If you are wondering how to become a travel agent in Nebraska this page might be a good source of information for you.

Durham Western Heritage Museum, Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo, and Scott's Bluff National Monument are all tourist attractions in Nebraska that you can refer to your customers. The same way you would recommend these attractions, you should be able to recommend tourist attractions at various travel destinations all over the world. Your client's expect you to communicate with them, be professional, accurate, organized, and detail oriented. They want exclusive information that they cannot find themselves. Often travel agents are well traveled and able to speak from their own experiences. Nowadays it's important for a travel agent to be an expert when it comes to travel especially now that travel websites enable people to become their own travel agent. Expedia.com, Travelocity.com and Kayak.com all have the option of booking your own flight, hotel and rental car. http://www.planetware.com/top-tourist-attractions-/omaha-us-ne-o.htm

Travel agents can specialize in one particular area. There are those specializing in honeymoons, cruises, business trips and travel geared towards a certain demographic. Whichever are you choose, there is more to being a travel agent than just traveling and seeing the world. Travel agents have many duties and there are several requirements that need to be met in order to work as a travel agent. Hopefully this page will provide answers to your questions. http://career.qandas.com/jobs/what-are-the-job-duties-of-a-travel-agent.html

FINISH HIGH SCHOOL: If you are considering becoming a travel agent in Nebraska, the first thing you should do is finish high school. A high school diploma or the equivalent is the minimum required education. Some people opt to continue on and get an associate's or bachelor's degree in tourism or travel. Many employers prefer hiring people with some sort of training geared towards becoming a travel agent. Therefore it is good to look into classes and/or courses online, at community colleges and in public adult education programs. Some beneficial classes can be in world history, geography and foreign languages. One school in Nebraska where you can find classes geared towards becoming a travel agent is Kaplan University. Some online schools include Penn Foster Career School, Strayer University Online, Stratford Career Institute, and Central Pennsylvania College. Travel agents have to be able to know their way around on computers since most of their time is spend researching on the internet. This is were a vocational school might be another consideration. Also keep in mind that you are not just a travel agent, you are also a sales representative selling travel. http://www.citytowninfo.com/employment/travel-agents/nebraska http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos124.htm

JOBS: If you are well traveled and have a high school diploma you might find a job as a travel agent immediately. However, it's more likely that you start out as a receptionist or reservations clerk at a local travel agency. This doesn't just improve your level of experience, but also gets your foot in the door. Over time you can request more responsibilities and eventually you might become a travel agent. If you are not able to find a position at a travel agency, try offering to work for free as an intern. You will gain experience, and it will look good on your resume when looking for that travel agent job. http://careerplanning.about.com/od/occupations/p/travel_agent.htm

SALARY: As with any occupation, the salary depends on factors such as experience, education, age, and the company you work for. According to salary.com the average base salary in 2010 for a travel agent in Nebraska is estimated at $27,851.00 per year. Earning commission might take a while when you are first starting out because you will need to build your client base first. 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=68102&hdStateMetro=125&hdGeoLocation=Omaha%2C+NE+68102&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

LICENSE: To become a travel agent in Nebraska, you do not need a special certificate of license. Unlike a real estate agent or insurance agent, there is no state administered test that you need to pass. If you decide to sell travel independently from your home, some states might require you to join a travel seller's registration program which basically solidifies you as a reputable entity to suppliers. Joining usually requires a financial contribution and is mostly to monitor that you are not dealing with dangerous chemicals and such. They will not tell you that you cannot sell travel. http://www.homebasedtravelagent.com/FAQ.htm http://hometravelagency.com/travel-agent-articles/travel-agent-license/

SCAMS: Be careful when looking for a job as a travel agent. There are many scams out there promising discounted travel and great earning potentials. A lot of these scams can be found online. Here are some ways to recognize a scam company:

• ■ If a company promises immediate free or discounted travel, it's most likely a scam. Scam advertising usually focuses on the benefits of the job. They over glamorize it. (Everyone would sign up if they were getting discounted/free travel)
• ■ If the company brags about their success, they probably aren't successful at all.
• ■ If getting the job requires you have to pay hundreds of dollars, walk the other way. http://www.homebasedtravelagent.com/scams.htm
• ■ If you're asked to recruit affiliates, you are dealing with an multi level marketing company and not a travel agency.

DUTIES: When deciding if you want to become a Nebraska travel agent, you might want to look at the duties and tasks that are expected of you. This way, if you need additional training, you can get it. As a travel agent you will be expected to perform most if not all of the following duties:

• ■ Advice travelers about their travel destinations: Be knowledgeable when informing them about the climate/weather, attractions, currency, required travel documents, necessary vaccinations, customs and possible accommodations. Clients expect exclusive information and they expect you to answer their questions. You need to educate yourself frequently about changing trends. If there are new hotels and attractions opening up in various locations, you need to be aware of this.
• ■ Publications and online sources need to be researched so you can provide information on flights, group discounts, fares, and quality of hotel accommodations.
• ■ Travel agents need to calculate the prices of air fare, accommodation and rental cars and make sure they are compatible with your client's budget. Be able to quote various prices for package deals.
• ■ You will have to print ticket and be prepared to answer further questions asked by your customers.
• ■ If you work for a tour operator you might also have to arrange, develop, promote and sell the company's own travel services and package tour. This is usually done through direct mail, presentations and the Internet.
• ■ If a customer's flight is delayed, or if they run into problems during their trip, you will have to assist them. Travel agents assist before and during the trip. When problems arise you are the only advocate once the client has returned from their trip. http://www.careerplanner.com/Job-Descriptions/Travel-Agents.cfm