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All About Travel Agents
Travel Agent Example 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.
Travel Agent Responsibilities
- Book transportation and hotel reservations, using computer terminal or telephone.
- Print or request transportation carrier tickets, using computer printer system or system link to travel carrier.
- Record and maintain information on clients, vendors, and travel packages.
- Provide customer with brochures and publications containing travel information, such as local customs, points of interest, or foreign country regulations.
- Compute cost of travel and accommodations, using calculator, computer, carrier tariff books, and hotel rate books, or quote package tour’s costs.
- 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.
Other Travel Agent Job Titles
- Tour Counselor
- Corporate Travel Counselor
- Travel Agent
- Travel Professional
- Travel Counselor
Is There Going to be Demand for Travel Agents?
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. The BLS estimates 7,800 yearly job openings in this field.
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.
Average Travel Agents 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.
How much do Travel Agents make 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 |
Tools & Technologies Used by Travel Agents
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
Becoming a Travel Agent
What education or degrees do I need to become a Travel Agent?
What work experience do I need to become a Travel Agent?
Who Employs Travel Agents?
The table below shows the approximate number of Travel Agents employed by various industries.
Related Careers
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)
More about our data sources and methodologies.