Travel Agent Career Description

Travel Agent Career Description

The travel industry will always be there as busy people take the time off to visit far off lands for a long vacation.  One of the key players in the industry is the travel agent and a career as one offer opportunities for your to travel around the world as part of its perks.

• A travel agent sells more than an airline seat.  The career sells a travel experience.  You need to interface with various airlines for a good set of rates as well as good relations with your agency’s preferred global hotel chains, car rental firms and tourist bus operators for guided tours.
• A travel agent designs travel and destination packages consisting of transportation, hotel accommodation and sightseeing tours as their main components.
• A travel agent must have working familiarity with any of the travel agency booking systems such as  SABRE, GALILEO, AMADEUS, ABACUS, APOLLO, or even a mix as any of these are use to make bookings in an airline.

Education and Training

A career as a travel agent often starts with a short stint in an airline’s sales or marketing department.  There are no specific academic backgrounds for the position and there are airlines who take in high school graduates in their sales force.  The ability to be a competent airline sales agent is knowing how to use its reservation and ticketing systems efficiently, along with good grasp of world geography and world times.

At least you’d know here Germany or Hongkong is and their time zones.  Knowing their airport names, visa requirements, language and customs are great assets.  You don’t need a college degree to learn these tings.

Employment

An airline experience prepares you for a more demanding task as a travel agent.  You can be employed in a large travel agency or you can start your own travel agency business if you have developed a large network of friends in the travel industry. A salaried travel agent can expect a range from $26,700 to $41,400 annually.