HOW TO BECOME A TRAVEL AGENT: SKILLS AND QUALITIES OF A TRAVEL AGENT THAT WILL HELP YOU SELL TRAVEL PACKAGES

When I moved to Australia in 2011, I made a bit of a career move and went from teaching at a primary school to working as a hostel receptionist and travel agent at a small backpackers hostel in Sydney. I loved informing our guests about their travel options and really work with them to make sure they get a holiday experience that they love.

While currently, I am no longer a travel agent, I still help people plan their trips through my blogs and that’s why today, I’d like to share some of my personal top tips on how to become a travel agent and point out the skills and qualities of a good travel agent that will help you perform better in the travel industry.

I will go into strategies to boost your travel sales and get more satisfied customers, as well as bring you useful guides and other tools to help you get the best out of yourself as a travel agent.

Let’s go!

 

Education for Travel Agents

First, let’s start of with some frequently asked questions about the job of a travel agent:

• Is there a school for travel agents?

Many (home based) travel agents learn on the job, but there are also many schools that offer degree programs and certificates in hospitality & tourism. Here, they often focus on the business side of a travel agency, such as sales and marketing, pricing, planning itineraries and working with computer systems. There are also classed that teach you about specific destinations around the world, but of course that is best learned on location, so if you have a passion for travel, that is a plus! You can start working in this field right after high school graduation.

Once you get a job in a travel agency, you’re often schooled on the specific computer systems they use to book airlines, hotels and activities.

• What can I earn as a travel agent?

Travel agents earn a median annual salary of $36,460 (2016). Most people will work via a travel agency, just 15 percent of travel agents are self-employed.

• What are the duties of travel agent?

A travel agent will book and ticket airfare for both domestic and international travel, as well as selling cruises, tour packages, hotels, etc. They handle all aspects of the booking process including documentation, quality control, deposits, final payments, reviewing itineraries, visas, vaccinations, etc.

When the client is on a trip, the travel agent can help to resolve any issues and emergencies.

• What are the skills needed for travel agent jobs?

It’s not all about how to sell travel packages in this job! Part of the travel agent skills and qualities are excellent customer service skills and telephone manner, strong communication and sales skills and the ability to prioritize and cope with pressure at busy times.

Getting to Know the Customer

I believe that one of the most important things in selling travel is to get to know the customer as well as you can. The more you can find out about the wishes of the people in front of you (or on the other side of your website/email/phone), the easier it will be to find a product that they will be happy with.

If you don’t know who the person or (group of) people you’re talking to exactly are, it will be really hard to find a product they’re absolutely going to love. So let’s start chatting to them and find out as much as possible:

• What type of traveller are they?

Are they solo travellers looking to meet people? Are they a couple looking for time together? Are they a group looking to hang out?

• What type of transport do they have in mind?

An organised group tour? A tour with an experienced guide? Do they want to buy or rent their own car? Do they want a flexible hop-on-hop-off bus pass?

• What type of experience are they after?

Are they lovers of nature and adventure sports? Do they search for beaches, bars & parties? Are they looking to learn something? Do they have any specific cultural interests?

• What budget do they have?

Are they looking for experiences over budget options? Are they saving on transport/accommodation to do once-in-a-lifetime activities? Do they have any discount/travellers/student/teacher cards?

• How much time do they have?

Are they looking for day trips? Do they have time for combinations of activities in different locations? Are they in need of a complete tours or train/bus passes within a certain time limit? Can they travel off-peak or do they need to travel in school holidays?

• What is their level of fitness?

Are they limited in mobility? Are they super fit?…. Don’t let age fool you, I’ve had a 70-years old Scottish guy looking for the best place to do a skydive!

As you can see, there is a lot of information to be gained when you spend a little time chatting to your customers and getting to know them a little better. It’s no problem to write some of their wishes down on paper, especially if you promise them to look some things up for them and contact them later with some ideas.

Once you know your customer as good as you possibly can, it’s time to start giving them some ideas of what they can do with their plans, money and time and to start planning their trip and sell them a travel product. Think about how you would like to be approached by a travel agent yourself!