Learning how to become a travel agent in Brussels, Belgium is not difficult, you just need to know the correct steps to take. On this page you will find helpful information such as the educational requirements, training requirements, information about travel agencies in Brussels and much more.

Brussels is the capital city of Belgium and has a population of 1.75 million. Manneken Pis, the Belgian Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Auto World, and Bruegel's tomb are all tourist attractions in Brussels that a travel agent should be able to refer to their customers. Besides local attractions a travel agent should also be knowledgeable about various other attractions all over the world. It's important that travel agents are well traveled because selling travel by talking from their own experience is very effective.http://www.planetware.com/top-tourist-attractions-/brussels-b-br-bbb.htm http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/europe/be.htm

Travel agents often have access to vacation deals and travel discounts that are not available to the general public. Some travel agents prefer to specialize in areas such as group travel, cruise travel, honeymoons, business trips and more. It is estimated that agents who find that niche in the market have a good future job outlook.http://career.qandas.com/jobs/what-are-the-job-duties-of-a-travel-agent.html

Whether you become a travel agent in the United States or in Brussels, the requirements are all the same. This page will hopefully answer some of the questions you have.

GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL: If you want to become a travel agent in Brussels, the first thing to do is graduate high school. Make sure to pay special attention during geography, math, and world history since these will benefit you during your job as a travel agent. It's important to realize that employers prefer to hire people with some form of training geared towards becoming a travel agent. Training and work experience are two of the things that need to be mentioned on your resume. After high school look into some form of additional training. http://www.careeroverview.com/travel-agent-careers.html

AFTER HIGH SCHOOL: There are many travel agent courses, classes and programs that can be followed on a full time basis or part time basis. Classes can either be taught in a classroom environment or through online studies. You want to look into community colleges, online schools and adult education programs. The website citytowninfo.com provides listings of travel agent schools in every U.S. state. You will also find online schools on this website. http://www.citytowninfo.com/employment/travel-agents

Since you aspire to work in Brussels you will need to be able to communicate with the people. 85 Percent of the population speaks French and 15 percent speak Dutch. Here and there you might also hear someone speak German. If you don't speak any of these foreign languages you will have to take a language class preferably in French. Another extra study you may want to consider is a computer class. Travel agents work with computers a lot so it is important that you have some knowledge of computers and the Internet. Vocational School can be helpful here. http://www.brusselsinternational.be/wabxlint/en/visitor/practical-information/1781/brussels-information-belgium.act http://careerplanning.about.com/od/occupations/p/travel_agent.htm

WORKING IN THE U.S.: Before making the move to Brussels 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. http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos124.htm

WORKING IN BRUSSELS: After gaining some work experience at the local travel agent you can slowly start to look at what it takes to work as a travel agent in Brussels. Start online, by searching for travel and tourism jobs abroad. There are many companies that advertise for experienced travel agents. It's up to you to find out more about them. Before getting the job, check if they will help you with the move. Do they arrange the required visa/permits? Do they arrange housing? If you don't get a job and want to move to Brussels 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. http://www.jobsabroad.com/search.cfm

DUTIES: The duties of a travel agent in the U.S. and a travel agent in Brussels are basically the same. They might deal with different travel destinations and different types of customers, but the duties and tasks remain the same. The travel agent has to make sure to take the customer's budget into consideration. Following is a summary of some of the duties of a travel agent. You can go over this list and see if you need additional training in one or more areas.

• ■ A travel agent has to advise, inform, and assist customers when deciding on where to travel. You have to provide brochures and publications of their travel destination. Inform your customers about their location's weather, customs, attractions, vaccinations, visa requirements etc.
• ■ Booking air fare, accommodation, transportation and any desired tours is another travel agent task.
• ■ If you work for a tour operator you might have to arrange, develop and do presentations to sell and promote the company's travel packages.
• ■ Printing tickets for the clients
• ■ Researching online to get favorable pricing and additional information. Make sure you have multiple vacation packages to offer the client.

BENEFITS: As a travel agent you get to enjoy discount travel and see a lot of the world. It is considered part of the job to travel. Your employer might send you to go to a vacation resort so that you can experience it firsthand. Once you get back, you will be able to sell the resort more effectively and confidently because you are speaking from your own experience. After a minimum of 6 months your employer will add you to the IATAN list of employees allowed to travel at discounts. IATAN will issue you a travel ID card that will give you discounts up to 80 percent on air fares, cruises, hotels, car rentals and more. Upon termination of employment, you will have to turn in your ID card. http://www.travelagenttrainingcenter.com/Travel%20Industry%20Benefits.htm

BRUSSELS TRAVEL AGENCIES: There are many different kinds of travel agencies in Brussels. 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 Brussels.

• ■ Holidaypride, Zuidstraat 53 Brussel, Belgium, 1000, Phone: +32 2 502 73 77‎. This travel agency specializes in organizing travel, holidays and special events for gay men and gay women. http://www.holidaypride.be/

• ■ Brussels International Travel, Rue Arthur Diderich Saint-Gilles, Belgium, 30 1060, Phone: +32 2 543 10 10‎. This travel agency was founded in 1988 and focuses mainly on arranging accommodations and travel from incoming business to Belgium and neighboring areas. http://www.brussels-international.be/

• ■ Airstop Wolvengracht 28/B Brussel, Belgium, 1000, Phone: +32 70 233 188‎. This travel agency established in 1989 mainly sells last minute travel. http://www.airstop.be/