Do you like to sketch and draw? Were you one of those kids who spent hours in school doodling in your notebook? Do you have an eye for form, color, and composition? Then you may have a future as an illustrator.

If you have an interest in travel and adventure, are good with people, have some computer and Internet skills (or are willing to learn), are experienced in sales and marketing, and and you're interested in working in a dynamic, ever-changing industry, then you might just have a future as a travel agent.


Nature of the Work

Constantly changing airfares and schedules, thousands of available vacation packages, and a vast amount of travel information on the Internet can make travel planning frustrating and time-consuming.
To sort out the many travel options, tourists and business people
alike often turn to travel agents, who assess their needs and help them make the best possible travel arrangements. Also, many major cruise lines, resorts, and specialty travel groups use travel agents to promote travel packages to millions of people every year.

In general, travel agents give advice on destinations and make
arrangements for transportation, hotel accommodations, car rentals, tours, and recreation. In addition, they are also sometimes called upon to offer advice on weather conditions at the destination in question, restaurants, tourist attractions, and recreation. For international travel, agents also provide information on customs regulations, required papers (passports, visas, and certificates of vaccination), and currency exchange rates.

To accomplish their tasks, travel agents consult a variety of published and computer-based sources for information on departure and arrival times, airline and car rental fares, and hotel ratings and accommodations. They may also personally visit hotels, resorts, and restaurants to evaluate comfort, cleanliness, and quality of food and service so that they can base recommendations on their own travel experiences or those of colleagues or clients.

Most travel agents also spend time promoting their business, using telemarketing, direct mail, and the Internet to get their message out to prospective clients. They make presentations to social and special-interest groups, arrange advertising displays, and suggest company-sponsored trips to business managers.

Working Conditions

Travel agents spend most of their time behind a desk conferring
with clients, completing paperwork, contacting airlines and hotels
for travel arrangements, and promoting group tours.

During vacation seasons and holiday periods, they may be under a great deal of pressure. Many agents, especially those who are self-employed, frequently work long hours. With advanced computer systems and telecommunication networks, some travel agents are able to work at home.


Training, and Other Qualifications

In general, the minimum educational requirement for those interested in becoming a travel agent is a high school diploma or equivalent. Technology and computerization are having a profound effect on the work of travel agents, however, and formal or specialized training is increasingly important.

Many technical and vocational schools offer full-time travel agent programs that last several months, as well as evening and weekend programs. Travel agent courses also are offered in public adult ed programs and in community and 4-year colleges. A few colleges offer bachelor’s or master’s degrees in travel and tourism.

The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) offers a correspondence course that provides a basic understanding of the travel industry. Travel agencies also provide on-the-job training for their employees, a significant part of which consists of computer instruction.

All employers require computer skills of workers whose jobs
involve the operation of airline and centralized reservation systems. Experienced travel agents can take advanced self-study or group study courses from the Travel Institute that lead to the Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) designation. The Travel Institute also offers marketing and sales skills development programs and destination specialist programs, which provide a detailed knowledge of regions such as North America, Western Europe, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Rim.

Personal travel experience or experience as an airline reservation agent is an asset because knowledge about a city or foreign country often helps to influence a client’s travel plans. Patience and the ability to gain the confidence of clients also are useful qualities.

Travel agents must be well-organized, accurate, and meticulous
to compile information from various sources and plan and organize their clients’ travel itineraries. As the Internet has become an important tool for making travel arrangements, more travel agencies are using Web sites to provide their services to clients. This trend has increased the importance of computer skills in this occupation. Other desirable qualifications include good writing, interpersonal, and sales skills.
Some employees start as reservation clerks or receptionists in
travel agencies. With experience and some formal training, they
Travel agents often recommend places to stay, eat, and visit to
travelers.

Those who start their own agencies generally have had experience in an established agency. Before they can receive commissions, these agents usually must gain formal approval from suppliers or corporations, such as airlines, ship lines, or rail lines. 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.
There are no Federal licensing requirements for travel agents.
However, nine States—California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa,
Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington—require some form of registration or certification of retail sellers of travel services.

Job Outlook

Unfortunately, employment of travel agents is expected to decline through 2012. Most openings will occur as experienced agents transfer to other occupations or leave the labor force.
Because of the projected decline and the fact that a number of people are attracted by the travel benefits associated with this occupation, keen competition for jobs is expected.

An increasing reliance on the Internet to book travel, as well as
industry consolidation, will continue to reduce the need for travel
agents. The Internet increasingly allows people to access travel
information from their personal computers, enabling them to research and plan their own trips, make their own reservations and travel arrangements, and purchase their own tickets. Also, airlines no longer pay commissions to travel agencies, which has reduced revenues and caused some agencies to go out of business.

However, many consumers still prefer to use a professional travel agent to ensure reliability, to save time, and, in some cases, to save money.

Moderating the employment decline, however, are projections
for increased spending on tourism and travel over the next decade. With rising household incomes, smaller families, and an increasing number of older people who are more likely to travel, more people are expected to travel on vacation—and to do so more frequently—than in the past. Business travel also should bounce back from recession and terrorism related lows as business activity expands.

There are other factors spurring demand for travel agents that
will moderate any decline. Most notable is the increasing
affordability of air travel. Greater competition between airlines,
especially from low-cost carriers, has resulted in bringing airfares within the budgets of more people. In addition, American travel agents now organize more tours for the growing number of foreign visitors. Also, travel agents often are able to offer various travel packages at a substantial discount.

Be aware that the travel business is sensitive to economic downturns and international political crises, when travel plans are likely to be deferred. Therefore, the number of job opportunities for travel agents fluctuates. The best opportunities will be for those travel agents that can utilize the Internet for their own operations to reduce costs and better compete with travel suppliers.

Earnings

Experience, sales ability, and the size and location of the agency
determine the salary of a travel agent. Median annual earnings of travel agents were about $28,000 in 2004. The middle 50 percent earned between $21,800 and $35,000.

Salaried agents usually enjoy standard employer-paid benefits
that self-employed agents must provide for themselves. Among
agencies, those focusing on corporate sales pay higher salaries and provide more extensive benefits, on average, than do those that focus on leisure sales.

When they travel for personal reasons, agents usually get reduced rates for transportation and accommodations. In addition, agents sometimes take “familiarization” trips, at no costto themselves, to learn about various vacation sites. These benefits attract many people to this occupation.

Earnings of travel agents who own their agencies depend mainly
on commissions from travel-related bookings and service fees they charge clients. Often it takes time to acquire a sufficient number of clients to have adequate earnings, so it is not unusual for new self-employed agents to have lower-than-average earnings. Established agents, on the other hand, may have lower earnings during economic downturns.

Summary

In summary, if you really love travel and the travel industry, and you're willing to work hard and be dedicated to your craft, you can make a living as a professional travel agent. Just understand that the work may be sporadic, especially if you're starting your own agency, the wages low at times, and you'll be competing against many other aspiring travel agents. But don't let that stop you if you decided that travel is something you love and really want to pursue as a career.  

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