For the Group Leaders who built it themselves.
A new HCI membership for entrepreneurs running their own group travel businesses. Same community, expanded support for the realities of running the show.
You don't have an organization behind you. You ARE the business. The marketer, the accountant, the customer service team, the legal department, and the trip planner. We built this membership to back you up.
You went out and did the hard thing.
A new HCI membership for entrepreneurs running their own group travel businesses. Same community, expanded support for the realities of running the show.
You saw the gap. You knew you could deliver better trips and tighter community than the corporate options out there. So you started your own group travel business and you've been figuring it out as you go.
You might be a former bank club director who went independent. You might have built your business from scratch. Either way, you're the owner, the operator, and the visionary, and most days, you're doing all three at once.
For years, HCI was built around bank-affiliated Group Leaders. Now we're opening the same doors, and adding the resources you actually need, for the Independent Group Leaders who've been doing this on their own for too long.
You wear every hat.
The bank-affiliated Group Leader has an HR department, a marketing team, in-house counsel, and a CFO. You have you. HCI membership now includes education and peer support for everything they don't have to think about... and you do.
Pricing, margins, cash flow, taxes.
Terms, waivers, liability, insurance.
Filling trips, building a brand, getting found.
The fun part — and the time-consuming part.
Every call, every complaint, every win.
Booking systems, websites, payments, the works.
Travel emergencies, refunds, regulations.
What's next, what's working, where to invest.
Everything HCI offers, plus what you need most.
You get the same membership benefits as our Bank Group Leader members, expanded with the business-owner resources that matter when you're the one signing every check.
Annual 4-day conference. Meet fellow Independent Group Leaders, build relationships with Travel Partners, and plan your year alongside the best in the industry. PreFAM available for Group Leaders.
Dedicated learning tracks on accounting, legal, marketing, technology, and the operational side of running a travel business. Built for owners, not employees.
The industry's professional certification now available with an Independent Focus track. Earn the CTGL designation and signal your expertise to customers, vendors, and partners.
Small, curated peer groups of Independent Group Leaders only. Trade real numbers, real challenges, and real solutions with people who understand your business.
Templates, contracts, marketing examples, financial frameworks, and operating playbooks. The things you'd build from scratch if you had the time — only we did the work for you.
Direct access to Preferred Tour Operators, Travel Partners, and Corporate Partners. Including special offers, FAM tour invitations, and group discounts.
Free monthly Zoom meetings for the whole HCI community including Member Spotlights, Travel Spotlights, and round tables. Stay connected year-round, not just at Peer Group.
Connections to seasoned operators who've already solved what you're working on. Sometimes a 30-minute call saves you six months of trial and error.
Built for the way you actually work.
Independent Group Leaders get the same HCI benefits as Bank Group Leaders only with an education and resource focus that meets the unique demands of running your own business.
You work within a bank's existing infrastructure. The bank handles marketing, legal, HR, and back-office systems and you focus on the travel program itself.
- Focus: Trip planning & member experience
- Education: Banking strategy, club marketing, customer retention
- Support: Bank's marketing, legal, and finance teams
You ARE the business. Every decision lives with you. HCI membership delivers community plus the business-owner education a bank Group Leader simply doesn't need.
- Focus: Building & growing a profitable travel business
- Education: Accounting, legal, marketing, ops, hiring, tech
- Support: HCI peer community + Independent Leader Circles
Simple pricing. Big value.
Independent Group Leader membership is priced identically to our Bank Group Leader membership because the value is the same, with resources tailored to your reality as a business owner.
For a limited time, the $350 joiners fee is waived for Independent Group Leaders. Apply below and we'll personally walk you through onboarding.
- Full access to all member benefits
- Eligible to attend HCI events
- Personal onboarding from HCI staff
Annual dues for Independent Group Leader members. Membership runs October 1 through September 30. Tax-deductible as a business expense.
- Renew online in minutes
- Tax-deductible as a business expense
- No automatic recurring payments
Three steps to becoming a member.
Complete the Membership Application. Or use the Quick Application at the bottom of this page if you'd prefer we reach out to you.
You'll receive an electronic invoice to pay online, or mail payment to 359 Putnam Pike Unit B1, Smithfield, RI 02917.
Ready to join the community?
For a limited time, just enter your email below to get started. No joiners fee required. We'll follow up personally to walk you through onboarding.
No spam. No pressure. Just a personal follow-up from our team.