The following page has information on how to become a travel agent in Mississippi. If you think becoming a travel agent is an easy way to get travel discounts and see the world, you might have to think again. The occupation of travel agent entails much more than that. On this page you will find information on how to become a travel agent, what is expected of you, what can you expect, and much more.

Travel agents nowadays have to excel at their job because many people opt to go online to book their travel, accommodation and rental car themselves. Websites like Expedia.com, Kayak.com and Priceline.com allow people to become their own travel agent. 30 Percent of the U.S. population goes onto the Internet to look for travel information. As a travel agent you have to provide your customers with information about various destinations that they will not be able to find themselves. Just as you would be able to tell someone about attractions in Jackson, Hattiesburg, Gulfport, Greenville, and Oxford, Mississippi, you should be able to tell them about attractions of various travel destinations in the world. The benefit of having a travel agent is that you always have someone to call when there are travel delays or last minute changes. They will do all the research for you. You can even find travel agents that specialize in certain areas. There are agents that specialize in cruises, honeymoons, business trips and travel geared towards a certain demographic. Whichever are you choose to specialize in, the steps towards becoming a travel agent are all the same. http://www.khalsaweb.com/internetarticles/travel-onlince.html http://career.qandas.com/jobs/what-are-the-job-duties-of-a-travel-agent.html http://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions/mississippi-usms.htm

REQUIREMENTS: To become a travel agent in Mississippi, you need to have a high school diploma or the equivalent. Because employers prefer to hire someone with travel agent training it's good to look into classes or courses either online, at community colleges or in public adult education programs. One schools in Mississippi that teaches classes geared towards becoming a travel agent is Hinds Community College. You can also take classes from online schools such as Strayer University Online, Penn Foster Career College and Stratford Career Institute. Some classes that might be beneficial include world history, geography, foreign languages and computer science. http://www.citytowninfo.com/employment/travel-agents/mississippi http://careerplanning.about.com/od/occupations/p/travel_agent.htm

Besides educational requirements, there are also some other qualities you have to possess. A travel agent has to be professional, accurate, well organized and able to communicate well.

LICENSING: To become a travel agent in Mississippi, you do not need to have a license or certificate. There is no state administered test you have to pass like how they have for real estate agents. If you want to start your own business and sell travel from home, some cities, counties and towns might have licensing provisions. You may have to join the Travel Seller's registration program that many states carry. Usually this requires a financial contribution. If you just print business cards saying that you are a travel agent, and don't register, suppliers won't recognize you as a legit entity. http://www.homebasedtravelagent.com/FAQ.htm

STARTING OUT: Once you have completed the required education and have successfully participated in several courses, you can start looking for a job. Don't expect to work as a travel agent right away. You might have to settle for a job as a reservations clerk or receptionist at a travel agency at first. This will however, get your foot in the door and you can learn from watching other travel agents go about their day to day tasks. Once you start getting more responsibilities you might be able to progress into the desired travel agent position. http://careerplanning.about.com/od/occupations/p/travel_agent.htm

SALARY: One of the deciding factors when you are thinking of becoming a travel agent can be the salary. As with any profession, you want to know what you will be paid. Your salary will depend on various factors including the company your work for, your age, education, and experience. However, the 2010 annual base salary for a Mississippi travel agent is estimated at $26,374.00. Also be prepared because it will take a while to build up your client base so you might not make commission from sales right away. If you decide to start your own business, how much you make will really depend on how hard you work. http://swz.salary.com/salarywizard/layoutscripts/swzl_salaryresults.asp?op=salswz_psr&hdOmniNarrowDesc=Materials+Management&hdOmniTotalJobsFound=20&pagefrom=selectjob&redbird=&jobfamilycode=23&joblevelcode=&hdLocationOption=1&hdSearchByOption=0&hdKeyword=travel+agent&hdJobCategory=AR02&hdZipCode=39201&hdStateMetro=78&hdGeoLocation=Jackson%2C+MS+39201&hdCurrentPage=1&hdViewAllRecords=0&hdSortBy=0&hdJobCode=OF13000058&hdJobTitle=Travel+Clerk&hdNarrowDesc=Hotel%2C+Gaming%2C+Leisure%2C+and+Travel&hdJSBoolDisplayAdvertisement=&jobcounter=8&countertype=1&rdbSearchByOption=0&txtKeyword=travel+agent&totaljoblistnum=2&hdAjaxDisplaySection1=0&hdAjaxDisplaySection2=1&hdAjaxKeyword=travel+agent&hdAjaxKeywordWithOR=%23travel%23+OR+%23agent%23

BENEFITS: A good way to sell something is by speaking from your own experience. One of the benefits of being a travel agent is that you get the opportunity to travel a lot. Your employer might send you to visit a resort, just so you can report back to your customers when trying to sell a travel package to this destination. You get to research various different locations, hotels, restaurants, airlines and more. As a travel agent you get to enjoy discounted rates on everything from flight and hotels to theme parks and car rentals. Discounts can be up to 80% off the regular price. If you are an independent travel agent, running your own business, you might even be able to write off all your travel expenses as business expenses. http://www.times10travel.com/Articles/agentbenefits.htm

SCAMS: When you are looking for a job as a travel agent, be careful because there are many scam companies out there. Many of these companies operate on the internet. They make offers that are too good to be true and hope you will fall for them. They advertise by focusing solely on the benefits you will get and not on the work involved. Here are some sign to recognize when you are dealing with a scam company.

• ■ If the company offers you a commission to recruit other people to join the company, it's probably a scam. (You want to sell travel, not recruit affiliates)
• ■ If the company advertises by offering free or discounted travel, it's usually a scam. (Everyone would join if this was the case)
• ■ If the Company brags about its success, they are probably not successful at all.
• ■ If you have to pay a large amount of money to become an affiliate, walk the other way. http://www.homebasedtravelagent.com/scams.htm