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Working in a travel agency gave me the opportunity to visit different places, learn different stories from people I meet, and see new perspectives. Want to work as a travel agent? This blog may help you find out if this line of career is worth a try. Learn a few tips on how to be a travel agent & make money?

In a decade of tourism here in the Philippines, most of Filipino millennials call themselves on Instagram as WANDERLUST. Many pictures themselves to become a famous Youtube Travel Vlogger or to be a writer of a Travel Book someday! Countless travel stories were scattered over the internet by different people in all corners of the world. But to be able to travel to many places, you must be crazy rich! And if not... Well, you badly need to get a job in line with traveling. Like working as a Pilot, Flight Attendant, or crew in a Cruise Ship. All of those sounds fancy isn't it?

Who doesn't want to wander in places and get paid for it? That's everybody's fantasy! But, aside from those travel-related careers mentioned above, have you heard stories from travel agents? You know, they are the brains behind the computer that sells tickets and plans the perfect trip for people who wants a stress free vacation. Nobody is asking but... HELL YEAH! I'm a travel agent.

I travel for free and also get paid for it!

For 2 years, I've been able to visit Thailand, Siargao, South Korea, and China. If COVID-19 didn't happen, the agency has a scheduled tour last January up to this April for international and local. It's Summer now! But unfortunately, we're all locked up to our homes! I will talk about that later on to a separate blog.

I travel for free while working. It's an incentive and perks of working at a Travel Agency. All expenses paid by my boss with free pocket money. She doesn't want us to shell out from our own pocket while we're at work. I hope every boss is as generous as her. This blog was inspired by her remarkable qualities, what she is as a travel agent. I have seen how she works hard for her business and it's beyond doubt, encouraging to be a good travel agent like her.

What is a Travel Agent?

A person who provides travel and tour services such as booking for airline or cruise, hotel, van rentals, travel insurance, tour packages, and visa assistance for an individual, group, or corporate account.

Skills you need to be a Good Travel Agent

1.) Passionate about travel

Selling a travel package doesn't have an actual product to show, your tools are only picture in your Smartphone and ideas about the place. A Travel Agent must be very passionate about travel to successfully address what you're selling. The magic begins if you can naturally grab your client's attention, get their focus on that tourist destination while you discuss. Make that package stand out like it's the best place on Earth!

2.) Long Patience

The service of a travel agent does not end after a sold ticket. Afterward, you may face some circumstances like Rebooking or Cancelation of flight. Sounds easy? Wait until you experience an hour-long or two of waiting in the queue in the Airline's Customer Service to finalize what your client's request you to do. You must solely love to help people, as the saying says...

"Patience is a virtue."

Which requires a lot in this job.

3.) Good Communication Skills

And maybe much serious problem will pop-out such as your client wants a Refund but he purchased a ticket that's nonrefundable. You should be able to explain that without making your client feel upset. You can also easily sell if you can communicate about your product beautifully!

4.) Organize

Working in a Travel And Tour industry is not always about selling. You can be assigned to work on documentation like filling the Visa Application form, in here you will get your client's personal data. Maybe when you create sales records. Those are the tasks that you MUST avoid making mistakes or else... It's a DISASTER!!!

5.) Tech Savvy

A good Travel Agent knows how to be engaged in Social Media Market. Where every now and then the trend changes. That is why you need to be consistently present to stay updated. Technology is your greatest tool for you to expand your market. You must at least know how to edit photos to create your own advertisement. The more you can do using a computer, a Smartphone, and Apps the better!

How to earn money as a travel agent?

Good negotiation

Negotiate! As much as possible, travel agents only get the cheapest price because by doing this, you would be able to meet the client's budget and earn more profit.
Collaboration

An agent has a portfolio of contracts with its partners in the travel industry and makes commissions out of it. Which depends on the volume of tourists that you can bring.
Service Charge

Just like any other kind of job, services from a travel agent must be paid with fees. There is no exact amount of how much you may charge, it depends on the type of service. Airline ticket booking may cost Php200 - Php500 per person then different amounts for other services that will require more workforce. For example, organizing a group tour. One will find the best hotels that will meet the budget, the other will make negotiations with a tour operator, and another will appoint transfers. In short, a perfect escapade can only be made by an expert travel agent. To create a flawless trip, it will require a lot of analysis. To make sure that clients were safe and happy during the tour is fulfillment to every travel agent.

Many might say that it's not practical to get a travel agent if you want to save cash. Having the internet doesn't mean it's SAFE to create travel plans alone. As award-winning travel journalist Janeen Christoff wrote on her Tripsavvy Article..

"As the Internet grew in popularity, people thought that they could do all of these things on their own but they realized two things: it takes precious time, and they weren’t always right when they got there. It only takes one volcanic ash cloud, hurricane, flood, or other natural disaster to see the value in having an agent to get you out of a bind, just like it only takes booking one high-end luxury cruise on your own to realize that the couple next to you paid the same amount (or less) with an agent and they receive free canapés, wine, and special invitations during the cruise that you don’t. "

Lessons learned? Let me know your thoughts on this blog. Do you want to be a travel agent too? See you on my next blog!

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