Day in the life of
Travel Advisor – Stephanie Charboneau
My Typical Day
There is no such thing as a “typical work day” in the travel industry. Every day is different. That is one of the wonderful things about this industry! Some days I can be rescheduling clients’ vacations, flights, transfers, etc., and other days I can be researching amazing vacations for my clients. This job requires a lot of administration work and even a good bit of marketing skills. The marketing skills were a big surprise to me when I started in the travel industry.
Why does this job need marketing skills?
You need great marketing skills to get your name out there so that people know that you are in the travel business. As a travel agent, you will be required to generate your own leads. The best way to generate leads is through online marketing. My host agency provides me with a website, but I need to get people to the website or to call me. A lot of my leads come from social media and Google My Business.
Cons
There is a lot of “eye candy” in this industry, which makes things a little tough at times because you will want to travel the world and, unfortunately, we have to sit at our desk a lot. Very seldom do I actually take a vacation.
Pros
One of the perks of this job is you get to travel the world at discounted rates. People like to know that you’ve been there, done that so it’s critical to get out there and see the world. It’s our version of continuing education. Most of the time when I travel, I have my laptop with me and work at least a few hours each day. Quite often when I travel, I get to tour multiple resorts and make connections with the on-site staff, which comes in handy when you have a client traveling to that destination.
Advice to aspiring Travel Advisors
Definitely start out with another travel agent who has a passion for developing people. There isn’t a “true school” that trains you to be a travel agent. There are a ton of programs out there, but not a true college degree.
I would also advise you to pick an agent to work with that has a host agency. A host agency will offer you more commission, protection, and benefits than an agent who decided to get their own credentials. A host agency has more agents that work as a team, so it appears that you are buying more travel than a solo agency. Our vendors pay us based on a tiered commission structure. The highest commissions come from higher sales with that vendor.
If you aren’t comfortable working from home, then seek out a travel agent that has a brick and mortar store. Most travel agents work from home these days, so that might prove to be a challenge.
I started with an agent that was under a host agency and then I ended up buying my own franchise under the same host agency. The cost to buy a franchise if you are an experienced agent is drastically less vs. if you buy a franchise with no experience. I wouldn’t have done it any other way! Having that support at the beginning of my career made a huge difference in my success!
