101 Series: How to Become a Travel Agent

How to Become a Travel Agent

Happy Friday the 13th! Or should I say FRIYAY because it’s now the weekend? Well, truth be told, when you love what you do for a living, you don’t really care if it’s the weekend. If you’re a travel agent, you likely will be checking emails from your clients anyway on weekends so is it really an actual weekend? If I haven’t scared you off yet, I’m going to post below some informative tips on how to become a travel agent.

I have received a lot of social media messages (it goes down in the DMs!) from people interested in becoming a travel agent. So I thought I would create a 101 Series with helpful tips and a step-by-step guideline for how to become a travel agent. Hoping this blog post can serve as a one stop shop for messages I receive.

Step 1: Brick and Mortar Vs. Online Host Agency

The first thing to think about is what type of work setting are you looking for? What income are you able to live with? I’m going to break down the difference between working for a brick and mortar agency and working for an online host agency.

I work for a brick and mortar retail agency, a small one, located in Richmond, VA. If you live in a big city, you will likely have several options to apply to such as Liberty Travel. If you live in a smaller town, it may be a bit more competitive. My hiring was completely based on good timing. I reached out to the owner of the agency, and she invited me in for an interview. She told me that her current co-worker was about to retire after 30 years with her. so it just worked out perfectly.

The advantages of a brick and mortar:

• Full time salary + Commission
• Steady/secure paycheck
• Unlimited learning by physically being there and being able to bounce ideas off of others
• Meeting face to face with suppliers and tour operators when they come into the office and building a rapport
• Easy to set up appointments with clients in a professional manner at an office
• No start up “dues”

The other option is the online host agency option. I feel like this is what most people who reach out to me  have in their head when they decide they want to be a travel agent. They picture the #laptoplifestyle where you are sitting at a beach with your laptop doing work and making $$. The reality is… you are on a 100% commission based model. Maybe that appeals to you? Maybe you like a challenge? Here are the advantages of working for an online host agency:

• Complete flexibility
• Can take off from work whenever you like
• Can work from wherever you like

Find A Host Travel Agency is a great starting resource for narrowing down your ideal online host agency, as not all agencies are created equal. Be sure to look for things like what the commission % is that you take home. For me, it’s 70/30 (I keep 70%, boss keeps 30%). It works for us, because I also get a full time salary so I’m cool with my boss keeping her profit as she keeps the lights on at the agency so to speak. If you are on a strictly commission-based model, you really should be striving for at least 80%. Pro tip: I’ve heard really good reviews about Outside Agents from other agents.

Step 2: Corporate Travel Vs. Leisure Travel

The next thing to consider is if you’d rather work in corporate travel (think American Express travel) or leisure travel. For me, I have no interest in booking nothing but Marriotts and Hiltons. I’m snoring just thinking about it. But… a friend of mine works for American Express and loves it! It’s a huge company with a lot of great benefits, great pay, allows her to work from home.

There’s just something about leisure travel that makes me happy. I love seeing my clients’ pictures when they return from their honeymoon, or their 30th wedding anniversary trip, or their destination wedding. It’s a bit more meaningful to me. It also allows me some creativity with what I propose between the different properties and tours/excursions. I worked on an Egypt trip today for my client Casey and it was so exciting because I don’t typically book Egypt. Crafting out her itinerary to see the pyramids and sphinx, dinner cruise down the Nile River, and beach time to see the Red Sea in Hurghada. I love it.

Step 3: Not your Typical 9-5

The next step on How to Become a Travel Agent… you need to confirm if you’re okay with the fact that this is not a typical 9-5 job. Yes, my office hours are Monday-Friday 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM EST, so I’m technically a “9-5er” but also… I have clients traveling the world in different time zones at any given time. I’m constantly checking emails nights and weekends to make sure I don’t get behind on anything. I also give my cell number to clients so they can reach out for emergencies.

