What Do Travel Agent Do?
Example of Travel Agent Job 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.
List of Travel Agent Job Duties
- Record and maintain information on clients, vendors, and travel packages.
- Plan, describe, arrange, and sell itinerary tour packages and promotional travel incentives offered by various travel carriers.
- Compute cost of travel and accommodations, using calculator, computer, carrier tariff books, and hotel rate books, or quote package tour’s costs.
- Converse with customer to determine destination, mode of transportation, travel dates, financial considerations, and accommodations required.
- Print or request transportation carrier tickets, using computer printer system or system link to travel carrier.
- Collect payment for transportation and accommodations from customer.
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Travel Agent Skills
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.
Types of Travel Agent Jobs
- Tour Counselor
- Corporate Travel Consultant
- Travel Service Consultant
- Tour Agent
- Corporate Travel Agent
Is There Going to be Demand for Travel Agents?
There were about 81,700 jobs for Travel Agent in 2016 (in the United States). There is little to no growth in job opportunities for Travel Agent. Due to new job openings and attrition, there will be an average of 7,800 job openings in this field each 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 Salary
The salary for Travel Agents ranges between about $22,370 and $66,080 a year.

Travel Agents who work in District of Columbia, Washington, or Arizona, make the highest salaries.
How much do Travel Agents make in each U.S. state?
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 & Technology do Travel Agents Use?
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Travel Agents may use on a daily basis:
- 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
What kind of Travel Agent requirements are there?

How many years of work experience do I need?

Where Travel Agents Are Employed

Below are examples of industries where Travel Agents work:

You May Also Be Interested In…
Those thinking about becoming a Travel Agent might also be interested in the following careers:
References:
Image Credit: Nick Nijhuis via Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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