Learning how to become a travel agent in Aruba is not difficult if you just know the correct steps to take.

Aruba is an southern Caribbean island, located about 17 miles north of Venezuela. The island has a population of 101,541 people. The island is known for tourist/sightseeing attractions such as Butterfly Farm, Arikok National Park, the Natural bridge and Natural pool. As a Aruba travel agent you have to be able to inform your customers about these. Besides local tourist attractions you also have to know about worldwide attractions. http://www.arubatravelinfo.com/interest.html http://www.nationmaster.com/country/aa-aruba

If you want to become an Aruba travel agent you will have to get the proper education, training and work experience. Nowadays travel agents have to become travel experts when it comes to travel. Especially with the rise of travel websites such as Expedia.com, Travelocity.com, Priceline.com, Hotwire.com and Kayak.com. These websites enable people to become their own travel agent. They can book their own air fares, hotel accommodations and rental cars all with the click of a button.

Some travel agents specialize in certain areas such as group travel, cruise travel, honeymoons and business travel. Besides the educational and training requirements below, a travel agent also has to be accurate, professional, detail oriented, courteous and well organized.

Whether you want to become a travel agent in the United States, in Europe or in Aruba, the steps below might just help answer some of your questions.

FINISH HIGH SCHOOL: If you want to become a travel agent in Aruba the first thing you will need to realize is that no employer is going to hire someone without the required education, training and work experience. You should start right in your home town by getting your high school diploma or the equivalent. Once you've got that, you can look into training and gaining work experience. http://careerplanning.about.com/od/occupations/p/travel_agent.htm

TRAINING: For travel agent training in your neighborhood, try going to citytowninfo.com. Here you will find a listing of schools that teach classes geared towards becoming a travel agent. There are schools in almost every state and you can also find online schools if you prefer a home study course. You can take classes either full time or part time. If you want to work in Aruba, you will need to speak the official language which is Dutch. Even though most people in Aruba understand the English language, a course in the Dutch language will benefit you. Other beneficial classes you can take include math, computer science, world history and geography. http://www.careeroverview.com/travel-agent-careers.html http://www.iexplore.com/world_travel/Aruba/Facts

EMPLOYMENT IN THE U.S.: Before making the move to Aruba you are better off to get some work experience first. Start by looking for entry level positions at local travel agencies. This can be as a reservations clerk or a receptionist. You will get your foot in the door and over time you might get more duties and responsibilities which might lead to that travel agent job. Meanwhile you can learn and gain experience by watching other travel agents go about their day to day activities. If you cannot find a job at a travel agency, offering to work for free is another option. You can become an intern and learn as you go. It will look good on your resume and help with future employment.

WHEN IN ARUBA: After gaining some work experience at a local travel agency you can slowly start to venture out and look at what it takes to work as a travel agent in Aruba. You can start online by searching for travel and tourism jobs abroad. There are many companies that advertise for experienced travel agents in Aruba. It's up to you to find out more about them. Before getting the job, check if they will help you move. Do they arrange the required visa/permits? Do they arrange housing? If you don't get a job and want to move to Aruba first, you will also need to check with Immigration Services about work permits and visas. Another option you have is to utilize a company that assists in providing jobs abroad, for instance transitionsabroad.com and jobsabroad.com. They will also take care of the required paperwork you need to be able to work. http://www.transitionsabroad.com/listings/work/index.shtml

DUTIES: The duties for a travel agent in Aruba are similar to travel agents in the United States. Before deciding that you want to become a travel agent it is always good to know what will be expected of you. Following are some of a travel agent's tasks and duties:

• ■ A travel agent has to receive payment from the customer for the travel arrangements that were made. This can include air fare, cost of accommodation, car rental and such.
• ■ As a travel agent you also have to communicate with customers to find out what their wishes are, where they want to go, what accommodations they want, what kind of transport they need and what their budget is.
• ■ Travel agents have to calculate the cost of the travel arrangements including hotel accommodations. You have to be able to quote pricing of several travel packages to the customer so that they have a choice.
• ■ Booking the air fare, hotel, and rental car is another task of the travel agent. You do this either by phone or using your computer terminal.
• ■ Present the customer with several tour packages and vacation plans offered by various suppliers.
• ■ Brochures and publications need to be given to the customer to provide them with information about their destination. They need to know about attractions, needed vaccinations and travel documents, weather/climate in their travel destination, and local customs.
• ■ Printing tickets is another duty of a travel agent. http://www.careerplanner.com/Job-Descriptions/Travel-Agents.cfm

SCAMS: When you start looking for that travel agent job, you are bound to come across one of the many scams out there. You will find companies that advertise by promoting all the benefits of the travel agent job. They recruit new travel agents by glamorizing the fact that you get to travel and see the world and that you get to work from home, make your own schedule and be your own boss. Some scam companies even require that you recruit new affiliates for them. These are simply multi level marketing companies and have nothing to do with selling travel. Also watch out for companies that ask for a lot of money upfront. Before committing to any company, make sure that you do your research. http://www.homebasedtravelagent.com/scams.htm

ARUBA TRAVEL AGENCIES: There are many different kinds of travel agencies in Aruba. Some focus on group travel, some only deal with travel to certain locations, and some only book business travel. Following you will find some information regarding some of these agencies. This will give you an idea of what kinds of travel agencies operate in Aruba.

• ■ Aldo Travel Bureau, Emmastraat 12 (Ground Floor), P.O. Box 193, Oranjestad, Aruba (Dutch Caribbean), Phone: (297) 821 992. This travel agency has been in business for over 49 years and can arrange cruise travel, flights, hotels, car rental, and tours to various locations worldwide. http://www.aldotravel.com/aboutus.html

• ■ Maduro Travel Oranjestad, Rockefellerstr. 1, Oranjestad, Aruba, Phone: 528-2300. This travel agency can arrange air fare, hotel accommodations and rental cars, but specializes mostly in cruise travel. http://www.madurotravelaruba.com/contact-us/

• ■ For a full list of travel agencies within Aruba you can consult the Caribbean Yellow pages. http://s2.arubayp.com/Aruba/Tvs%20supplies%20parts, Travel-Agencies-Bureaus