you will have to seal it

After sealing does it make travertine maintenance free ?

No, sealing it does not make it maintenance free. Once sealed you need to make sure you clean with neutral cleaners. Cleaners that are PH balanced and not petroleum based. If you use the wrong cleaners than you will strip the sealer off. The way to see if it needs to be resealed is to drop water on it, if it beads up like car wax than it is sealed and no further action is needed.

Thanks so much for the advise. While I love travertine floors, I am debating if it is OK to put it in a villa that will be used as a more informal place to hang out. I may decide to rent it as well. Ceramic tiles are an option but I do not like the dark lines that show up as tiles are glued together. So the choice is between marble and travertine. All the stone shops here in Jakarta Indonesia are advising me against travertine flooring. What material will you advise so that I can get a rich look but yet keep it low maintenance.

Travertine is a very elegant look; it's going to patina but that is the beauty of it. A marble is more formal and will patina also. The difference is a polished surface (Marble) will just look dull and a honed or tumbled surface (travertine in this case) will appear dirty. If you are worried about staining as long as you seal and clean properly than either one is fine. If you need it to look brand new in a year than use a polished marble.