Learning how to become a travel agent in Rio De Janeiro is not difficult if you just know the correct steps to take. On this page you will find information about travel agent requirements, travel agent duties, travel company scams, employment and more.

As a travel agent in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil you should be able to refer visitors to attractions such as Municipal Park, the National Museum of Art, Copacabana, and the Botanic Garden. If your customers want to travel abroad, you should also be able to provide information about attractions in the destination of their choice. http://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions-/rio-de-janeiro-bra-rj-r.htm

A travel agent has to be able to book cheap flights, cheap hotels, and cheap rental cars so clients can stay within their spending budget. A travel agent nowadays has to become an expert when it comes to travel especially with the rise of Internet travel websites such as expedia.com, travelocity.com, priceline.com, hotwire.com and kayak.com. Travel websites are 'open' 24/7 and can be accessed right from home. They enable travelers to make their own travel arrangements with the click of a button. They can check air fares, reserve hotels and rental cars.

Many people still prefer using a travel agent because they don't want to deal with the hassle of finding affordable travel deals and such. Travel agents often have access to travel discounts and vacation packages that are not available to the general public.

If you want to become a Rio De Janeiro travel agent, it is good to prepare yourself. You want to know what you can expect and what will be expected of you. This page might help answer some of the questions you have.

EDUCATION: Requirements to become a travel agent in Brazil are the same as they are in the United States. You have to start by getting a high school diploma, or the equivalent. Employers in Rio De Janeiro prefer hiring people with on the job experience and travel agent training. Therefore after high school you should look into some additional training geared towards becoming a travel agent. Some people even go on to college and get an associate's or bachelor's degree in travel and tourism. http://careerplanning.about.com/od/occupations/p/travel_agent.htm

TRAINING: Look into online classes, community colleges and adult education programs to find travel agent classes. The website citytowninfo.com provides a list of travel agent schools in the United States and might help you find a school nearby. They also provide a list of online schools. If you plan on working in Rio De Janeiro, you will need to speak Portuguese. If you don't, you might want to consider learning the language. Other beneficial classes you can take include world history, geography, math and computer science. http://www.world66.com/southamerica/brazil/riodejaneiro/travelinformation/language

Besides education and training, a travel agent also has to be accurate, well organized, detail oriented, courteous and professional. Travel agent training never stops. You have to keep up to date on the changing trends in various vacation destinations. Reading travel magazines and traveling a lot are recommended. http://www.careeroverview.com/travel-agent-careers.html

WORK IN THE U.S.: To gain experience working as a travel agent, you will usually start out in an entry level position at a travel agent. This can be as a receptionist or reservations clerk. You will learn the job and gain experience by watching other travel agents go about their daily activities. You can request more duties and responsibility over time and eventually this might lead to becoming a travel agent. If you cannot find an entry level position, consider working for free as an intern. It will help with future employment and look good on your resume. The Mahalo page 'How to write a resume' might help you here. http://www.careeroverview.com/travel-agent-careers.html

WORK IN RIO DE JANEIRO: Once you have gained work experience and are comfortable selling travel, you can start looking into jobs in Rio De Janeiro. The easiest is to just search the Internet and find out what job openings there are. Make sure to check if employers are willing to help with moving. Will they take care of visas and required work permits? Do they provide accommodations? Contacting Immigration Services might also give you some idea as to what it requires to work in Rio De Janeiro. The easiest way to work in Rio De Janeiro would be to go through an agency that provides all the required paperwork and the employment. The websites transitionsabroad.com and jobsabroad.com will give more information on this.

BENEFITS: Once you start working as a travel agent you will also get to travel a lot. Traveling and experiencing different vacation resorts and travel destinations is part of your job. Your employer might require that you travel to a vacation destination and experience it as a tourist would. This way you will be able to sell it more convincingly and confidently. After a minimum of 6 months on the job, your employer will add you to the list of employees allowed to enjoy travel agent benefits. You will get a travel agent ID card issued by IATAN and will be able to enjoy discounts on air fare, cruise travel, hotels, car rental and more. Upon termination of employment you will have to turn in your travel agent ID card. http://www.travelagenttrainingcenter.com/Travel%20Industry%20Benefits.htm

DUTIES: Whether you work in the United States, Europe, or Rio De Janeiro, the duties of a travel agent are all the same. It might be a good idea to review the duties and tasks to see if you need additional training in some areas. Duties of travel agents include:

• ■ Advising, informing, and assisting customers when deciding on where to travel. You have to provide them with brochures and publications of their travel destination. Make sure they know about the location's weather, customs, attractions, vaccinations, visa requirements etc.
• ■ Book air fare, accommodation, transportation and any desired tours at the destination.
• ■ Print tickets for the clients
• ■ Research online to get favorable pricing and additional information. Make sure you have multiple vacation packages to offer the client.
• ■ Calculating costs of vacation packages, air fare, accommodations, car rental and such is all part of your job.
• ■ 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.
• ■ If your customer has problems during travel, or needs to reschedule flights, they have to be able to contact you to make these travel arrangements for them. Travel agents assist customers before and during their trip.