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Travel Agents


Overview

Travel Agents

Introduction

Travel agents assist individuals or groups who will be traveling by planning their itineraries, making transportation, hotel, and tour reservations, obtaining or preparing tickets, and performing related services. There are approximately 82,000 travel agents employed in the United States.

Quick Facts


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Median Salary

$40,660

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Employment Prospects

Fair

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Minimum Education Level

High School Diploma
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Experience

Internship, volunteer, or part-time experience


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Skills

Business Management
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Personality Traits

Helpful
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Earnings

Travel agents earn income from commissions paid by hotels, car rental companies, cruise lines, and tour operators. Due to the popularity of Internet travel sites, which enable customers to book their own flights, airlines no longer pay commissions to travel agents. This has been a big blow to those in this career, and it is a trend that will probably continue.

Travel agents typically ear...

Work Environment

The job of the travel agent is neither as simple nor as glamorous as some might expect. Travel is a highly competitive field. Since almost every travel agent can offer the client the same service, agents must depend on repeat customers for much of their business. Their reliability, courtesy, and effectiveness in past transactions will determine whether they will get repeat business.

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Outlook

The U.S. Department of Labor predicts that employment for travel agents will decline by 26 percent through 2029. Most airlines and other travel suppliers now offer consumers the option of making their own travel arrangements through online reservation services, which are readily accessible through the Internet. Travelers are becoming less dependent on agents to make travel arrangements for them...