There are a variety of travel agents who offer specialized services in air, sea, and rail travel. Their salary depends on a lot of variables, like the area of expertise he/she has, and the plethora of travel related services they can offer, like accommodation and car rentals.
Job Description
A travel agent acts like an auxiliary for people who wish to travel, either for business or pleasure. Nowadays, there are many service providers available at a traveler's disposal to choose from, and it becomes very confusing for travelers to make the right choice. A travel agent will help you make the right choice by booking tickets and arranging accommodation which are best suited to your requirement and wallet. There are travel agents who offer specialized services to business travelers, and special packages to people traveling for pleasure. Some even specialize in package tours to certain destinations. Travel agents have to handle a large volume of clients during holiday seasons like Christmas, Thanksgiving, and spring break. Due to the nature of their work, they have to deal with a variety of people from different ethnic and religious backgrounds, as well as people with different nationalities and preferences. A travel agent has to plan a client's itinerary, in addition to arranging accommodation and car rentals.
Educational Qualification
An aspiring travel agent needs to have a Bachelor's Degree or a Master's in Travel and Tourism. A bachelor's degree is a four-year course which can also be done online. Some of the colleges that offer online bachelor's degree are Kaplan University, Phoenix University, Ashworth College, etc. Students who have completed their undergraduate programs can opt for a master's degree from colleges like Walden University, Grand Canyon University etc. There are also many travel agent vocational courses offered by schools and community colleges, which impart knowledge about geography, marketing, ticketing forms and procedures, and other related aspects to become a successful travel agent.
Salary Range
Travel agents are employed by travel agencies, airlines, tour operators, cruise lines and more. A recent survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics says that the salary range for jobs as a travel agent range from USD 19,000 to USD 45,000. It also has statistics based on the years of experience and the expected salary range. The chart presented below gives information on the salary based on years of experience.
| Experience | Salary |
| Less than 1 yr | USD 20,000 to 38,000 |
| 1 to 4 yrs | USD 24,000 to 38,000 |
| 5 to 9 yrs | USD 29,000 to 42,000 |
| 10 to 19 yrs | USD 30,000 to 42,000 |
| 20 or more years | USD 31,000 to 46,000 |
Some of the top paying states
Washington, Virginia, Tennessee, New Hampshire - USD 36,000 to USD 39,000.
Some of the top paying metropolitan areas
Durham (NC), Birmingham-Hover (AL), Bremerton-Silverdale (WA), Memphis (TN) - USD 43,000 to USD 53,000.
Since there are a variety of services offered by travel agencies, an agent has to perform a multitude of tasks, and this ability to multitask plays an important role in deciding the salary of a travel agent. There are many variable components to the salary of a travel agent, such as the size of the organization, services offered by the organization, clients catered to, and the location of the business.
As seen above, career as a travel agent can be a very promising career option. Besides the remuneration, travel agents also gain a lot of knowledge about different parts of the world. With the continuing trend of globalization, the world is indeed becoming a smaller place. Traveling has not only become faster, but more affordable as well, encouraging more and more people to travel. Thus, the increase in travel will lead to more demand in the services provided by travel agents, bringing up the salary.
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