensation Plan
As is the case with most MLM opportunities, there are predominantly two main ways you can earn money as a business rep, and they are:
- Selling travel packages at a retail level as an agent
- Recruiting others and earning residual commissions from their efforts
According to Traverus there are some pretty decent commissions up for grabs if all you want to do is sell vacation deals to others. We mentioned some commission percentages before. You can also get some great discounts for your own travel.
However, like any MLM compensation model, the real money comes through recruitment, because until you build a sizeable and active sales team, you can’t earn residual commissions from your recruits and you won’t be able to advance up the company ranks.
It’s climbing the ranks that actually puts you in a position to earn much better money.
Let’s glance at those ranks:
- Referral Travel Associate
- Executive
- Regional Executive
- National Executive
- International Executive
- Presidential Executive
The matrix that is used is a 3 x 7 matrix, meaning you can build 3 levels wide and earn up to 7 levels deep.
There are also various bonuses up for grabs along the way too, and generally you’ll need to be actively recruiting to have a chance of achieving these bonuses.
- Matching Bonus
- Business Builder Bonus
- Team Rewards
- 10% Match On Personal Matrix
- 8% Match On Coded Matrix
- And more…
To be honest I always find these MLM compensation plans mega confusing and difficult to explain, so what I’ve done is embed their official explainer video below. You can also check out their compensation plan PDF here.
Is There An Income Disclosure Statement?
I normally like to include details of what you can earn based on a recent income disclosure statement.
All MLM companies are supposed to display one on their website, but I couldn’t find one on the Traverus Global site, so I have no idea what reps might be earning.
Chances are high though that it’s very similar to other MLM companies, where around 95% of members don’t make a profit.
Some Key Reasons Why I’m Not a Fan of MLM
In the past I’ve been involved in a number of MLM schemes, plus I know a lot of people who have as well. I’ve also researched and written reviews on lots of them, and for the most part they all work the same way.
I’m not a fan of the MLM business model because it strips so many benefits away from the people involved and gives all the advantages to the company running the show.
Let’s look at some of the reasons why I never recommend network marketing as a way to make money.
- There’s a very good reason why so many companies are using the MLM distribution model these days to sell products. They get so many advantages, so for them it’s smart business
- MLM schemes are always sold on lots of hype and often sold like a get rich quick scheme, as if you can make really big money really fast
- Did you know that less than 1% of people involved in all MLM schemes actually make a liveable income from it?
- The general average is that 95% of people who join MLM fail to make any money
- Distributors work for commissions and bonuses only. There are no wages or retainers paid. You work for free, and distributors are responsible for all of their operating expenses
- The people doing most of the advertising, marketing and promotion for the company is its army of distributors
- Because the secret to success with MLM is through recruiting, the distributors help to freely grow the company on the company’s behalf
- With many MLM companies, people actually have to pay the company a fee to gain the right to work for them for free
- You are always told that you’ll own your own business when you join MLM, and that’s one of their major sales points. You don’t actually own a business with a network marketing company. They own everything. You’re just an unpaid sales rep who covers all your own costs
- Many MLM companies make the distributors purchase a certain amount of product every month to remain eligible to make money, effectively transforming the sales team into the customer base as well. That’s not so much the case with Traverus Global though, but it’s super common practice
That covers the major reasons why I don’t like MLM and really don’t think it’s a fair deal by far. Distributors really are just unpaid sales reps who pay their own costs and get very few actual benefits.
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Is Traverus Global a Pyramid Scheme?
Just about every single MLM business that’s ever existed will get accused of being an illegal pyramid scheme at some stage, because most use a matrix in their compensation plans that is a pyramid shape.
However, to be fair, that doesn’t make them illegal operations.
Let’s look at the definition of an illegal scheme to understand the difference.
Illegal pyramid schemes are known as “naked” pyramids, because they don’t actually have any products and rely solely on recruiting new members to generate revenue. In order to get paid, people recruit new members and get a cut of their joining fee.
Yes, Traverus and other MLMs definitely do this, but most MLM schemes have real products. You could argue that with the travel side of Traverus they don’t actually have any products, but are simply selling third party products in a franchise kind of model.
This does make the company a little borderline where it falls in a grey area, but more recently they’ve added health and wellness products to the company, possibly in a bid to get out of that grey zone.
