What Does a Travel Agent Do?
Travel agents are professionals who help clients find and plan their next vacation. A travel agent is responsible for matching clients to locations they’ll enjoy and listing activities for them to do while on vacation. Typical duties include planning and selling travel services, cooperating with clients to determine their needs, advising clients on a destination, modes of transportation, travel dates, costs, and accommodations, and providing relevant information to travelers.
This position requires excellent communication and in-depth knowledge of domestic and international travel destinations. Successful travel agents possess remarkable negotiation and sales skills and are passionate about seeing the world and helping others do the same. Travel agents spend most of their time in an office setting, working for a travel agency or self-employed.
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National Average Salary
Travel agent salaries vary by experience, industry, organization size, and geography. To explore salary ranges by local market, please visit our sister site zengig.com.
The average U.S. salary for a Travel Agent is:
$51,300
Travel Agent Job Descriptions
Crafting the perfect job description may be the key to finding an exceptional travel agent. To help you with your recruiting search, our team has put together some examples from past openings.
Example 1
We are searching for an outgoing individual to join our team as a Travel Agent! As a Travel Agent, you are responsible for booking exceptional trips for corporate and leisure clients in various destinations all around the world! This opportunity is great for anyone who absolutely loves to travel and help others with planning these amazing packages. Travel agents handle the entire research and booking process for clients, including but not limited to airline, hotel accommodations, car rentals, and event/ticket sales. We recommend anyone with an outgoing personality, who loves to travel, to apply today!
Roles & responsibilities:
- Research, prepare, and execute exceptional itineraries for clients
- Review individual’s needs and wants for travel
- Complete ongoing training to earn and maintain certification to book travel
- Attend ongoing webinars with vendors and suppliers, to become specialized with specific destinations
- Become an ambassador for the brand
- Work alongside of other team members
- Provide suggested budgets for clients
- Review budgets, and plan trips according to clients budget constraints
- Create promotional materials to utilize
- Stay up to date on changes within the tourism industry
- Monitor restrictions on travel that come and go
- Book travel needs (airline, car rental, hotel accommodations, cruise, ticket/event sales, etc.)
- Effectively communicate with clients pre/post travel
- Promptly respond to all travel inquires
- Effectively manage your time when researching trips and communicating with clients
- Handle issues that may arise during the bookings and/or travel for clients
- Maintain up-to-date information within our software
- Network with tour operators regarding packages that you can possibly offer to clients
- Participate in FAM trips when possible
Requirements:
- Must be at least 18 years of age, and be authorized to work within the US.
- Must be able to effectively communicate with clients (strong sales background a plus)
- Must have a smartphone with internet access, laptop recommend but not required
- Personal travel experience is a huge plus, however not required
- Previous experience in customer service or hospitality also a plus, but not required
Example 2
We are looking for self-driven and coachable individuals, who is passionate about traveling. You will manage travel requirements made for vacation or business and you will provide tourism-related services and package tours on behalf of our suppliers. The goal is to keep our clients satisfied and loyal for future services.
Responsibilities include:
- Plan and sell transportation, accommodations, insurance, and other travel services
- Cooperate with clients to determine their needs and advise them on appropriate destination, modes of transportation, travel dates, costs, and accommodations
- Provide relevant information, brochures, and publications (guides, local customs, maps, regulations, events, etc) to travelers
- Book transportation, make hotel reservations, and collect payment/fees
- Use promotional techniques and prepare promotional materials to sell itinerary tour packages
- Deal with occurring travel problems, complaints, or refunds
- Attend travel seminars to remain updated with tourism trends
- Enter data into our software and maintain client files
- Network with tour operators
- Maintain statistical and financial records
- Meet profit and sales targets
Requirements and skills:
- No experience is necessary and training is included
- Work part-time or full-time
- Excellent knowledge of computer reservations systems is a plus
- Fluency in English; multilingualism is a plus
- Strong sales skills and commercial awareness is a plus
- Ability to interact, communicate and negotiate effectively
- Sound knowledge of domestic and international travel trends is a plus
Example 3
We are looking for a motivated remote travel agent who will be responsible for booking travel arrangements for business and leisure clients to destinations all over the world, while providing exceptional service to exceed clients’ expectations. In addition, you will be providing package options, tours, ticket sales, and more to clients to ensure we are a one-stop shop for all their travel needs.
Responsibilities
- Prepare, plan, and execute travel (including but not limited to airline, car rental, cruises, hotels, and ticket/events)
- Coordinate ground transportation to and from accommodations for clients
- Offer insurance options to clients to cover any sudden and/or unforeseen changes in plans
- Provide top-notch service to clients
- Work well in a group/team setting
- Complete all required training – all done virtually
- Learn about various destinations and vendors
- Stay up to date on the latest travel industry news
- Use promotional and sales techniques to sell various tour packages and specials
- Maintain accurate client records
- Create sales brochures, flyers, and other promotional materials
- Ensure you are promptly following up with all client requests
- Verify you have accurate information when booking trips for clients
- Complete required certifications within a timely manner
Requirements
- Must have a computer and/or cell phone
- Must be at least 18 years of age and be authorized to work within in the US
- You must be comfortable working with minimal supervision
- Must be able to effectively communicate with clients
- We require all candidates to attend Orientation via live webinar
- Prior experience is not required
Sample Interview Questions
- Why do you want to become a travel agent?
- What experience do you have relevant to this position?
- What would you do if your client is unable to afford a package you offered?
- What important questions would you ask a walk-in client?
- How would you deal with an angry client?
- How do you handle stress?
- How would previous coworkers describe you?
- What skills do you possess that are critical to this role?
- What is your experience cold calling potential customers about booking vacations and trips?
- Rank your air travel, hotel, and car bookings by volume. How many customers do you typically work with?
- As a travel agent, what do you look for in a vacation package for your clients?
- Tell me how you organize, plan, and prioritize your work.
- Tell me about an experience in which you analyzed information and evaluated results to choose the best solution to a problem.
