Career Advice for a Travel Agent

Working as a Travel Agent, you will meet with customers face to face, or over the phone. You will attain their needs and make recommendations for travel, accommodation, excursions, and insurance.

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How to Become a Travel Agent

Choosing your career path and learning how to become the person you aspire to be is not always straight forward; getting a job in your chosen industry will take dedication, focus and the right qualifications.

When you have chosen the career path you wish to follow, you will need to learn how to become a Travel Agent

Should you wish to work as a Travel Agent you will need to evaluate what courses are required, their cost and what qualifications you need. It is important that you also assess whether you have the right credentials from a personality point of view, what the demands of the job are and whether they complement the lifestyle that you desire.

Another factor to consider, should you wish to fulfil your career aspirations, is the number of jobs you will need to have to reach your ultimate job, and the length of time it will take to reach this goal.

Common Qualifications for a Travel Agent

  • Four GCSEs, including English and Maths.
  • Level 3 Diploma in Travel and Tourism.
  • Computer proficiency, including Microsoft Office.

Key Responsibilities for a Travel Agent

  • Talking to customers to ascertain their needs.
  • Finding and recommending suitable holiday packages, flights, hotels, and transfers.
  • Making bookings and selling insurance and excursions.
  • Providing advice on vaccinations, passports, driving laws. and visas.
  • Contacting customers to provide advice on alterations or cancellations.
  • Handling complaints and arranging refunds.
  • Meeting weekly or monthly sales targets.

What to expect as a Travel Agent

When you become a Travel Agent, you will work in a high-street store, office, or from home. You may need to wear a uniform or business dress. Successful Travel Agents possess excellent communication, administrative, sales, and customer service skills.

Recommended Travel Agent Jobs

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How to get Travel Agent Jobs

Our advice on how to get a Travel Agent job is to focus on preparation and personalisation.

Preparation

This occurs before you write a CV cover letter or complete a Travel Agent application. If you have not held a Travel Agent position before, it will help to research the industry and review what a typical career path might look like. If you have held a Travel Agent role, focus your research on the company where you are seeking employment.

Valuable resources that will help you learn about the employer include the company’s career page, social media page, blog, job ad, and job description. Helpful information will consist of the company’s mission statement, values, and vision. You could also use an employer review site to gain insights on average salaries, what current employees say about the company culture, and what it is like to work for the organisation.

Personalisation

You are now in a position to use what you have learned in your Travel Agent CV, cover letter, and application. You should personalise each Travel Agent application, cover letter, and CV; prioritising job skills and relevant experience and providing examples that show you have similar values and goals.

This pre-application stage is a crucial step in how to become a Travel Agent in the UK. It puts you in a superbly informed state, ready for forthcoming telephone, video, or in-person interviews.

Students: How to Become a Travel Agent 

As with all professions, choose your study topics carefully. Review the qualifications needed to be a Travel Agent and the subjects you will need to enrol in certification courses, higher education, or online courses. 

Aligning your study subjects

The more closely you align your study subjects with your career path, the more likely you will be to have projects and modules that you can refer to and show a prospective employer that you have practical or theoretical Travel Agent experience.

How to get Travel Agent Experience

What does it take to be a Travel Agent? The best way to find out is to get work experience, which will be invaluable when applying for Travel Agent jobs. You can learn how to be a successful Travel Agent through internships, apprenticeships, or volunteering for a local business.

How to be a Travel Agent Part-Time 

If you are wondering how to get into Travel Agent part-time, there are several possibilities. You might find a new employer looking for a part-time Travel Agent or find your existing employer is amenable. Often companies recognise the value of flexible hours and having more staff at work during busy times of the day. 

Travel Agent freelance work

If you have impressive Travel Agent qualifications and experience, you could take on the challenges of working freelance with control over your schedule.

Making a Career Change

How to start a career in this profession if you work in another industry may require studying for qualifications online and focusing on transferable skills when writing your CV and attending job interviews.