Anyway, I don’t believe it’s a full on pyramid scheme.
Target Market
The target market of this scheme would be travellers to start with, and anybody who wants to get some good deals on vacations. It also appeals to people who would not only like discounts, but are looking for a way to make some extra money, or start a business.
You never do own an actual business with MLM though. Just remember that.
MLM is almost always sold on lots of hype, with the promise of big and easy money. They basically just push the right buttons by telling people what they want to hear.
What I Do Like
- It’s mostly about travel and not health and wellness
- The commission rates and travel discounts are quite high and do look very appealing if you’re a regular traveller
- It could be a good way to save money on your own travels, as well as make some by selling packages to others
What I Don’t Like and Red Flags
- No recent income disclosure statement available that I could find
- The travel side of this business is definitely in a grey area when it comes to pyramid schemes
- Getting involved is quite expensive as far as MLM schemes go, plus there are monthly fees, which I cover in the next section
- I think there is definitely a stronger focus on recruitment with this one, rather than selling products
- MLM in any niche is an extremely tough way to make money, when some 95% of people fail
How Much Does It Cost To Join Traverus Global?
Like I said earlier, it’s quite costly to get started with this one compared to some other network marketing deals going around.
There are 2 different memberships you can buy when you join Traverus Global and I’ll break down each one for you.
Keep in mind that on top of these fees, you also have to pay $59.95 every single month to remain eligible to earn money as a Traverus Global travel consultant. Basically all this fee covers is a replica website the company gives you so you can take travel bookings and recruit people.
Referral Travel Consultant = $199.95
- Sign up fee worth $119.95
- 1st month website fee waived
- Includes annual sign up fee worth $20
- 65% commissions on travel sales
- Travel club membership
- Have access to the booking website
- Commission tracking
- Virtual back office
Certified Travel Consultant = $399.90
- Sign up fee worth $319.95
- $20 associate fee
- First month website fee free
- Receive training on the XStream travel program
- Earn 75% commission selling travel/vacation packages
- Book bigger travel groups
- XStream certified training
- Get great travel discounts
Is Traverus Global a Scam or Legit?
There’s no scam going on here. It’s a legit business with a few strings to the bow, but with the main focus on travel deals and recruiting people as virtual travel agents.
Look, if you’re a mad keen traveller then this might be worth at least looking into, but if you’re just someone looking for something to do to make money, then there will be far easier ways than making money as a Traverus Global travel consultant.
I don’t really recommend any MLM schemes as viable ways to make money, but like I said, if you travel a lot, then the discounts you’ll get alone might make this worth it.
Here’s Something WAY Better Than MLM!
All MLM businesses are seriously hard work and very difficult schemes to get ahead in. They can also cost you more than what you actually make.
When you compare the profitability and simplicity of affiliate marketing to multi level marketing, affiliate marketing wins on every level in my opinion.
As an affiliate you don’t pay joining fees to promote products. You actually don’t even buy any products. You also don’t have to recruit to get ahead either. In fact, you can get started with virtually no money at all. You just need the internet and a computer, and you can do it all online, in your own time, from home.
If you build a website for your affiliate marketing business, then that’s an asset that you own and will be worth money. It’ll also help you create your own brand, which is also worth something.
You don’t get this with MLM.
You don’t have to do affiliate marketing fulltime like I do. It’s the ultimate side hustle as well. I like doing it fulltime though, because of all the lifestyle freedom it gives me.
If you are shown how by following some good training, anybody can make money as an affiliate. It’s a pretty basic process, and way simpler than MLM.
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Its good to see that you have noted that mlm schemes are not pyramid programmes but still it doesn’t mean that one has a good potential of making money from it. I did mlm before but I didn’t get anywhere with it. I like that this programme is not about health because its very true that that niche is well saturated. Tbis is a very good post that you have written here to help those finding the right solution and to avoid scams. Cheers!
No, they’re not pyramid schemes in the strictest sense of the word, but still largely a waste of time for anyone who wants to make real dollars and not just some spare change for monumental hours of effort, not to mention annoying everyone they know. At least Traverus is about something interesting like travel.
