Travel Agency

A Travel agency assist travelers by helping them make the best possible travel arrangements. Agents in a travel agency offer advice on destinations and make the arrangements for air and ground transportation, hotel reservations, car rentals. If the traveler want to take tours, the agency make all of the arrangements for their clients.http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos124.htm

Resorts and travel groups use travel agencies to promote travel packages. The packages are offered to travelers and vacationers at a discount. When someone arrive at a travel agency, the agents advise travelers about the weather conditions, local customs, local attractions and currents exhibitions. International travelers can get information on foreign customs, regulations, required documents, travel advisories, and the current currency exchange rates.http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos124.htm

If there are changes that pertain to the outcome of the trip, travel agents will work on the traveler's behalf to make substitute arrangements. Travel agencies use newspapers, magazines and the Internet to get information that include popular vacation destinations, departure and arrival times, air fares, quality of hotel accommodations, and group discounts, so that they can pass this information on to their clients. Some of the agents will make a personal visit to hotels to see for themselves if they provide the comfort, cleanliness and the quality that is expected.http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos124.htm

Most travel agencies hire applicants who have received specialized training that is specific to becoming a travel agent. Travel agent courses teach students about geography, sales, marketing, and travel industry forms and procedures for ticketing and reservations.http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos124.htm.

If you own a travel agency, continuing education is a must, because of the competition and all of the travel information made available through the Internet. This has resulted in more informed travelers who expect agencies to know everything about the travel business.http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos124.htm.

When you start a travel agency, you need formal approval from suppliers such as airlines, ship lines, or rail lines, to extend credit on reservations and to ensure timely payment. To gain this approval, the new agency must be financially sound and have at least one experienced manager or travel agent working at the agency.http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos124.htm

Salaried travel agents usually enjoy standard benefits that self-employed agents must provide for themselves. When traveling for personal reasons, agents usually get reduced rates for transportation and accommodations. In addition, agents sometimes take “familiarization” trips, at lower cost or no cost to themselves, to learn about various vacation sites. These free trips around the world and the added benefits often attract people to this occupation.http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos124.htm