What Do Travel Agents Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

Job Description

Travel Agents 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. They also collect payment for transportation and accommodations from customer.

Other tasks include:

• Plan, describe, arrange, and sell itinerary tour packages and promotional travel incentives offered by various travel carriers.
• Converse with customer to determine destination, mode of transportation, travel dates, financial considerations, and accommodations required.
• Compute cost of travel and accommodations, using calculator, computer, carrier tariff books, and hotel rate books, or quote package tour’s costs.
• Record and maintain information on clients, vendors, and travel packages.
• 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.

We asked Travel Agents how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

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65% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 44% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.

Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, Travel Agents converse with customer to determine destination, mode of transportation, travel dates, financial considerations, and accommodations required. They record and maintain information on clients, vendors, and travel packages.

A typical day for a Travel Agent will also include:

• Book transportation and hotel reservations, using computer terminal or telephone.
• 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.
• Print or request transportation carrier tickets, using computer printer system or system link to travel carrier.
• Plan, describe, arrange, and sell itinerary tour packages and promotional travel incentives offered by various travel carriers.

We asked some Travel Agents a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

	Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job?	97% said yes
	How important is it to work in a team in this job?	32% said very important
	Do you have group discussions everyday in this job?	79% said yes
	Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job?	57% said yes
	Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job?	14% said yes
	Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job?	39% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Travel Agents also provide customer with brochures and publications containing travel information, such as local customs, points of interest, or foreign country regulations. They may also print or request transportation carrier tickets, using computer printer system or system link to travel carrier.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Travel Agents Converse with customer to determine destination, mode of transportation, travel dates, financial considerations, and accommodations required. They might also Collect payment for transportation and accommodations from customer.

In addition, they Record and maintain information on clients, vendors, and travel packages.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Compute cost of travel and accommodations, using calculator, computer, carrier tariff books, and hotel rate books, or quote package tour’s costs.

To some Travel Agents, it is also their responsibility to Plan, describe, arrange, and sell itinerary tour packages and promotional travel incentives offered by various travel carriers.

Working life

More than 40 hours per week

Regular schedule like a 9 to 5

In a typical work week as a Travel Agent, you can expect to work more than 40 hours per week.

Is this right for me

People who are suitable for this job tends to like starting up and carrying out projects. They like leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business..

They also like following set procedures and routines. They like working with data and details more than with ideas.

You can read more about these career personality types here.

Explore other careers

http://www.bls.gov/OOH/sales/travel-agents.htm

http://www.asta.org/

http://www.cruising.org/

http://www.iata.org/Pages/default.aspx