The Ultimate Guide to Work-From-Home Travel Agent Jobs
Being a travel agent is a great part-time job for anyone that has a passion for travel, wants a flexible job that fits their current life, and out of the 9-5 model of jobs. Here we will show you the ultimate guide in having one of these work-from-home travel agent jobs.
What Does a Travel Agent Do?
If you are looking to expand your career opportunities and you love to travel, you may have asked yourself, “What are some fun part time jobs?” Well, a travel agent’s job falls into the category of fun as you are helping people book and schedule their next dream vacation. It is a people-oriented type of job where you get to work with each client individually and understand their ideal holidays, so you can plan their best value and vacation suitable for them. Whether they’re a retired couple looking for a two-week vacation through Europe, or a group of friends that just want to have a weekend off from work, a travel agent works to create a vacation package to fit their customer’s needs.
Travel agents work directly with each of their clients to make sure their needs are met. This can include finding the lowest price possible due to budgetary restrictions or meeting specific dietary, medical, or accessibility needs.
Travel agents work at their own pace during the year – there really is no off-season. Although, it is common to have higher demand during peak vacation booking times. In cruising, the industry’s busy booking season is typically January through March, known as ‘wave season.’ While people tend to travel the most during the summer and holiday seasons, agents are focused on planning trips and making necessary changes for their clients year-round.
How Much Money Does a Travel Agent Make?
Travel agents make money based on commission. For every sale they make, a percentage of that goes towards their paycheck. It’s simple, the more a travel agent sells, the more they make. It makes sense that someone that works a full-time job as a travel agent will make more than a person who only works on the weekends or periodically throughout the month.
However, one of the main perks of being a travel agent is that location doesn’t play a huge role in how much money you make. As a home-based travel agent, you can work from home or any place that has an internet connection and do all of your work digitally. Your clients can be all over the country and you can still have personal access to them. No matter if you live in New York City or a little town like Mineola, Texas, you can earn commissions on the vacations you sell.
What Education or Training is Needed?
No specific degree or level of education is required to become a cruise travel agent. If you have a degree or experience in a travel agency or hospitality, it might help, but it is not required. When you join a travel agency like Dream Vacations, full training and ongoing educational opportunities are provided to you. You are provided with an initial training to help you hit the ground running, and then ongoing webinars and on-demand trainings are always available to help you better understand the business, industry and many destinations and suppliers you’ll be selling.
What Licensing is Required?
There are no regular licenses required to be a travel agent, except a business license in some states. As part of joining as an independent agent with Dream Vacations, we help you get industry certifications by learning the ins and outs of our industry to make sure that all of our clients, no matter which agent they choose to go with, get the quality customer service they deserve.
What Skills and Personality Work Best?
Being a travel agent can be your dream job come to life. So, let’s go over the few skills and personality traits that can make you a great travel agent.
- Great Communication Skills – As a travel agent you are constantly communicating and filtering the correct information to your clients. The better you can communicate effectively in-person or through digital platforms such as emails, the better your customers will be prepared for their trips and have access to the correct information.
- Active Listening Skills – A key part of being a travel agent is listening to what the customer needs and then trying to help them. Ask them questions and let them explain what they like, want or dream of. Paying close attention to what they say will be your guide in designing their dream vacation.
- Professional Customer Service – The best travel agents can provide amazing professional customer service. Chances are that your clients have previous experience with booking a vacation by themselves or with another agent. They’re coming to you to ensure the best experience and that everything is well taken care of. This means assessing them correctly and taking care of all the details a vacation package requires.
- Detail Oriented – They say “the devil is in the details,” and it’s important to pay attention to every one of them. Little things like layovers or boarding times for cruises can make or break a well-planned vacation. Clients always remember the little things like being seasick on their cruise because their room was at the top level of the front of the ship. Small details like room location, dinner plans or seasonal weather can make a big difference.
- Being Well-Organized – Travel agents get to work from home, which means they are responsible for their own organization and office skills. This requires that you are an organized professional and you make sure that all clients are attended to and everything gets done in a clear and intentional way.
- A Desire to Help People – People turn to travel agents because they need help. They want professional help or perhaps want better service and guidance when booking their next vacation. The job of a travel agent is to help each customer with what they need.
- Basic Understanding of Technology– An online travel agent job requires you to work online. That means your office is online and you just need a laptop, tablet or smartphone with an internet connection, and you are good to go. The programs involved don’t require any advanced computer knowledge, but a travel agent does need to know how to manage and understand their devices to do their job.
What Is the Job Environment and Schedule Like?
Travel agents work from everywhere and anywhere. Even while they’re on trips or vacations, they can still take time to get work done. That means the environment can be anywhere from your house to your balcony suite overlooking the ocean. A travel agent job is one of the best jobs for stay-at-home moms, as well as people looking to make extra income in addition to their regular day job.
The work hours for travel agents fit their life. For some, this means they work normal business hours while their kids are out at school, while others work nights, weekends or whenever they can make the time. There are no requirements to how much you have to work – you can work whenever you want and get paid to book travel whenever you can!
What Are the Job Prospects for a Travel Agent?
The travel and tourism market has always been strong, and the demand for people wanting to travel and book their next dream vacation is there. There are a lot of options out there when it comes to vacations, and as options start to get to be more that’s when having expert advice, such as a travel advisor, comes in as a necessity. You help them focus on what is best for them and give them the best value for their money.
There is still a need in the market for work-from-home travel agent jobs, from entry level to experienced. Customers are looking for personalized customer care with their needs in mind, and a travel agent is the best way to get that. You can get to know the industry and become a work-at-home travel agent with Dream Vacations with the guidance of a franchise owner who will help and mentor you. Now is the time to make money selling vacation packages!