Being well organized, accurate, professional, courteous, and detail oriented are all qualities one must poses to become a travel agent. Learning how to become a travel agent in South Dakota is not difficult if you are aware of the steps to take. This page will cover various subjects that you might have questions about such as salary, education, duties, and more. http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos124.htm

Expedia.com, Priceline.com and Travelocity.com are all travel websites where you can book package deals that include a flight, hotel stay and car rental. These travel websites make it so that you can become your own travel agent. They are available 24/7 and all it takes is just a click of a button. You would think that a travel agent is not necessary anymore, but this is not true. Some benefits of using a travel agent include that many travel agents have access to discounts and promotional offers that are not available to the general public. Another good reason to use a travel agent is that they are ready to assist you not just before your trip, but also during your trip if something goes wrong. Also, many travel agents are well traveled and will be able to give their personal review of your travel destination. Travel agents have to become travel experts nowadays and give their clients information that they would not be able to find elsewhere. Just how travel agents are able to refer customers to South Dakota tourist attractions such as Mount Rushmore and Badlands National Park, they should be able to refer them to tourist attractions in the travel destination of their choice. http://www.planetware.com/top-tourist-attractions/south-dakota-ussd.htm

Some travel agents specialize in cruises, business trips, honeymoons and travel geared towards a certain demographic. Whichever specialty you choose, the steps towards becoming a travel agent are basically all the same. http://careerplanning.about.com/od/occupations/p/travel_agent.htm

FINISH HIGH SCHOOL: You will need a high school diploma or the equivalent in order to become a travel agent. Most employers prefer to hire people with some kind of travel agent training. In South Dakota you can look into these classes at Black Hills State University. If you prefer to study at home, you can look into online classes or courses from Penn Foster Career School, Strayer University Online, Stratford Career Institute, and Central Pennsylvania College. Other beneficial classes include computer science, geography, foreign languages, and world history. Travel agents spend a lot of time searching for rates and deals on the Internet, therefore some computer knowledge is also required. Vocational school can come in handy here. http://www.citytowninfo.com/employment/travel-agents/south-dakota

GET A JOB: Once you have obtained some training and are ready to start working, don't expect to get a job as a travel agent right away. Most likely you will work at a travel agency as a reservations clerk or receptionist. The good thing about this is that you gain experience from watching other travel agents go about their day to day activities. Eventually you can request more responsibilities which might ultimately lead to a position as a travel agent. If you aren't able to find a job at a travel agency, try offering to work for free as an intern. It will look good on your resume and will get your foot in the door. http://careerplanning.about.com/od/occupations/p/travel_agent.htm

COMPENSATION: A South Dakota travel agent that starts their own business gets paid in commission and fees. However, if you work as an employee at a travel agency you will get a salary and commission on your sales. The 2010 annual base salary for South Dakota travel agents is estimated at $25,049.00. When first starting out as a travel agent you won't make commission right away because you have to first build your client base. After this, once you start selling travel you will make commission. The commission percentage depends on the commission structure of the company you work for. Usually this between 10 - 20 percent of your sales, excluding air fares. 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=57701&hdStateMetro=293&hdGeoLocation=Rapid+City%2C+SD+57701&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

SCAMS: There are companies you can work for that are known as host companies. They allow you to use their name and web portal to sell travel. All they ask for is a percentage of the commission you make from sales sold through the website. This sounds tempting, but you still have to be careful because some of these companies are operating scams. Scam companies often advertise online by focusing on discounted travel, working from home and being your own boss. They don't mention the work itself. Sometimes they even provide you with a fake travel agent ID card. Not all companies are scams, but with the following guidelines you will be able to recognize the scams:

• If a travel company claims to be very successful, they usually aren't.
• If the company solely focuses on the luxury if working from home, free or discounted travel, avoiding a commute to the office, and not having to purchase office attire, it might be a scam.
• If they require you to pay a large sum of money up front just to be able to use their website and name, it might be a scam.
• If they require you to recruit affiliates for them against a commission, walk the other way. They are a multi level marketing company, not a travel agency. http://www.homebasedtravelagent.com/scams.htm

LICENSING: Anyone can basically become a travel agent in South Dakota because a license is not required in the state. There is no special state administered test to pass like there is with real estate and insurance. If you are selling travel independently, from your home, you might have to register with a travel seller's registration program. Check with the state Office of the Attorney General or Department of Commerce on this. If you are required to register, suppliers will recognize you as a legitimate entity

DUTIES: When considering becoming a travel agent in South Dakota, you want to make sure you know what is expected of you. Following is a list of duties, so you can see if you need additional training in some areas.

• ■ As a travel agent you have to advise and inform your clients about their travel destinations. Tell customers about the climate/weather, attractions, currency, required travel documents, necessary vaccinations, customs and possible accommodations. Your clients depend on you to provide information they cannot get elsewhere.
• ■ If you work for a tour operator you might have to promote, arrange, develop and sell their travel services and packages. You will have ot do this using the Internet, direct mail and by doing presentations.
• ■ Another task for travel agents is researching publications and online sources: You have to find information on flights, group discounts, fares, and quality of hotel accommodations.
• ■ Making calculations of air fares, rental car costs, and a hotel stays is another requirement. You have to be able to quote various package prices to your customers.
• ■ Travel agents print out the tickets and answer their clients questions.http://www.careerplanner.com/Job-Descriptions/Travel-Agents.cfm