Travel agents help travelers sort through vast amounts
of information to help them make the best possible
travel arrangements. They offer advice on destinations
and make arrangements for transportation, hotel
accommodations, car rentals, and tours for their
clients. They are also the primary source of bookings
for most of the major cruise lines. In addition, resorts
and specialty travel groups use travel agents to promote
travel packages to their clients.
Travel agents are also increasingly expected to know
about and be able to advise travelers about their
destinations, such as the weather conditions, local
ordinances and customs, attractions, and exhibitions.
For those traveling internationally, agents also provide
information on customs regulations, required papers
(passports, visas, and certificates of vaccination),
travel advisories, and currency exchange rates. In the
event of changes in itinerary in the middle of a trip,
travel agents intercede on the traveler’s behalf to make
alternate booking arrangements.
Travel agents use a variety of published and
computer-based sources for information on departure and
arrival times, fares, quality of hotel accommodations,
and group discounts. They may also visit hotels,
resorts, and restaurants themselves to evaluate the
comfort, cleanliness, and the quality of specific hotels
and restaurants so that they can base recommendations on
their own experiences or those of colleagues or clients.
Travel agents who primarily work for tour operators and
other travel arrangers may help develop, arrange, and
sell the company’s own package tours and travel
services. They may promote these services, using
telemarketing, direct mail, and the Internet. They make
presentations to social and special-interest groups,
arrange advertising displays, and suggest
company-sponsored trips to business managers.
Agents face increasing competition from travel and
airline websites for low-cost fares, but travelers still
prefer using travel agents who can provide customized
service and planning for complex itineraries to remote
or multiple destinations. To attract these travelers,
many travel agents specialize in specific interest
destinations, travel to certain regions, or in selling
to particular demographic groups.
Work environment. Travel agents spend most of their time
behind a desk conferring with clients, completing
paperwork, contacting airlines and hotels to make travel
arrangements, and promoting tours. Most of their time is
spent either on the telephone or on the computer
researching travel itineraries or updating reservations
and travel documents. Agents may be under a great deal
of pressure during travel emergencies or when they need
to reschedule missed reservations. Peak vacation times,
such as summer and holiday travel periods, also tend to
be hectic.
Many agents, especially those who are self-employed,
frequently work long hours. Advanced computer systems
and telecommunications networks make it possible for a
growing number of travel agents to work at home;
however, some agents feel a need to have an office
presence to attract walk-in business.
Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement
A love of travel and knowledge and enthusiasm for
advising people about travel destinations and
itineraries are important traits for a travel agent to
have. Superb communication and computer skills are
essential for talking with clients and making travel
reservations.
Education and training. The minimum requirement for
those interested in becoming a travel agent is a high
school diploma or equivalent; although many travel
agencies prefer applicants who have a college degree and
business or travel experience. Much of the training is
provided on the job, a significant part of which
consists of instruction on how to use reservation
systems.
Training specific to becoming a travel agent is
available at the many vocational schools that offer
full-time travel agent programs leading to a
postsecondary vocational award. Travel agent courses
also are offered in public adult education programs,
online, and in community colleges. These programs teach
students about cruise lines and sales techniques and how
to use the reservations systems. They also provide
general information about travel destinations. A few
colleges offer bachelor’s or master’s degrees in travel
and tourism. Some employers prefer agents who have
backgrounds in computer science, geography,
communication, foreign languages, or world history,
because these backgrounds suggest an existing interest
in travel and culture and help agents develop a rapport
with clients. Courses in accounting and business
management also are important, especially for those who
expect to manage or start their own travel agencies.
Continuing education is critical because the abundance
of travel information readily available through the
Internet and other sources has resulted in a more
informed consumer who wants to deal with an expert when
choosing a travel agent.
Other qualifications. Travel agents must be
well-organized, accurate, and detail-oriented in order
to compile information from various sources and to plan
and organize their clients’ travel itineraries. Agents
also must be professional and courteous when dealing
with travel representatives and clients. Other desirable
qualifications include good writing and interpersonal
skills and sales abilities.
Personal travel experience is an asset because knowledge
about a city or foreign country often helps influence a
client’s travel plans. Business experience or training
increasingly is important because agents need to know
how to run a business profitably. As the Internet has
become an important tool for making travel arrangements,
more travel agencies use websites to provide their
services to clients. This trend has increased the
importance of computer skills in this occupation.
Certification and advancement. Some employees start as
reservation clerks or receptionists in travel agencies.
With experience and some formal training, they can take
on greater responsibilities and eventually assume travel
agent duties. In agencies with many offices, travel
agents may advance to busier offices or to office
manager or other managerial position.
Those who start their own agencies generally have
experience in an established agency. These agents must
gain formal approval from suppliers or corporations,
such as airlines, ship lines, or rail lines to extend
credit on reservations and ensure payment. The Airlines
Reporting Corporation and the International Airlines
Travel Agency Network, for example, are the approving
bodies for airlines. To gain approval, an agency must be
financially sound and employ at least one experienced
manager or travel agent.
The National Business Travel Association offers three
types of designations for corporate travel
professionals—Corporate Travel Expert, Certified
Corporate Travel Executive, and Global Leadership
Professional.
Experienced travel agents can take advanced self-study
or group-study courses from the Travel Institute,
leading to the Certified Travel Counselor designation.
The Travel Institute also offers marketing and sales
skills development programs and destination specialist
programs, which provide detailed knowledge of regions
such as North America, Western Europe, the Caribbean,
and the Pacific Rim. With the trend toward more
specialization, these and other destination specialist
courses are increasingly important.