Being woke up at 6:00 AM because your client missed their flight is NOT a fun way to wake up. Especially when you don’t have to be in the office until 9:30 AM. But it’s the territory that comes with the job. You have clients celebrating all types of special occasions and want every moment to be perfect. It’s your job to set them up for that success. Make sure they’re aware of travel insurance pricing and always recommend it. Especially the clients heading to the Caribbean during hurricane season! It’s so important to make sure every detail is covered – not only to help your clients but also to CYA.

Step 4: Getting Clients and Establishing Credibility

One of the most frequently asked questions… how do I get clients? Starting out in this industry, I will admit that it is a challenge. People have to trust you with their hard earned $, some trips costing the size of a small used car while other trips could cost a new Porsche. Who would trust you with that? Why should they? So here are my steps for getting clients:

1. I organized a Meetup Group that grew over 2 years to over 2,000 members. It is a travel-related meetup group where I would plan group trips. We went to Puerto Rico, Iceland, Thailand, and more recently Colombia. I did not start this group with the intent to become a travel agent, it actually was the reason I thought it was even possible. I loved booking trips in my spare time when I wasn’t being an Account Executive in the advertising biz.
2. I spent my own out of pocket funds on personal trips so I could educate myself on certain regions. I read up on the trending destinations and “what’s hot” and booked me a trip there. Consider it an “investment” in your business. You want to establish credibility that you travel the world before you start sending others around the world. Figure out what your hot destinations are that you sell and book a ticket. That’s one of the biggest complaints from newer agents who don’t book a lot of sales. They’re waiting to make money first before they book a trip. I really believe your traveling should come first. So bonus points if you have already traveled a good deal. Here is a quick guide on how to travel cheaply and use your commission to your advantage. My past personal trips include:
   • Southeast Asia: Thailand
   • South America: Colombia and Peru
   • Western Europe: Iceland
   • Caribbean: Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Jamaica,
   • North America: Canada (Niagara Falls, Toronto, Quebec), USA (Miami, Vegas, NYC, Maine, other states..) and Mexico (Cancun)
3. If you don’t have the personal funds to book your own personal trips for education, see if you can negotiate that your boss pay for a work trip called a ‘FAM.’ The intention of a FAM trip is to familiarize yourself with a destination and/or resort. It’s so important to visit the locations you sell a lot of. For me, it’s the Caribbean. You want to establish your credibility in this industry. The same reason you wouldn’t hire an overweight personal trainer to work you out, is the same reason you wouldn’t hire a travel agent who’s never left their hometown. So get out there, even if it’s just 1 trip a year. My boss has in my offer letter that she will pay for 1 FAM trip a year but recently has paid for 2 a year. My next FAM trips will be to Saint Lucia (August 2018) and Turks & Caicos (September 2018). She’s the best! Feel free to check out my blog posts on past FAM trips, so you can get an idea of the structure. Past FAM trips include:
   • Palace Resorts, Cancun
   • Sandals Resorts, Bahamas
   • Sandals Resorts, Jamaica
   • G Adventures Tours, Peru
4. While nothing replaces the experience of being somewhere in the flesh, there are an abundance of training modules that I highly recommend taking advantage of for just about every destination on the planet. Some training modules are more lengthy than others (Disney, looking at you…) but for the most part they are manageable. I know it will be awhile before I make it to Hawaii, but I still sell Hawaii so I felt it was important to review the training modules. Same for Las Vegas, and certain cruise lines. Again, start with what the region sell mostly and work your way from there. With 190+ countries in the world it’s near impossible to visit all of them so focus on the destinations that will give you a return.
5. Use social media to your advantage. Chances are, you came across this post from one of my social media pages. It’s very helpful when getting clients. That’s the place for you to post YOUR travel pics to maintain your credibility in that space and post your CLIENTS’ travel pics. I don’t recommend constantly posting your travel agent life on your personal page as that will annoy your friends. I highly recommend a business fan page like mine and only sharing things occasionally to your personal page if it’s something you’re really proud of. **Please note: you need to get your clients’ permission first before you post their pics to your page. This should go without saying. What I do is send a follow up email getting clients’ feedback upon their return. At the end of the email I ask them if they’re comfortable sharing any photos of their trip for me to post. I find that about 50% come back and will send me pics to post. So trust me, you shouldn’t have any problem with that. Essentially, you want to maintain that credibility. Showing prospective clients the pictures of those who booked with you already should ease their mind. Others gave you their hard earned $ and had the time of their life.
6. Ask for referrals. In a non thirsty way of course. Last, but certainly not least on the list of getting client is… Referrals! Referrals are the absolute best source of marketing you can have. For starters, word of mouth is free advertising for you. It’s also a much stronger type of lead. Leads that just come from social media organically rarely book. But leads that come from a referral most often do! You trust what your friends say, yes? So do others. That’s why I always tell prospective agents to treat all clients like a million bucks. You may have a client with a $800 budget and that’s okay… because you know what? That client could turn around and refer you to a $20,000 budget client. You don’t know who is in their network. So always make each client’s trip as memorable and special regardless of the funds they’re giving you. Because what’s worth a heck of a lot more than your commission check at the end of the day, is the referral to OTHER commission checks. #DontJudgeABookByItsCover

