If you understand the airline industry and have enough traveling experience, you can work as a travel agent and that too from your home. I have listed some of the best travel agent jobs to help you get started.
While Instagram may have fooled you into believing that being a travel agent is a glamorous job, it doesn’t show you what’s happening behind the scenes.
Sure enough, it’s fun to travel the world and be in a new country every week.
However, the job also comes with a lot of responsibilities and time management. Regardless of the time zone, you have to be in touch with your customers.
Plus, you must be extremely organized and meticulous about detail to fulfill the job as a travel agent.
In this guide, we’ll discuss everything you need to know before booking your first client as a travel agent.
How to Become a Travel Agent
As mentioned above, you don’t need formal training to work as a travel agent. If you have a knack for organization and love traveling, the field will welcome you with open arms.
Here are a few things to decide before you start offering your services.
Agency or Independent?
Firstly, you must decide where you’ll work:
- Do you want to be affiliated with an agency, or would you rather work alone?
- Do you want to work independently while doing part-time work for an agency too?
Both scenarios have their own advantages. If you’re working with an established travel agency, they’ll always have clients coming in.
More customers mean more commissions – that’s good news for your bank account.
Also, you’ll get a base salary from the company for your service. Even in the off-season, you won’t be out of work.
On the other hand, working independently comes with perks too. You can keep all the commissions for yourself. Plus, you have more freedom in choosing accommodations and making itineraries.
Remote or Physical?
Do you want to work as an online travel agent or sit in an office? If you work for an agency, you’ll most probably be working in an office.
However, once you start working independently, you can manage customers while working from home too. There are plenty of travel agencies offering work-from-home opportunities for travel agents.
The best place to find home-based travel agent opportunities is through FlexJobs, which is a platform that specializes in work-from-home jobs.
If you are looking for in-person or more quantity of jobs, then you need to use ZipRecruiter. They are one of the largest job boards in the entire world and feature 50,000 different travel agent job opportunities.
Choose a Niche
It’s practically impossible for one person to be knowledgeable about the whole world. Thus, you have to select a niche. You can choose one that interests you the most, such as safaris, cruises, Europe trips, local vacations, honeymoons, etc.
For instance, if you’re interested in planning trips to the Amalfi Coast and want to work around the Italian and French regions; you should stick to that.
You can also narrow down the country to smaller areas, like specific beaches or towns. Then, learn about every tourist activity, experience, hotel, restaurant, and excursion in the area.
How flexible are the hours?
The flexibility of travel agents is determined by the firm you join and the sort of position you want to pursue. As a licensed travel agent, you may be required to meet additional goals. Hiring an agent on commission is another way to enter the field of travel.
You can work 9-8 hours, work nights while your children sleep, or take off whenever you want more cash. It appears to be a part-time job when there are many more alternatives and greater flexibility available.
Do I need training or qualifications to become a travel agent?
Therefore, a remote travel agent may not need any special training or experience. Your desire for travel and planning the best possible holiday are things that will count for many when looking for travel agent jobs.
However, it helps to have a certification if you’re considering pursuing a job in the travel industry or you’d like to eventually become a travel consultant. One of the best programs is done by Global Travel Agents, where you’ll learn, network, and join a community full of work-from-home, remote travel agents.
A TAP testing program by travel institutes could help improve credibility. It could be done through travel agencies, or by independent agencies.
Where to Find Travel Agent Jobs
Here are some of the legit travel agent jobs that you can apply to today from the most reputable online job boards.
FlexJobs
If you are solely looking for remote jobs in the travel industry, look no further than FlexJobs. FlexJobs is a company that exclusively offers remote positions, and its Travel category boasts over 100 such positions.
There are a number of different travel agencies with a global presence offering positions for travel agents.
FlexJobs is a platform that can connect you with some of the best remote travel agent jobs available. In one day, you get access to more than 100 different jobs – from cruise agents to travel consultants. You can even find a job that allows you to work from home.
