If you are visiting this page, you want to know how to become a travel agent in North Carolina. You will find answers to some of your questions on this page. You will find information regarding travel agent education, salary, commission, licensing, duties and more.

North Carolina Museum of Art, North Carolina Arboretum, SciWorks]], and Battleship North Carolina are all North Carolina tourist attractions that a travel agent would refer a tourist to. A travel agent has to be able to refer their customers to tourist attractions in the location they are traveling to. Nowadays travel agents have to be experts when it comes to travel. 30 Percent of the U.S. population goes online for travel information. Websites like Priceline.com, Kayak.com and Expedia.com enable people to become their own travel agent. They can book their flights, hotels and rental cars all with the click of a button. http://www.planetware.com/top-tourist-attractions-/asheville-us-nc-ash.htm

Some travel agents specialize in a particular area. There are those whom are experts on cruises, honeymoons and business trips. It is estimated that travel agents specializing in certain areas have a good job outlook because they have found their niche.

If you are thinking about becoming a travel agent, make sure you know what is expected from you and what you can expect. Hopefully this page will be of some help.

EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS: Getting a high school diploma or the equivalent is the first requirement that needs to be met when you want to become a North Carolina travel agent. After this you can look into additional travel agent training. You can look into classes at community college, online schools, vocational school and adult education programs. Some people go on to college and get an associate's or bachelor's degree in tourism and travel. Some study subjects to consider include world history, geography, foreign languages, and computer science. In North Carolina you can find classes geared towards becoming a travel agent at Blue Ridge Community College and Central Piedmont Community College. You can even take classes from home by enroling in online classes from Penn Foster Career School, Stratford Career Institute, and Central Pennsylvania College. Besides meeting the educational requirements, you also have to be accurate, professional, well organized, courteous and detail oriented. Keep in mind that employers prefer to hire people with some form of travel agent training. It will also help your job search if you are well traveled. http://www.citytowninfo.com/employment/travel-agents/north-carolina http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos124.htm

LICENSING: To sell travel in North Carolina, you do not need a license. Unlike real estate and insurance, there is no state administered test that you need to pass. Some states have a travel seller's registration programs that you have to join if you sell travel independently from home. Once you do this, suppliers will recognize you as a legitimate entity. Check with the state Office of the Attorney General or Department of Commerce to see what the exact requirements are regarding registration. http://www.careeroverview.com/travel-agent-careers.html

EMPLOYMENT: When you are looking for employment as a travel agent in North Carolina, don't expect to find it immediately. You will most likely start in an entry level position such as a receptionist or reservations clerk. This will give you the ability to gain experience by watching other travel agents go about their day to day activities. Over time you might get more duties which can eventually lead to becoming a travel agent. If you aren't able to get that entry level job, you can always offer to work for free as an intern. It will look good on your resume and help with future employment.

SALARY: When you are first starting out selling travel, you will have to focus on building a client base more than anything. After this you will start making commission from your sales. If you are self employed, you make commission and fees. If you work for a travel agency, you will make a salary and commission. The 2010 base annual salary for North Carolina travel agents is estimated at $28,938.00. If you wish to make more, consider starting your own business, because the earning potential can be as high as 100K per year. Keep in mind though that most people that start their own business from home, started out working for travel agencies. 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=28202&hdStateMetro=32&hdGeoLocation=Charlotte%2C+NC+28202&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 http://www.homebasedtravelagent.com/FAQ.htm

DUTIES: If you want to become a travel agent, make sure you know what tasks and duties are expected of you. This way you will be able to see if you need additional training of some form. Some duties of travel agents include:

• ■ Advising 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.
• ■ Researching publications and online sources so you can provide information on flights, group discounts, fares, and quality of hotel accommodations.
• ■ Calculating 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.
• ■ Printing your customer's tickets

SCAMS: Be cautious when looking for a job as a travel agent. You might come across one of the many scams out there. Some companies advertise the business opportunity of owning your own business, working from home and traveling the world all while making lots of money. These companies often advertise online and focus on all the benefits of the travel agent profession. Sometimes they will ask you to recruit new affiliates for a commission and they might also ask for a payment upfront to be able to use their web portal. You don't want to get into the multi level marketing business, you want to sell travel. Make sure to do your research before committing to any company. http://www.homebasedtravelagent.com/scams.htm