How to Become a Travel Agent

About Travel Agent

Travel agents are responsible for helping various individuals, groups and business travellers plan and organise their travel schedules and also purchase the tour packages along with booking flights and hotels. A travel agent also plans trip itineraries and offers advice on destinations. Besides this, the travel agent is responsible for making travel arrangements for clients. Some of the major tasks performed by travel agents are arranging travel for business customers, calculating total travel costs and expenses, book reservations for hotels, rental cars, travel and special events, such as excursions and tours, finding schedule and fare information and suggesting destinations after checking the weather conditions.

People who are interested in travelling related activities can opt for this profile. The growth of a travel agent will totally be based on the hard work and the amount of sales he does every year. 

Eligibility to become Travel Agent

In order to work as a travel agent, certain skills are needed, which are mentioned below.

Education: Candidates who are looking for a career as a travel agent have an option to start working independently. They can also apply to work for any travel agency. The minimum requirements for a job as a travel agent are having a bachelor's degree in the relevant field.

Experience: This industry requires experience. Customers prefer to take advice from an experienced travel agent. Besides this, experienced professionals also have a higher chance of converting queries into sales. 

Skills: Like other professions, this also requires a certain set of skills. The skills needed for becoming a successful travel agent are enumerated below.

• Excellent Communication Skills
• Interpersonal Skills
• Communication Skills
• Good Decision Making
• Friendly Nature
• Technical Skills
• Persuasion Skills
• Good Attention to Detail
• Good Administration Skills
• Creative Skills

Courses to become a Travel Agent

You can check the table provided below to know all courses to become a Travel Agent. The eligibility criteria of all these courses will vary from college to college. You can apply for admission to these colleges provided below by filling our Common Application Form. 

Types of Job Roles Travel Agent

Candidates looking for a career as a Travel Agent can start their career by working as a fresher in the tourism industry. They can gain some experience working in any tourism management company and then they can apply for a job. Some of the job profiles that candidates can apply for are provided below. 

• Tour Coordinator
• Reservation Agent
• Tour Operator
• Travel Planner
• Tourist Guide
• Travel Consultant
• Travel Consultant
• Office Manager

Employment Opportunities for Travel Agent

A travel agent can work in multiple sectors. Some of the fields where a travel agent can seek employment are

• Airlines
• Railways
• Cab companies
• Touring and travel agencies
• IT Industries

Top Recruiting Agencies for Travel Agent

Some of the major recruiting companies hiring travel agents are

• Cox and Kings
• Thomas Cook
• SOTC
• Kesari Tours
• Club Mahindra Holidays
• Expedia
• Yatra
• Goibibo
• MakeMyTrip
• Travelguru
• Travelite

Pay Scale/Salary of Travel Agent

The travel agent's annual salary depends on both the candidates' skills and experience. The salary will increase with work experience.

Books & Study Material to Become Travel Agent

A travel agent must have good practical knowledge more than theoretical knowledge. However, it is recommended to go through some of the books listed below to learn more about this career.

• Now, Then, and Everywhen by Rysa Walker
• The Easy Way Out by Stephen McCauley
• Hotel, Restaurant, and Travel Law: A Preventive Approach by Karen Morris, Norman Cournoyer, Anthony Marshall
• Drowned Under by Wendall Thomas
• The Customer Comes Second: Put Your People First and Watch 'em Kick Butt by Hal Rosenbluth, Diane McFerrin Peters
• Sunsets by Robin Jones Gunn
• Family Baggage by Monica McInerney
• Manual of Travel Agency Practice by Gwenda Syratt
• Start Your Own Travel Business: Cruises, Adventure Travel, Tours, Senior Travel by Entrepreneur Press
• Thanks for Nothing, Nick Maxwell by Debbie Carbin

Pros of becoming a Travel Agent

• It is not necessary to have a master's degree to become a travel agent.
• One can also choose to work part-time at any travel agency to earn some extra income
• A travel agent can also start his own travel business
• Travel agents can also avail travel benefits in the form of discounts or even complimentary stays at various hotels around the world.
• FAM or familiarisation trips is also a perk of working as a travel agent. This is offered to travel agents so that they visit certain properties and destinations and are then motivated to sell the destination or product to their clients. FAM trips are offered by the hotels, tour operators, airlines and government tourist boards and it is an all-expenses-paid trip.

Cons of becoming a Travel Agent

• The job of a travel agent can be very stressful at times
• The salary and job security will totally depend upon the performance. When the numbers go down, job security may get affected.
• Sometimes one may suffer a loss due to last moment cancellation. 
• Also, if there is a recession or some security concerns arise, travel becomes one of the first industries which suffers. Travel agents have to deal with the uncertainty that way.