That’s where Flexjobs has the advantage over others – they’re a remote company that specializes in remote positions, and not just any remote positions- all remote positions.
No matter what type of travel agent position you want, FlexJobs will have it.
In addition, many on the list also offer jobs for people without experience or training in this field. It’s difficult to find a job as a newbie in this industry but FlexJobs makes it easy to get interviewed by hiring managers and land more interviews.
Virtual Vocations
Virtual Vocations lists travel agent job openings on their site.
They are best for career-oriented professionals. This company offers the best travel agent jobs worldwide, with over 100 open positions every month. On average, they receive 3,000 applications per day so the best way to get noticed is by using the marketing techniques mentioned below.
This company focuses on hiring experienced agents—you must have at least 2 years of experience with a polished CV and Cover Letter.
Polishing your CV is just as important as polishing your grooming. If you’re not willing to invest the time and effort into creating a polished resume, then don’t expect companies to invest their time in reading it either.
Check job openings on Virtual Vocations now.
Travel Agent Jobs Opportunities
Finding travel agent jobs with no experience can be a bit tough. However, with a few impressive interviews and a display of passion for the field, you’ll get into any agency.
Polk Majestic Travel Group
The Polk Majestic Travel Group is based in Denver and has a global workforce of over 150 travel agents. The company looks for professionals in different niches, including editing, client services, hospitality, travel, and writing.
They offer dental insurance and health insurance plans for their employees. Additionally, their staff gets paid holidays and competitive salaries.
Turquoise Waters Ahead
Based in Fort Lauderdale, Turquoise Waters Ahead hires travel agents to provide tourism-related services to clients all over the world.
They also train people who have no prior experience in the field.
You must simply be passionate about management and traveling. The basic job description includes booking vacations for customers, talking to the vendors, and communicating information between both parties.
This host agency offers a flexible work schedule, allowing you to work whenever you want. Plus, you get travel discounts for yourself and your family.
See Related: 8 Top Travel Agency Blogs
7 Seas Travel
7 Seas Travel is a Houston-based travel agency that’s paying up to $100,000 to its employees.
Unlike other agencies that keep most commissions, 7 Seas Travel promises up to 90% payout.
At the agency, you’ll be booking vacations for sporting teams, military, family reunions, destination weddings, schools, and much more.
Moreover, they have access to more than 133 desired vendors, including Disney, Hilton, Universal Studios, Club Med, etc.
Besides booking air travel, they also book amusement parks, concert tickets, excursions, car rentals, cruise lines, etc.
As a travel agent for the company, you’ll have a flexible working schedule and travel perks, such as Disney hopper passes and free cruises.
See Related: Best Credit Cards for Travel Perks
Rollinglobe
If you want to work online, Rollinglobe might have a vacancy for you.
The company is based in New York and is affiliated with many preferred vendors. They offer full-time, part-time, and remote travel agent jobs.
In addition, there is an opportunity for travel consultants as well.
Sunnkiss’d Travel
Sunkiss’d Travel is a family-owned travel agency that trains people with no experience. If you’re passionate, you can join their team, and they’ll teach you all the tips and tricks of the trade.
To work for the agency, you must cooperate with their clients to determine their needs. You’ll be responsible for arranging transport, managing travel dates, and choosing appropriate spots to travel.
Plus, you must have intermediate tech knowledge.
The company requires you to fill in financial records and maintain files for each client. Initially, the agency offers a 60% commission range, which increases to 90% once you gain experience.
Plus, you’ll get discounts in the travel industry.
World Travel Holdings
World Travel Holdings provides travel and hospitality job opportunities.
Established in 2005, the company is one of the biggest travel distributors in the US. They also pride themselves on being the largest cruise agency in the world.
The agency works with forty cruise brands, including CruisesOnly and Island Hideaways. Additionally, they have partnered with companies providing air travel and luxury lodgings.
You can work full-time or take up a remote position at the company.
Happy Travels
Happy Travels has several jobs for experienced and entry-level travel agents for managing group vacations, retreats, birthdays, and conferences.