Being the fact that this is involved in another niche entirely different from the normally dominated wellness and health industry, it surely looks like a very worthy deal to get involved with this traverus global. However, the MLM business model they follow is simply not cool with me becasuee I have lost quite a lot of money through MLM business and that is a bad business’s to me. Another reason is the fact that less success rate is associated with MLM. Thanks for this review
I like the way Traverus Global it’s focused on travel, rather than the way over-saturated health and wellness niche, but it’s still MLM, which means lots of work for very little reward in most cases.
Traverus global is indeed a worthy MLM business model to give considerations to. I like travelling and I think I might excel with this business but then, the MLM business model is really discouraging. The price is steep and to maintain my membershio might end up taking too much from me than I would have budgeted. Looking on the bright side of the commission, it is really tempting but I just have to put my budget into consideration too. So, I won’t be joining this Traverus global simply on the basis of it being an mlm business.
You’re right, at least Traverus Global is about something very interesting like travel. In some ways it’s a bit better than some other MLM businesses, because you can always put what you earn towards taking vacations. So even if it doesn’t earn you the big bucks, it can still help finance your passion.
If it’s about making money, then there are definitely better ways.
So Laptop Freedom Living deals with making money online and you plan to show and review each entity to determine if it is a scam or not. Great idea – good subject, I feel people need a place they can go to find out what companies are scams and which are legit before they get involved.
Just curious to you check them out first hand and base your research on facts that you have observed as well? I think personal knowledge is huge in niche marketing – to be able to share personal experience gives the reader more credibility in you and your website.
I look forward to reading more.
I’ve been involved in a lot of MLM schemes in the past, plus many other MMO products, so there’s definitely some hands on experience involved in many of my reviews on the site. Thanks for stopping by.
Good Morning Darren,
To tell you the truth I kind of get lost in all the things on offer on the internet, a real jungle out of which it is not easy to escape.
I am happy you wrote this review on Traverus Global as I had not heard about it yet. I have been in 5 MLMs in the past of which some were bad, some medium, but also a really good one. It all depends on the products and setup. Even if I am still a member of Forever Living Products of America, an old and well established MLM, I do not work it anymore but still use the products.
As I have enough experience with MLMs I will not sign up for a new one as I believe there are better ways of making money.
Ok, now to your post. I read you cannot actually research what sort of deals they have available? You have to join them blindly? Come on, this is rather ridiculous. For me already such a huge red flag which would stop me from further investigating. Now as you wrote the review I will continue reading.
You are right, those compensation plans are complicated and it will take time till one fully understands how it functions. I did not have to pay a fee each month but if I did not produce a certain volume I would not get a % on my downline.
You are right an MLM is not a Pyramid as long as you sell products. I also think that Traverus is an MLM, their modus operandi is not that of a Pyramid. I agree with you that if you will travel a lot this is not a bad way to get great deals but it will cost you money to start with and lots of work to keep it up and going.
This is a good review and I feel happy that my MLM days are over.
Regards, Taetske
Hi Taetske,
You’re right, the internet is a bit of a jungle with all the things you can join, especially when it comes to making money online. You sound very experienced with MLM schemes, and I’m glad to hear they’re not all bad.
Thanks for the thorough review of the Traverus Global platform. You included a lot of good advice starting this review out and more tips that were sprinkled throughout. I think that will help readers avoid being scammed as often happens these days. When I read further and found that this is an MLM (Multi-Level-Marketing) company, immediately my caution flags came out.
I know that there are some companies using the MLM business model that are not scams, but virtually everyone that gets involved generally does not make much money off of such companies. From what I have seen the products or services are over-priced and often it is too competitive to make much. Only the people at the top of the pyramid make a lot.
In spite of your generous take on whether or not this is a full-on pyramid scheme (they are selling services but they do not own the packages/locations, they are just selling them) the red flags you also mention are enough for me to recommend to all my followers that they stay away from Traverus Global, there are better opportunities to make money online.
I now have a good basis on how to evaluate the company because of the effective job you did laying out what Traverus Global is all about. It may be a good opportunity for some people if they have some knowledge of how to market this to their targeted audience, but I would rather go in other directions. Thanks again!
You’re absolutely right, Dave. hardly anyone involved in MLM makes any real money. Most spend more than they ever make. And you’re right again when you allude to Traverus Global being borderline as a pyramid scheme, because they are not offering their own products, but promoting third party products.