Travel agents assist travelers by sorting through vast amounts
of information to help their clients make the best possible travel
arrangements. Travel agents offer advice on destinations and make
arrangements for transportation, hotel accommodations, car rentals, and
tours for their clients. In addition, resorts and specialty travel groups
use travel agents to promote travel packages to their clients.
Travel agents spend most of their time behind a desk conferring with
clients, completing paperwork, contacting airlines and hotels to make travel
arrangements, and promoting tours. They also spend a considerable amount of
time either on the telephone or on the computer researching travel
itineraries or updating reservations and travel documents. Travel agents
must be well-organized, accurate, and detail oriented in order to compile
information from various sources and to plan and organize travel
itineraries. Agents must have excellent communication skills and must be
professional and courteous when dealing with travel representatives and
clients.
Experience, sales ability, and the size and location of the agency determine
the salary of a travel agent. Median annual wages of travel agents were
$30,570 in May 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $23,940 and
$38,390. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $18,770, while the top 10
percent earned more than $47,860. Median wages in May 2008 for travel agents
employed in the travel arrangement and reservation services industry were
$30,470.