They also cover weddings and business trips. Your responsibility as a travel agent will be to communicate with clients through texts, email, and calls.
Additionally, you’ll have to follow a client’s trip from start to finish. Luckily, there are no requirements for the job. You just need to be friendly and have a grip on English. As for education, a high school degree is all you need.
Since the hours are flexible, you won’t be stressed while working. Plus, you’ll get bonus pay and the ability to work from home.
Keep in mind that Happy Travels does not offer training.
Ahoy Vacations
Ahoy Vacations look for self-starters who want to join their team. You don’t need to be experienced, but prior work comes in handy.
Even better, you can work from home and set your own hours. Since the job is commission-based, there’s no limit to how much you can earn. The company also offers training for people who might need it.
While working for the agency, you can learn how to build a clientele. Moreover, you’ll be responsible for reporting performance data and taking part in marketing activities to increase sales.
Hopper
Hopper wants to make booking travel easier and faster. If that sounds like something you can do, you should try your luck at the agency. Forbes featured Hopper as the fastest-growing app.
Plus, Fast Company listed it among the most innovative companies in the world.
Your role at the agency would be to manage hotel and air booking. Also, you’ll have to work with global distributors while helping customers have the best experience.
According to the company, most team members speak with 40 or more clients per day.
When you work with Hopper, you’ll get paid medical and dental insurance plans. Plus, you’ll have access to the Retirement Savings Plan in Canada.
See Related: Important Pros and Cons of Travel Insurance
What is a Travel Agent?
Simply put, a travel agent sells lodging, entertainment activities, and transport to travelers – individuals and groups.
Typically, travel agents work in designated office spaces or work from home. It’s one of the most well-known remote jobs out there given the ability for it to be conducted on the go. However, they can also work on their laptops or phones, sitting in a cafe or their bedroom.
Travel Agent Salary
Most successful travel agents can earn good money so long as they are a self-starter and have the right backing. The median salary is around $40,000, but it may be higher depending on the commissions you earn from your dealings with clients and service providers as well as your job title.
Also, travel agencies pay compensation very differently depending on the success of the firm.
If you’re good at your job, you can even earn more than $200,000 annually.
Additionally, travel agents get to travel on discounted flights and live in low-cost lodgings. Thus, their salaries don’t have to cover expenses that other job holders have to pay for.
The bulk of a travel agent’s salary comes from commissions.
Basically, you’ll be a salesperson as well as a customer service representative trying to convince your clients to choose a certain hotel or travel destination.
For example, you might have compiled a five-day Yellowstone itinerary that you now have to find clients for. Now, if you’re working for an agency, you’ll earn via two streams.
Firstly, you’ll get a base salary depending on your position in the agency.
Secondly, you’ll get a commission split. Since this differs from one agency to another, you’ll have to decide this with your workplace beforehand.
For example, if you’re taking clients to see villages in England, you’ll be booking hotels for them too.
If your agency has a 70-30 split, you’ll get 30% of the commissions while 70% goes to the agency.
Work From Home Travel Agent Salary
Once you have a vast clientele, you can work for yourself.
Nowadays, travel agents working from home are very common. However, for that, you must have rounded sufficient clients.
Working as a home-based travel agent, you won’t get the base salary. But you’ll be able to keep 100% of the commission.
Keeping this in mind, you should know that all your money will come from commissions. Thus, your earnings will depend on the number of clients you’re working with every month.
In this case, the important thing to remember is that you’re responsible for any mistake you may make in the client’s itinerary.
For example, if you’re taking a couple for a 36-hour trip to Paris and an error on your part makes them miss their flights, you’re liable to pay for the seats. Therefore, you need insurance, which is quite expensive.
However, it’s the better option since you won’t have to compensate for such mistakes out of your pocket.
Education Requirements
Travel agents don’t need any formal education for their job. Typically, a high school diploma is enough for you to get started. Additionally, knowing basic geography and history also helps along the way.
