All About Travel Agents
Job Description: Plan and sell transportation and accommodations for travel agency customers. Determine destination, modes of transportation, travel dates, costs, and accommodations required. May also describe, plan, and arrange itineraries and sell tour packages. May assist in resolving clients’ travel problems.
What Do Travel Agents Do On a Daily Basis?
- Collect payment for transportation and accommodations from customer.
- Record and maintain information on clients, vendors, and travel packages.
- Compute cost of travel and accommodations, using calculator, computer, carrier tariff books, and hotel rate books, or quote package tour’s costs.
- Provide customer with brochures and publications containing travel information, such as local customs, points of interest, or foreign country regulations.
- Plan, describe, arrange, and sell itinerary tour packages and promotional travel incentives offered by various travel carriers.
- Converse with customer to determine destination, mode of transportation, travel dates, financial considerations, and accommodations required.
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Things a Travel Agent Should Know How to Do
Below is a list of the skills most Travel Agents say are important on the job.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Persuasion: Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Related Job Titles for this Occupation:
- Tour Counselor
- Travel Counselor
- Travel Service Consultant
- Tour Coordinator
- Certified Corporate Travel Executive
What Kind of Travel Agent Job Opportunities Are There?
In the United States, there were 81,700 jobs for Travel Agent in 2016. There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Travel Agent. There will be an estimated 7,800 positions for Travel Agent per year.
The states with the most job growth for Travel Agent are Washington, Alaska, and Maryland. Watch out if you plan on working in Wisconsin, Ohio, or North Dakota. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Travel Agent Average Salary
The average yearly salary of a Travel Agent ranges between $22,370 and $66,080.
Travel Agents who work in District of Columbia, Washington, or Arizona, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Travel Agents in different U.S. states.
| State | Annual Mean Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $45,070 |
| Alaska | $42,060 |
| Arizona | $48,980 |
| Arkansas | $37,580 |
| California | $47,460 |
| Colorado | $44,750 |
| Connecticut | $48,780 |
| Delaware | $41,800 |
| District of Columbia | $56,790 |
| Florida | $41,630 |
| Georgia | $35,190 |
| Hawaii | $42,170 |
| Idaho | $38,280 |
| Illinois | $41,100 |
| Indiana | $40,640 |
| Iowa | $41,330 |
| Kansas | $45,940 |
| Kentucky | $41,470 |
| Louisiana | $38,060 |
| Maine | $34,510 |
| Maryland | $36,300 |
| Massachusetts | $49,920 |
| Michigan | $42,530 |
| Minnesota | $45,530 |
| Mississippi | $34,120 |
| Missouri | $40,100 |
| Montana | $45,810 |
| Nebraska | $41,650 |
| Nevada | $56,590 |
| New Hampshire | $44,420 |
| New Jersey | $49,330 |
| New Mexico | $40,970 |
| New York | $40,000 |
| North Carolina | $40,690 |
| North Dakota | $33,600 |
| Ohio | $36,250 |
| Oklahoma | $36,940 |
| Oregon | $38,520 |
| Pennsylvania | $42,700 |
| Rhode Island | $37,280 |
| South Carolina | $33,150 |
| South Dakota | $36,140 |
| Tennessee | $42,600 |
| Texas | $39,670 |
| Utah | $43,590 |
| Vermont | $44,000 |
| Virginia | $44,970 |
| Washington | $52,790 |
| West Virginia | $35,420 |
| Wisconsin | $37,350 |
| Wyoming | $47,440 |
What Tools do Travel Agents Use?
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Travel Agents:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft Access
- Data entry software
- Intuit QuickBooks
- Travel Agent CMS
How to Become a Travel Agent
Are there Travel Agents education requirements?
What work experience do I need to become a Travel Agent?
Where Travel Agents Work
Below are examples of industries where Travel Agents work:
Similar Careers
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References:
Image Credit: Nick Nijhuis via Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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