Travel Agents

Becoming a Travel Agent

Travel agents need to become well-organized and detail-oriented in order to compile information from various sources in order to plan and organize their clients travel needs. They encourage people to travel and help them plan and prepare for their trip. Travel agents help travelers sort through large amounts of information in order to make the best possible travel arrangements. As an agent you are also expected to know how to advise travelers about their destinations, such as the weather conditions, local ordinances and customs, attractions, exhibitions, and money exchanges. These professionals increasingly specialize in specific destinations or by type of travel. Those who specialize in a travel destination, will have the best chances for success. Travel agents held about 101,000 jobs in May 2006 and are found in every part of the country.

Travel Agents face increasing competition from travel and airline websites for low-cost fares, but travelers still prefer using a travel agent who can cater to their specific needs. To attract these travelers, many agents specialize in specific interest destinations, travel to certain regions. Advanced computer systems and other networks make it possible for a growing number of travel agents to work from home; however, some agents desire to have an office presence for walk-in business. Opportunities should be better for agents who specialize in specific destinations, luxury travel, or particular types of travelers.

Visualize a vacation of self-indulgence in massages, savory culinary treats and boutique shopping. Furthermore, luxury and specialty travel is expected to increase among the growing number of Americans who are seeking out exotic and unique vacations and a growing part of travel agents business is organizing and selling tours for the growing number of international visitors.

The multi-billion dollar travel business is one of the largest industries in the country. Spending on travel is expected to increase significantly within the next 10 years. Much of the travel will continue to be related to business but as business activity expands so will business related travel. At the same time more leisure, longer frequent vacations, will also give people more time to travel for pleasure. As an Agent you will help travelers define their interests and needs, including time and budget concerns. Many new agents are under the impression that they are going to have to pay big dollars for travel agent training. Not so!

top 3 Travel Trends For Today’s Travel Agent

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”
~~Mahatma Gandhi~~

1869-1948, Preeminent leader of Indian nationalism

Trend #1 – The Internet

Everybody knows that the internet has changed virtually everything… especially the Travel Industry. Online giants like Hotels.com, Expedia, Travelocity, and Orbitz have revolutionized travel. Even Travel Agents & Agencies are booking online while the general public searches and buys their own vacations online. In fact, it’s estimated that 82% of all travel is now being booked online. Travel is one of the most researched topics on the internet… and also the most profitable.

The internet is simple, seamless and the perfect medium for the travel industry. We just point, click, and pack our bags. Before the internet, however, an agent’s bread & butter was commissions earned with business travelers… predominantly flights. American Airlines was the first to pull the plug on paying commissions on flight purchases as the internet started coming into its own and more business travelers were finding better deals online.

Since 1997 well over 200,000 agencies went out of business. Over 1 million travel agents lost their jobs to the internet. That number grew after 9/11. The days of brick & mortar very quickly got taken over by click & order, making for a far more efficient system. However, those very few agents & agencies that could foresee the positive impact the internet could have for them, jumped right into the explosive opportunity that the internet introduced, to maintain as much of their client base as possible. Very few, a decade ago, opted to go with the flow of change. Today, everyone understands that the internet is here to stay. When we are adaptable to change, we flourish… and profit.

Because of the internet, the online travel agent is also home-based. Because of the tremendous opportunity, continuous industry growth, and #1 industry training, today’s travel agent is your mother, cousin, aunt, neighbour, best friend, etc. and earning 60-100% of the vendors commission. It’s for everyone.

Trend #2 – Word-of-Mouth Marketing

Word-of-mouth marketing has been and always will be the best way to market anything. Statistics prove that 80% of all vacations (most anything really) are taken because of a recommendation from a friend, family member or co-worker. Think about the last time you came home from a vacation. Did you keep it a secret? No way! We talk about it for 2 months before leaving and talk about it for 2 months after we get back! And we show everyone pictures and videos! And we recommend the destination and hotel to everyone (or not) and tell them where we bought our terrific deal!

Familiarization trips (FAMs) play a huge part in word-of-mouth marketing. The only way for agents to really learn about what they sell is to experience it first hand. FAMs are put together by cruise lines, hotel chains and destinations worldwide. They usually include accommodation, tours, meals, shows, transportation, etc. Prices are slashed making it affordable for agents to travel multiple times a year… VIP!. The vendors roll out the proverbial red carpet for agents when they arrive. They’re given the most exclusive experience possible because vendors know that when agents return home… they’re going to talk about it!

The average person will purchase his vacation online at retail, once a year.

Agents will travel multiple times a year, all over the world as far and wide as they want to go, for pennies on the dollar. For this, FAMs continue to be one of the major perks today for agents in the industry.

Which takes us to…

Trend #3 – Home Based Business

Travel students, Baby Boomers and everyone in between are bringing travel home!

Leading agencies smart enough to follow the internet trend, have gone online and now offer just about anyone the opportunity to be professionally trained to operate and sell travel from home!! Woohoo!! That’s right! YOU can sell travel from the comfort of your own home and get paid!

Doesn’t it make sense that if you’re going to travel anyway (especially as much as the Boomers), that you buy it from yourself and get paid? Or get paid commissions on the trips your friends, family, neighbors and co-workers are taking already? Of course! Most people will do business with someone they know & trust. You may as well be that person, right?

Agencies quickly caught on to the franchise phenomena online and have opened up the opportunity to just about anyone with a valuable work ethic who is willing to learn. Coupled with word-of-mouth marketing… you’ve got a winning combination! The more knowledgeable you become, the more perks, FAMs, FREE trips, upgrades, etc, become available to you… cha-ching!

