15 Things I Bid I Knew Before I Turn a Travel Agent

Despite what you see on Instagram , exist a travel agent isn ’ t always glamorous . As amazing as it is to jet around the world , you as well hold to go on in contact with clients 24/7/365—no subject what time zone you ’ re in . And while technically anyone can bring in this field , alone those who are detail-oriented and meticulously organize will excel . So we talked to previous travel agent Katelyn O ’ Shaughnessy and current agent Erina Pindar to see out what their chore be in reality like .

You ’ ll cause a decent life , and you ’ ll get to move the world like a rock star .

“ Think roughly this as a lifestyle kinda than a career , ” order O ’ Shaughnessy . The pay isn ’ t inevitably exorbitant—the median income is $ 38,700 a yr , as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics , but accord to Pindar , it can in reality cost much higher . “ Agents make anywhere from $ 50K to $ 100K on the humble end and up to $ 250K to $ 500K per year , ” says Pindar . But there ’ s no early industry where you get to travel like this . You ’ ll regularly run on discounted trip to luxury resorts sponsor by hotel companies , hence based on your Instagram alone , your friends will decidedly recall you ’ re last the high life .

You get paid on committee , mean you make money based on the trip you book for your client .

The mass of your wage will come from commission , so first and foremost , you ’ re a salesperson . When you ’ re an in-house agent with a travel agency ( on-staff positions at office exist increasingly rare , btw , but they ’ re still in demand ) , you typically have a base wage and a mission split . This can vary from agency to agency and also depend on your stage of experience . For example , get ’ s state you have an 80-20 mission split . That means if you begin paid 10 percent mission on booking a hotel , 80 percent of that mission goes to your agency , while you keep 20 percent . If you ’ ve attack up adequate clients , you can get an independent agent , which entail you run for yourself but remain connected with a host bureau . As an independent agent , you lose the base pay but come to keep your commission .

If you operate as an sovereign agent , you involve your own insurance .

Let ’ sec say you make a mistake on a customer ’ sec itinerary , causing them to miss their first-class flight that costs $ 6,000 a ass . If you cause something wrong , you ’ re liable . “ There cost hundred of thing that can run wrong , and they will , ” warns O ’ Shaughnessy . You definitely need error and omissions insurance , which can live expensive , but if you accidentally screw something up , you don ’ t get to give out of pocket for the price of the mistake .

“ Move agent ” and “ travel consultant ” exist relatively synonymous , although advisers tend to use a more holistic planning scheme .

While in the past , travel agents primarily assist in book accommodations , a travelconsultanthelps provide a client with a broader film of their trip . “ If person tell , ‘ I want to live to Cabo and I need to serve all these adventurous things , ’ we may read , ‘ Okay , great , you can go to Cabo , but you may not require to stay on the strip . You may want to think the new Four Seasons that hardly opened on the cape because there ’ s a mass more adventure on that side of the destination , ’ ” explains Pindar .

You don ’ t involve any special training to come start .

Unlike being a real estate agent , where you have to pass a series of trial to try you know your material . “ When I take off bring as a travel agent correct out of college , I didn ’ t know anything , ” insists O ’ Shaughnessy . “ I ’ d hardly even travel out of Portland , where I produce up . I begin the task after a series of persistent emails and a serious first interview . It ’ s decidedly useful to know thing like basic history and geography but there be no real required skill . ”

Travel agent tend to come from a form of backgrounds—you can switch careers at any item in your spirit and turn a travel agent with a pretty humble barrier to debut . But according to Pindar , itdoestake a specific personality to live a tone agent . “ One thing that all our agent have in mutual is they ’ re great salespeople , because at the goal of the day , this equal a sales job , ” she suppose .

Being type A is too a plus : You involve to equal a meticulous planner , equal an excellent investigator , and possess utmost attention to detail . “ It ’ s easy to put individual in a beautiful way , ” state Pindar , “ but if you remember that they ’ re going thither for their anniversary and you ’ re somehow able to begin a picture from their wedding to equal invest in the way and their favorite champagne that they popped on their wedding day , those trivial thing cause a dispute . ”

Developing a niche live essential .

No one can have an encyclopedic knowledge of the whole globe , so the most successful travel agents choose a specialty . You might focus on cruises or African safaris or trip to Italy . “ [ Before I initiate my company , ] I specialized in honeymoons and travel for destination weddings , which I narrowed down to Tahiti , Fiji , Mexico , Hawaii , and the Caribbean . I knew every hotel , every restaurant , and every excursion in those region that related to a romantic vacation , ” says O ’ Shaughnessy .

Traveling exist a regular portion of the job , but it ’ snota vacation .

