Travel Agent Career

Travel agents facilitate customers to find out best possible travel arrangements. They recommend destinations and make arrangements for the hotel accommodations, car rentals, transportation, and tours for customers. Travelers may book tickets at their booking offices. Additionally, specialty travel groups and resorts use travel agents to endorse travel packages to their clients.

Nature of Work

Travel agents are expected to know about various destinations. They should be able to advice travelers and guide them to choose their destinations. A travel agent must possess knowledge of destinations such as local ordinances and customs, weather conditions, exhibitions, and attractions.

Travel agents who work at international level should possess ample information about various destinations in the world. They, usually, provide information about customs regulations, currency exchange rates, travel advisories, required papers such as visas, passports, certificate of vaccination, etc.

A travel agent has to use a variety of computer based and published information on arrival and departure of times, hotel accommodations, fares, and group discussion. These travel agents visit resorts, hotels, and restaurants to examine the cleanliness, comfort, and quality of a particular restaurant and hotel so that they can recommend colleagues and clients.

A travel agent initially works for tour operators. Subsequently, they help, develop, and sell their agency’s own package tours and travel services. Travel agents promote these services by means of telemarketing, internet, and direct mail. They prepare presentations for special-interest and social groups, suggest trip sponsored by the company, and arrange advertising displays.

Sometimes, travel agents face competition from airline and travel websites for low-cost fares; however, customers prefer employing travel agents who assists them in various ways to reach their destinations. In order to tempt these travelers, some travel agents specialize in a particular destination.

Work Environment

Travel agents have to spend much amount of time behind a desk consulting with clients, contacting airlines and hotels, competing paperwork, making travel arrangements, and promoting tours. They use computers to register prospective travelers’ destinations and other records. Travel agents use telephone and computer researching travel itineraries and updating travel documents and reservations.

At times, travel agents may work under extensive stress during travel emergencies or when they require rescheduling missed reservations. In summer and holiday travel period, travel agents tend to be busy. They deal with a number of responsibilities when traveling business is at its best.

Some travel agents who are self-employed, usually, work long hours. The arrival of advanced telecommunication networks and computer systems has made it possible for agents to work at home.