I’ve been selling travel for years. Everyone who knows me knows that I’m a travel industry professional. For more than two decades I’ve been asked “How did you come by this work?”

But I also get asked, “What’s the best place to go for our honeymoon?” or “Can you recommend a Caribbean cruise itinerary?” or “What hotel should we stay at in the Mayan Riviera?”

Hey, it’s not rocket science!! If I have the answers and I can get paid for the sale… Hello??

The internet made it possible for me to have my own online agency and benefit even more from the extraordinary perks available to travel professionals! Being online means I don’t really even have to be home. Because my business is online, I am accessible to the world, 365 days of the year, 24/7! Friends and family can book all by themselves while I’m hiking with my dog! I can even book flights or all-inclusive vacations right from my BlackBerry!! WOW! So my home-based travel business is really my mobile travel services!! Super cool!!

We must not forget the amazing benefits that come with owning a business from home as well!

Aside from the obvious travel perks, just about every family vacation now becomes a FAM. As professionals, when we take a few minutes to inspect and ask questions about the accommodations, tours, restaurants that we ourselves are experiencing while on vacation, we’re really educating ourselves for our customers. So our personal vacation now becomes classified as a business trip… and an expense that we can write off! Super cool, again!

On a personal note, I’m only 45 seconds from my bedroom to my office!

It’s a beautiful thing to be able to work from home, anywhere in the world, to h

Independent Travel Agent – Live The Exciting Life

Today there are a vast array of different opportunities available to those people who would like to earn money from running their own business. One such business, which is proving to be extremely popular, is the independent travel agent. Certainly if you are interested in becoming such a travel agent there are plenty of courses now available that you can take.

Along with courses being available at your local college or university, there are some courses, which are now available and can be taken online. The main benefit of taking an online course is that you can carryout your studies at a time that is convenient to you and at a pace that you feel comfortable with.

There are many sites where such courses are being offered although some are specifically designed for those who are already involved in the travel industry. However, if you are starting from the very bottom then there are courses specifically designed for you.

These courses will take you from the very beginning learning all about the travel industry, sales techniques and all the various documentation involved. They will also teak you about all the various parts of the globe and why people travel to certain parts of the world. They will then also provide you with more in depth knowledge regarding various sectors of the travel industry such as cruises, extreme sports holidays etc.

Finally these courses are then there to help you with starting up your own independent travel agency business. They will show you the steps you will need to take to get it up and running. Show you the stages of preparing a business/marketing plan and then how to use it. Also they will explain what it is you will need with regards to equipment in order to run your independent travel agent office from your home.

As mentioned there are plenty of online courses available but it is essential that you spend some time looking at each of them before you make your final decision. If you have any questions or queries regarding a particular course then do not hesitate to contact them for assistance. Certainly, a course where they respond quickly to any communications is one that is going to be willing to spend time providing their students with the right sort of training.

Also although you will see courses available for sale on auction sites such e-Bay these should be avoided. If you really want to succeed in this area of the travel industry it is far better to go with a course that has the right accreditations and which allows you to gain the necessary certifications. Again there are plenty of places online, which can direct you to the places that offer a good quality independent travel agent training course.

Tom Turner is the founder of [http://www.TravelRiches.co

First MLM and Travel Agent Model Arrives

In this exciting new century there is a new way to become a travel agent. The days of the expensive travel agent courses are becoming ancient history, and so is the overhead traditional travel agents had to deal with.

Classic (old-school) Travel Agent Opportunity

There are still travel agent trainings, that cost an arm & a leg, and leave you with the ability to book travel, but that’s where it ends. My wife took this old-school training and it cost her over $10,000 and she had to pay for room & board for the month-long course. She ended up with a basic privilege to book travel.

With these kind of old-school credentials, you are missing out on something BIG, and I’ll get to why further in this article.

Internet Travel Agent Opportunity

Then along came the Internet, and soon there was hundreds of web-sites offering cheap eBooks, online courses claiming that you would get the information, and training you needed to succeed as a travel agent (home-based, or overhead based).

None of these cheap deals actually deliver on their promise, and this avenue usually leaves you out of pocket for some of your hard-earned money. How much can vary – from as low as $5.95, and as high as $2500 USD. OUCH! You want to stay clear of these scams for sure.

Then Came Programs Like YTB

YTB is a smoother, and slicker Internet based company that promises to provide you with the resources to become a home-based travel agent. The problem is that there are better offers out there now. These new-world networks cost less money, set you up faster, pay higher commissions, and provide for residual income as well. The travel agents make high commissions, and they have lucrative down-lines that grow wealth perpetually.

The New-World Travel Agent System

The new-world travel agent systems use a Network that provides for online travel booking so that the agent can work from anywhere there is an Internet connection, and they pay much higher commissions. The best example to date is a new travel company known as Pro Travel Network.

This new breed of travel agent gets all the travel benefits the old-school agents get, but they have more freedom because of the Internet based model, and they (more importantly), have down lines. This is where it gets very lucrative.

Terry Zuit is a full time blogger with extensive experience in marketing, online business creation, and home business opportunities. Learning how to become a home-based travel agent [http://www.zulit.com/2007/07/24/pro-travel-network-review-to-end-all-pro-travel-network-reviews/] only requires a little bit of online research, and the above article is a good place to start.

This article also breaks down the different ways new members can become agents. They can either sign up like the old-school agent with the ability to only book travel, or they can sign up for the PTN multi-level marketing sid

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