Travel agent: job description

What does a travel agent do? Typical salaries | Typical employers | Qualifications and training | Key skills

What does a travel agent do?

A travel agent's role is to help people plan, choose and arrange their holiday. They will usually work to a budget set out by whoever is planning the holiday. They also offer advice and opinions on where to go and local tourist attractions, events and customs.

Typical duties include:

• promoting and marketing the business
• dealing with customer queries and complaints
• providing advice about visas or passports
• recruiting, training and supervising staff
• managing budgets
• maintaining statistical and financial records
• planning
• selling holidays and insurance
• meeting profit or sales targets
• preparing promotional materials and displays.

What do travel agents earn?

Many travel agent jobs offer a basic salary (typically up to £30,000) plus a bonus or commission on sales.

Who are the typical employers of travel agents

• Tour operators
• Package holiday operators
• Cruise lines
• Independent travel agents.

A small number of companies operate head office-based graduate training schemes. Vacancies are advertised on jobs boards and trade publications, including Travel Trade Gazette and Travel Weekly .

What qualifications do you need to be a travel agent?

You don’t often require a degree to work as a travel agent, outside of graduate programmes. Therefore, a degree in any subject is acceptable, although travel, tourism, languages, leisure, business studies or management degree holders may be at an advantage.

A travel training company qualification or relevant travel agency, retail or sales work experience can also be helpful.

Most graduates enter the profession as junior counter staff (travel agency clerk/consultant), moving into managerial positions after having gained several years' experience.

Key skills for travel agents

• Commercial awareness
• Good interpersonal skills
• Numerical ability
• Verbal communication skills.

Fluency in foreign (particularly European) languages and personal travel experience are also highly valued.