Learning how to become a travel agent in Tennessee is important if this is a job you are interested in pursuing. Below you will find information on education, travel agent training, duties, salary, the travel agent license, and more.

Memphis Zoo, Graceland, Belle Meade Plantation, and Rock City Gardens are all tourist attractions in Tennessee that travel agents refer their customers to. As a travel agent you have to be able to refer your customer to all sorts of attractions in various different travel destinations all over the world. 30 Percent of the U.S. Population goes online to look for travel information. Websites like Travelocity.com, Kayak.com and Expedia.com enable people to book their own flights, accommodations and rental cars. You would think that this eliminates the use for a travel agent, but this is not true. Travel agents assist their clients before and during their trip. If something goes wrong during the trip, the travel agent can be contacted. Besides this, travel agents often have access to special offers and discounts that are not available to the general public. http://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions-/chattanooga-us-tn-ch.htm http://www.khalsaweb.com/internetarticles/travel-onlince.html

There are some travel agents that specialize in certain areas such as cruises, honeymoons and business trips. The job outlook for agents specializing in certain areas is estimated to be good and stable for years to come. If you are thinking about becoming a travel agent, make sure you prepare yourself so you know what to expect and what is expected from you.http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos124.htm

TRAINING AND EDUCATION: If you want to become a travel agent in Tennessee, make sure you get your high school diploma or the equivalent. After this you want to look into some additional training. You can look into online classes, community colleges and public adult education programs. Some online schools include Penn Foster Career School, Strayer University Online, Stratford Career Institute, and Central Pennsylvania College. You can even go on to get an associate's or bachelor's degree in tourism and travel. Some other classes that may be beneficial include geography, world history and foreign languages. If you are good with computers and the Internet, it will come in handy also since you will spend a lot of time searching for rates and special deals. If not, you can always look into vocational school. Besides education and training, you also need to be well organized, accurate, professional and detail oriented to become a travel agent. http://www.citytowninfo.com/employment/travel-agents/tennessee http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos124.htm

LICENSING: In order to become a travel agent in Tennessee, you do not need a special license or pass a state administered tests. Unlike the real estate and insurance industry there are no regulated tests that you need to pass in order to become a travel agent. Anyone can basically sell travel. If you decide to start your own business selling travel from your home, some states require you to become part of part of a Travel Seller's registration program. You usually do this in the form of a financial contribution. Registration is mainly necessary so that you are recognized by suppliers as a legitimate entity. Make sure to check with the state Office of the Attorney General or Department of Commerce or what the requirements are to sell travel. http://www.homebasedtravelagent.com/FAQ.htm

ANNUAL PAY: As a Tennessee travel agent you can either start your own business or work for a travel agency (either at an office or at home). If you work for yourself, you are in control of your earning potential. It can be as much as 100K per year. If you work at an office you will make a salary and commission on your sales. The commission depends on the commission structure of the company. The 2010 base annual salary for a Tennessee travel agent is estimated at $27,839.00. http://swz.salary.com/salarywizard/layoutscripts/swzl_salaryresults.asp?op=salswz_psr&hdOmniNarrowDesc=Materials%20Management&hdOmniTotalJobsFound=20&jobfamilycode=23&joblevelcode=&pagefrom=selectjob&hdZipCode=37201&geometrocode=114&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

EMPLOYMENT: When you've completed your education and participated in various training courses, you can start looking for a job. Aspiring travel agents often 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 a 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

BENEFITS: Some people think that becoming a travel agent will allow them to travel the world at discounted rates or sometimes even free. If this is your only reason for wanting to become a travel agent you might want to reconsider. There is more to being a travel agent than meets the eye. Traveling is considered part of your job. When you visit certain locations, you are expected to be able to come back and sell the locations or resort more effectively to your customers. You need to review the hotel rooms, beaches, pools, restaurants, services provided and more. You will be allowed to travel at discounts or sometimes even free, after at least six months of successfully having sold travel. After a minimum of 6 months your employer will add you to the list of employees authorized to travel at discounts. You will get a Travel Agent ID card from IATAN. If your employment is terminated, you will have to turn in your ID card. http://www.travelagenttrainingcenter.com/Travel%20Industry%20Benefits.htm

SCAMS: If you are considering working independently for a host travel company you have to be careful. There are a lot of scam companies that are only after your money. Before associating yourself with any company, try to find out if you are dealing with a reputable, legitimate company. A lot of scam companies do their advertising online. Here are some signs that tell you the company is most likely a scam:

• ■ If you get promised a commission to recruit other people to join the company, it's probably a scam. (You want to sell travel, not get into multi level marketing)
• ■ Promises of free or discounted travel usually refer to scam companies that use the many benefits to sell the dream.
• ■ Companies that brag about their success might not be successful at all.
• ■ If you have to pay hundreds of dollar to become an affiliate, walk the other way. http://www.homebasedtravelagent.com/scams.htm