it happens all the time and wouldn't affect my opinion one way or the other about a lady

a fair number of ladies do both simultaneously - i.e. list with an agency and maintain an indie identity at the same time

From a customers perspective, I have seen several ladies over the years who worked both as indie and agency girls. I never noticed any difference in the service level from the lady herself. Obviously agencies have their own screening techniques and time restrictions are much firmer. As far as the "part time" aspect of it, any reputable agency will represent you and you will tell them when you want to work, not the other way around.  If an agency tries to dictate when you must work, how often you must work or how many men you must see it is time to look for another agency.

Best of luck to you...

It really wouldn't matter to me either way. I like indies, but a good agency can often have a nice variety of wares to choose from. As with flikker, I do like to have the lady keep as much of the fees as possible.

I think your idea of trying to temp in a location where you don't work independently is a good idea. Keeping the name should be a bonus to the agency as your reviews will be accessible (and based on the quality of the reviews) will help to bring in business. True, some agencies may not want you to do the indie thing, but just move on. As long as you're not competing, it's your business and your body.

Have fun

Personally it doesn't matter if  a provider is with an agency, or independent. I look for certain things in an encounter, so if the lady meets the criteria I have laid out for myself I will book a couple of hours and have a great time.
As far as the part time piece, I am sure there would be some angst form either the hobby right or left regarding this. It doesn't to me seem that the small percentage, that would have an "issue" whatever that may be, would matter to you.
if you do pursue this experiment set a date in the future to look back and see if  this is what you a expected, and more importantly if going forward this type of arrangement is what you want going forward.

PM me if your plans include Minnesota.

There are independent ladies who use well reputed agencies to represent them when they tour....

other markets. An example of such an agency that represents touring indies in our area is TGND Talent.

You know very well about touring costs and cancellations etc. Using an agency to represent you when you tour eliminates much of the overhead.  But the agency "take" can run in the 50% or more neighborhood.

Most of my hobbying these days is via agency. I love to sport-fuck the new PYTs my favorite agencies bring in.

I also see indies - my very few LTRs are with indies.

And YOU I would see regardless of whether you were in Indie or Agency mode

You can take "excellence" dress it up in anything you'd like, give it another name or whatever ... and it is STILL excellence.

It would not matter to me whether you were independent or an agency.

As for risking loosing your so called long time regulars, it sounds like that is a non-issue as you want to use an agency for touring, which takes the regs out of the equation. You put on the auto responder email and advise them of your return date.

The trick as some have pointed out is finding the right agency. True, some will not take an indy on, mostly of fear you take clients away when, but that happens anyway. I know there are several agencies that would work with you. Someone mentioned a split of 50% and up to the agency and that just is not true. Typically it is 25-30% drop. So if you were at a $400 rate, you drop $100 or $120, which is a small price to pay for them to take all the headaches away of scheduling, screening and all the other that goes along with it.

Lastly, you would want to partner up with an agency that includes the geographic area you are considering touring in. Miami Companions comes to mind as they cover a wide range of areas/major cities.

Re: Indie going part time agency-is this possible? How would you feel about this?

As some astute poster pointed out, this is a business decision.  By going with an agency, IMO, you hand over to them a couple of important business elements:

1.  Marketing.  You have carefully constructed and burnished a "brand", in your case that of an independent, intellectual, outside-of-the-ordinary companion.  An agency has its own brand, which is unlikely to mesh seamlessly with your individual sensibilities.  They will not be motivated at all to protect your painstakingly constructed brand credibility.  And once it's gone, (Toyota, Tiger) it is really hard to restore it.  And, sorry, in this day and age, there are no regional boundaries to something like that, no "secrets".  Most especially if you hope to try this out with your existing nom-de-budoir.  Oh, and there's no "part-time" when it comes to brand.

2.  Security.  Regardless of their record or protestations to the contrary, no agency will take your safety and security as seriously as you do yourself.  You relinquish the "this just doesn't feel right to me for some reason I can't put my finger on" control.  You'd be playing viola with gloves on.

But the question you asked is whether it would matter to a LTR if you took this route.  Regardless of what we like to think, LTR's are as susceptible to number one above as anybody else.  He or she might say they couldn't care less, but stupid as it sounds, a little of the "specialness" of your brand is likely to slip, making him or her vulnerable to the competition's blandishments.  Which are legion and relentless, as you know.  If you're serious about keeping those LTR's for the really LT, I'd think really, really carefully before taking this route.  Which is why you posted, of course.

I imagine you're asking the question because it's tedious, annoying, frustrating and time-consuming to do the marketing, screening, and general establishment of your brand in a new market.  (I can't help noticing that your Web site isn't maintained as persistently as it might be .  Marketing's a PITA, especially when you're doing it yourself, and trying to keep up with business and life at the same time.)  Welcome to the business world.  An agency can take that off your hands for a fee, but you relinquish at least part of the controls mentioned above, and possibly others.

It's a business decision, but in my experience, a business decsion should never be made because business is hard (pun NOT intended!)  If you plan to continue in this lifestyle for years to come, I'd counsel you to very carefully consider the damage to your long-term brand credibility.  If you want to establish yourself in other markets so that you can travel and explore long term, on YOUR terms, I don't think there's any substitute for the painstaking establishment of your brand, as you want it to be established, in that market.

Look at the best of the best in the marketing area (Lauren Summerhill, others), and ask yourself if this is something she would consider.

God, I can go on, can't I?  Sorry about that.  You got me thinking.