Traveling is one of the many things travel agents get to do for their job. For this reason alone there are many people interested in becoming travel agents. Learning how to become a travel agent in South Carolina is not complicated. Like any other jobs there are educational requirements and various duties you will need to perform. Aside from this, you want to make sure to avoid the scams that are out there. Another deciding factor when considering the occupation of travel agent is the compensation and salary. You will find a lot of information on this page that will answer some of your questions. You will also find out that traveling is not the only thing a travel agent does.

As a travel agent you will easily be able to refer South Carolina visitors to Waterfront Park, Middleton Place, Magnolia Plantation, and Charleston Museum, all of which are top rated tourist attractions. In the same way, you should be able to refer your customers to tourist attractions in their chosen travel destination. Especially with the rise of Internet travel websites such as Expedia.com, Kayak.com and Priceline.com, travel agents nowadays have to become experts when it comes to travel. They have to be available to their customers not just before their trip, but also during their trip. http://www.planetware.com/top-tourist-attractions-/charleston-us-sc-char.htm http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos124.htm

GET YOUR EDUCATION: To become a South Carolina travel agent, you will need a minimum of a high school diploma or the equivalent. Good computer/Internet skills are also required. If you need extra training in this area, vocational school can be the answer. Other travel agent training in South Carolina can be obtained through the University of South Carolina-Columbia. If you prefer to study from home, you can look into online classes from Penn Foster Career School, Strayer University Online, and Stratford Career Institute. Additional classes you might want to consider include world history, geography, and foreign languages. Keep in mind that employers prefer to hire people with some form of travel agent training.

Aside from the educational and training requirements, you also need to be well organized, detail oriented, professional, courteous, and accurate. Good communication skills will also come in handy since you have to discuss, inform and advice your customer on their travel arrangements. You have to be able to find the arrangement that fits their budget. http://careerplanning.about.com/od/occupations/p/travel_agent.htm

FINDING A JOB: When you've completed your education and taken several training courses, you can start looking for a job. Aspiring travel agents might start out as receptionists or reservation clerks at local travel agencies. This is a good way to learn about the daily travel agent tasks and also to get your foot in the door. Over time more responsibilities might come your way and eventually you might end up as a travel agent. If you cannot get a job at a travel agency, offer to work for free as an intern. This way you will still be able to gain some experience and it will help with future job searches. http://careerplanning.about.com/od/occupations/p/travel_agent.htm

SALARY AND COMMISSION: When you start working as a travel agent, you will not immediately make a commission. You need to build a client base first. After this you can start selling travel. If you work for an agency you will make a salary and a commission. The amount of the commission depends on the individual travel agency you work for. Each company's commission structure is different. The 2010 base annual salary for a travel agent in South Carolina is $27,364.00. If you later decide to start your own business selling travel from home, your earning potential can be as high as 100K per year. http://swz.salary.com/salarywizard/layoutscripts/swzl_salaryresults.asp?op=salswz_psr&hdOmniNarrowDesc=Materials%20Management&hdOmniTotalJobsFound=20&jobfamilycode=23&joblevelcode=&pagefrom=selectjob&hdZipCode=29201&geometrocode=41&hdLocationOption=1&countertype=1&jobcounter=8&hdJobCode=OF13000058&hdJobTitle=Travel%20Clerk&hdJobCategory=AR02&hdNarrowDesc=Hotel,%20Gaming,%20Leisure,%20and%20Travel http://www.homebasedtravelagent.com/FAQ.htm

BENEFITS: One of the benefits of becoming a travel agent is that you get to see the world and travel at a substantial discount if not free. Before you can do this, you have to proof yourself by selling travel for about 6 months. After this your employer will add your name to the list of people authorized to travel at discounts. You will get issued a travel agent ID card from IATAN and can enjoy numerous discounts on hotels, air fares, cruises, rental cars and more. If you get terminated from your job, you will have to return your ID card. http://www.travelagenttrainingcenter.com/Travel%20Industry%20Benefits.htm

LICENSING: Some states have certain formal license requirements for travel agents. South Carolina is not one of them. Unlike real estate and insurance agents, there is no state administered test you have to pass in order to sell travel. Some states require you to join a travel seller's registration program so that suppliers recognize you as a legitimate entity. If you are not sure about your state laws, check with the office of the Attorney General or the Department of Commerce. http://www.careeroverview.com/travel-agent-careers.html http://www.homebasedtravelagent.com/FAQ.htm

SCAMS: If you come across a travel agency scam, walk the other way. Often these scams come from 'companies' that advertise online. They glamorize the fact that you can work from home whenever you want, and travel the world for pennies. Scam companies focus on the benefits of the travel agent profession and make it sound too good to be true. They often charge a fee upfront to allow you to sell travel using their web portal and name. Some even issue fake travel agent ID cards. You know you are dealing with the wrong company if they request that you recruit affiliates for a commission. These are just multi level marketing companies. Make sure you do research about the company you are getting involved with. Even though not all of them are scams, some are.

DUTIES: Besides traveling there are many other duties and tasks that a travel agent has. When deciding you want to become a travel agent, make sure to look into the duties required to see if you need additional training in certain areas. Some duties include:

• ■ Advising and informing travelers about their travel destinations: Inform them about the climate/weather, attractions, currency, required travel documents, necessary vaccinations, customs and possible accommodations. Clients expect exclusive information they can't find anywhere else.
• ■ Researching publications and online sources: Find information on flights, group discounts, fares, and quality of hotel accommodations.
• ■ Calculating: You have to calculate air fares, rental car costs, and a hotel stay. You have to be able to quote various package prices to your customers.
• ■ Promoting, developing, arranging and selling travel services: If you work for a tour operator you might have to sell the company's own travel services and package tours. This is usually done through presentations, the Internet, and direct mail.
• ■ Printing out the tickets and answering further questions is another requirement. http://www.careerplanner.com/Job-Descriptions/Travel-Agents.cfm