Although education doesn’t matter much, you should have some essential personal skills to be a good travel agent. The most important of these skills is to be a great salesperson. At the end of the day, you have to sell an itinerary.
Moreover, you must pay attention to detail. Let’s say, your client wants to spend two days in Amsterdam. You can name all the places they must visit.
But here’s the catch: they only have two days.
In a situation like this, travel agents have to be impeccable at time management.
Likewise, if a couple is going to Paris on a honeymoon, you can easily book a hotel for them. But you must remember that it’s a special trip.
Putting their wedding picture in the room or adding romantic activities on their itinerary will ensure they choose you for their future vacations too.
Travel Agent Job Description: Roles & Responsibilities
A successful travel agent will typically have the following responsibilities:
- Arranging itineraries for individual travelers and group travel
- Calculating the total cost of travel
- Developing complex travel plans for both leisure travel and business travel
- Planning cruises, safaris, excursions, packages, day trips, and landing exclusive benefits for their customers
- Book travel arrangements and travel insurance
- Making required changes along the way
- Checking the local attractions, weather, and traditions to guide the clients
- Telling clients about the required documents for travel
- Researching real-time travel information to plan for potential interruptions in travel schedules
- Booking hotels and car rentals
Beyond this, travel agents generally need to be extremely detail-oriented as you are likely with multiple customers, each with a distinct, complex travel itinerary.
See Related: Free Printable Travel Planner
Conclusion
Working as a travel agent is all fun and games until you realize that you put ‘PM’ instead of ‘AM’ on a client’s itinerary. Errors are inevitable. But the least you can do is to be prepared to deal with them.
In this guide, we discussed how to find a work-at-home job as a travel agent or one for an established travel company. By now, you should have a fair idea of what is expected of you and how to become a travel agent.
Also, we talked about how and where you can work to ensure a handsome income. Hopefully, my list of job opportunities to become a travel agent has helped you decide if the jet-lagged life is for you and helps you land that dream job in the travel industry.
Beyond this, travel agents generally need to be extremely detail-oriented as you are likely with multiple clients, each with a distinct, complex travel itinerary.
See Related: Free Printable Travel Planner
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do you get a job as a travel agent?
You can work as a traveler and there are different ways to do this. The best way is to think about what you want and see what type of work would suit it.
Most of the top travel agent jobs require you to have experience in a different field. People who do not have experience might not end up getting the best job because employers might give preference to people with a full range of skills from the beginning. One option is starting as a trainee or intern with an agency that offers packages for new business owners.
How much does a travel agent usually make?
The income of a travel agent can vary. Entry-level agents might make $35,000 to $45,000 while managers of large agencies and businesses make $150,000 or more.
Can anyone become a travel agent?
Yes! There are no requirements to becoming a travel agent. Anyone who is interested and has completed high school or GED can become a travel agent.
What does a travel agent do?
A travel agent can help you plan your travel arrangements. A good one will search for flights and hotels. They might also organize your transport to the hotel, like getting a taxi or flight. They might also provide packing lists of what you need for your trip.
Can you make good money as a travel agent?
A travel agent’s salary is typically based on an hourly wage, commission-based pay, or some combination of both. Depending on your experience and the agency you work for, salaries can vary greatly—from as low as $10 per hour to over $100,000 per year.
Is a travel agent a good job?
Yes, being a travel agent is an excellent career. Because travel agents may perform a variety of tasks in the sector, it’s recommended that you contact someone who is already in the business before making your decision to see if the jobs is the right fit for you.
Which company is best for a travel agent?
The best company for a travel agent is one that meets your personal preferences in culture, compensation, working methods, and flexibility. There are several firms where you may thrive; it all depends on your area of expertise and the sort of traveling demands you have.
Related Resources
- How to Build a Travel Website
- 11 Travel Agency Digital Marketing Ideas
- Free Travel Rewards Spreadsheet Template
- Best Hotel Digital Marketing Tips
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