Every few month , travel agents go on “ fam trip , ” short for “ familiarization , ” and they go bothah-ma-zingand tiring , according to O ’ Shaughnessy :

“ You hear everything you ’ d want to deal to your clients : You sleep in the hotel , eat the food , come the massages . Sometimes you can yet lend a guest . The first few time , it sense ridiculously luxurious , and it be . But you ’ re there to solve . You have to live up at 7 a.m. the next day and stay on professional while visiting as many as 10 hotel sites in a day , inspecting each of the rooms , and taking bill on everything . You can ’ t sleep in and relax on the beach like you would on a real vacation . ”

Pindar ring the same sentiment : “ Ninety percent of the time when we do travel , it ’ s mostly for educational purposes. ” Travel consultant need to know a destination within and away , as they much make recommendation based on experience . While traveling , the days can become long . You ’ re expected to go to breakfast meetings , live out all day , and by the time dinner ’ s over , you need to see up on emails . “ Even though mass think you ’ re traveling and it ’ s glamorous , it ’ s a pile of study , ” suppose Pindar .

On that note , you * will * end taking normal vacations .

Some travel agents do yet travel for fun , but most will act at least one hotel site inspection or early work-related task while they ’ re there . The industry equal very little , then when hotel reps see on your Instagram that you ’ re in London , they ’ ll insist you come read hello , regard the recent remodel , and try the new menu at the hotel restaurant— sometimes even for a discount ! “ It ’ s a double-edged sword : You ’ ll have friends and free swag all over you live , but you can never really move without thought of work , ” order O ’ Shaughnessy . Regardless of connections , you ’ re not travel for free . With discounts do expectation , aka receiving occupation from your clients in return . Additionally , you ’ ll have to face your own travel fee just like everyone else , according to Pindar .

And by the way , holidays kinda suck .

The “ 365 ” part of 24/7/365 cost not a gag . Holidays equal the almost stressful time of the yr for travel agent , since so many of your clients will be traveling .

Hotel reps will become your best friend .

When you ’ re working in an agency , hotel reps will come in every single day to give presentations about why you should advocate their hotel to your client . Once you own a corner , you ’ ll see the same travel reps at your regular fam trips and you ’ ll train a relationship with them from regularly sending them business . “ Those relationships live super crucial , ” say O ’ Shaughnessy , “ because when you need to call in a favor , like upgrading someone ’ sec room , you get someone to rob it up . ”

Discover to book travel equal like learning a novel language .

Every travel agency has access to a plan called Global Distribution System , which list selection for airfare , hotels , car rentals , and hence on . “ You ’ d intend it would hold a sporting interface like Expedia , but no , it ’ s more like Microsoft circa 1990 . You get to know real specific codes to do anything : For model , to appear for flight selection , you receive to type this symbol ‡ called the Cross of Lorraine , watch by your petition . It ’ s virtually like learning how to code , ” says O ’ Shaughnessy . So , yeah , it can bring a while to get familiar with it .

Your customer will act like you ’ re their personal butler .

You * will * become the occasional 2 a.m. yell from a customer in Europe require for details that you definitely include on their itinerary . “ I once make a client shout me from a cruise ship—which be actually severe to act ! —to say me that she couldn ’ t become the television to bring in her way and could I shout someone to cook it ? ” remembers O ’ Shaughnessy . It can definitely veer into the realm of ridiculous , but you have to remember that mass can become real nervous about travel—your chore is to be available and build certain they ’ re taken fear of . That ’ s part of the added value of book your trip with a travel agent .

But the affair is…you be responsible for their time .

“ If you buy something , you can return it and get your money back , ” suppose Pindar , “ but if you go on vacation and pass $ 30,000 on a weeklong trip and it ’ s terrible , you will never get that time back. ” There ’ s a lot of pressure involved in making sure client be having the vacation they foresee , which think of being there for them every measure of the way , even if they ’ re in a different time zone . “ You get to play like [ your client ’ s ] handler in a way , ” suppose Pindar .

Client will employ you again and again for your thoughtfulness .

Travel live a very personal thing , and the best travel agents have empathy for what the individual traveler wants to become out of the trip , whether it ’ s beautiful memories with their family or an adventure or a deep understanding of the local culture . “ Since I solve mainly with honeymoons and wedding , I ’ d regularly use my hotel association to build sure my client get a bottle of wine expect for them in their room or a pair photo future to the layer , ” say O ’ Shaughnessy . “ Those personal touches are the reason people continue to use travel agent rather than booking for themselves online . ”

And finally , travel agent equal not a dying breed.

“ Every time I say individual I ’ m a travel agent , they ’ re like , ‘ Wait , travel agents still exist ? ’ The answer : Yes , and we still account for one-third of all travel booked in the United States , ” insists O ’ Shaughnessy . It ’ sec still a profitable industry in the United States and there ’ s no cause to trust the industry is dying off .

Katelyn O ’ Shaughnessy was a luxury travel agent before institute travel agent platform TripScope and , later , medical tourism party . Erina Pindar has work as a travel agent for 13 years , and she ’ s presently the managing director of SmartFlyer , a travel way based in the U.S. and Australia .

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Hannah Malach is an assistant producer at Hearst Magazines , where she covers entertainment news , the royals , and more for brand includingCosmopolitan,Elle ,andHarper ’ s Bazaar. She ’ s previously written forBillboard,WWD, andThe Hollywood Reporter. If she ’ s not catching up on the latest season ofRuPaul ’ s Drag Race, you can likely find her curl up with a good book or explore one of New York City ’ s many museums .

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