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A Travel Agent Career can be Rewarding and Fun.
Many people imagine what it would be like to
have a travel agent career, or even what it
would be like to have their own travel agent
business. The perception is that travel agent
jobs do not pay
very well but that there are a lot of perks.
And, there are a lot of jobs in travel right now
too.
While it is true that the typical travel agent
jobs do not break six figures, some travel agents
make good money and get to enjoy many benefits
as well. Training for travel agency jobs is
relatively inexpensive and less time consuming
than going to a regular university or college,
though many campuses do offer some travel agent
courses now. Learn how to be an agent for travel
planning, and you can even jump in with your own travel
agent business from home. Get with a career
counselor at any local college campus. They can
tell you about the travel agent course they may
offer and any qualifications you will need to
get into the travel agent business.
Gone are the days when airline
pilots made a ton of money and travel agency
jobs were at the bottom of the totem pole when
it came to pay. Since most airline pilots for
regional airlines make less than $40,000 per
year and many as low as $24,000 per year when
first starting out. But travel agent jobs are
different.
In contrast, travel
agent jobs starting out can expect to make a salary
of around $36,000 or more, plus a lot more in
commissions. You can probably expect more in
your own travel agent business. You don't become
travel agent material overnight, but with the regular
travel agency jobs, you can make a great living!
The biggest incentive and attraction for a
travel agent career is the lure of free or
sharply reduced price travel for agents. In the
old days agents used to travel for free, only
paying the taxes. The airlines and cruise ships
would shower them with free vouchers and free
cruises or free buddy passes or sometimes all of
the above. Upgrades were very common. All the
agent had to do was flash their travel agent
card and the ticket agent would upgrade them to
first class. If you were on a cruise ship you
could always get a better and bigger stateroom
closer to the deck and with better views. When
you arrived at your destination hotels would
cater to you and give you great rooms, food,
drinks, and even tickets to shows, especially
for international travel agents visiting a
foreign country.
Today, a travel agent career
has changed a lot. Travel agency jobs are
different. Many network marketing
schemes were invented that offered the title of
“travel agent” without actually being one. They
sold you a “travel agent” official card and
registration and they gave you a working “travel
agent” website, but the real game was like a
pyramid scheme where you had to recruit new
members who paid money to get in. The more
people you brought in and the more they brought
in, the more money you were promised. Most of
these schemes would fail of course and the only
people that made any money were the ones that
got in first. It diluted the
power of the travel agent career privilege by
creating too many fake travel agents. Once the
airlines, cruise ships, and hotels figured it
out, it meant the end of many of the perks that
were historically associated with being in a travel
agent business, and the traditional era of a
travel agent career was over.
Still, a travel agent career can be exciting again now.
Jobs in travel are full of adventure. If the agent is a good or excellent salesperson,
a travel agent career can be lucrative,
especially if you have your own travel agent
business. Some
travel agency jobs, especially international
travel agents these days, provide extensive networks of
loyal customers who come back to them again and
again over the years and refer their friends and
family. This can lead to a lot of steady income
and possibly your own travel agent business!
Other Travel Agent Business Resources:
Travel Agencies in New York
Insurance For Small Business
Travel Health Insurance
Business Credit Card
Applications Credit Card Companies Use |
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