Step 5: You Can’t Be Everything to Everyone

WRONG! I will never listen to the advice of the seasoned vets who told me that. You will hear some older agents say to you “You can’t be everything to everyone” meaning to pick a niche. Do you want to be the Caribbean chick? The Disney chick? The Europe chick? Hard pass. This guide encompasses how to be a travel agent for everyone. No you can’t be a “Specialist” at everything and I’m aware of that.

Hear me loud and clear when I say that for the sake of your finances, you do NOT want to limit yourself to one niche. Don’t you want to challenge yourself anyway by working on trips you’re not as familiar with? You will eventually get a feel for what you sell most of. Like I said before, I mostly sell Caribbean. But that doesn’t mean I limit myself to that. I’ve booked clients to United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Japan, Italy, Ireland, Iceland, Russia, France, Germany, Switzerland, Greece, and SO many more countries. I’ve booked the typical Disney family vacations and cruises as well as your less typical family trips (Accra, Ghana anyone??). On Tuesdays, I feature my clients on my social media channels with the hashtag #ClientSpotlightTuesday where they are the focal point.

You know how doctors have a wall full of babies they delivered? Well I have that same amount of pride for my clients. I love showing them off on their exciting trips and become so happy for them as they cross things off their bucket list. #ProudMama

Step 6: Which Suppliers Do You Want to Work With?

This only comes with time but eventually you will see which suppliers are ideal to work with. Some suppliers pay a commission quickly like Delta Vacations and Travel Impressions. Sometimes you make more commission by booking direct. For example, with Sandals Resorts, if I were to book on Delta Vacations I’d make 15%. So on a $3,000 land booking (we don’t make commission on airfare) I would make a $450.00 commission check. However, if you book direct with Sandals on their Unique Vacations website there’s an additional 2% commission, so I’d make $510.00.

Like I said, you will eventually learn who to work with, which  suppliers give the best commission percentage and who pays quickly. There’s also perks and rewards programs with a lot of the suppliers. I’ve paid some of my upcoming Las Vegas trip off with rewards perks from Delta Vacations. Is your client looking for a villa rental in Tuscany? My go to is Parker Villas. They pay 10% commission, friendly customer service staff and fair prices for my clients. Plus their villas are just beyond picturesque and adorable. A lot of them offer added bonuses like wine tasting and/or olive oil tasting. Is your client looking for a quaint boutique hotel or B&B, try Travel Bound. I can find some cute boutique hotels for Ireland that are ideal as well as many other places.

Agents do not get commission off of Air B&B products so you have to be a bit creative when determining how to book certain clients to give them what they want while remaining profitable. Here’s an adorable villa in Kamala Beach, Thailand that I stayed at. It was so relaxing and peaceful after a crazy time in Patong Beach. These are the unique accommodations I can find with certain suppliers.

Step 7: To Charge a Planning Fee or Not

As a travel agent you have the right to charge a planning fee for your clients. That is a non-refundable fee that goes towards your time in planning the trip so in the event they don’t end up booking with you (we call them “shoppers”) you didn’t lose out on too much. Because I make a full time salary + commission, I’m pretty comfortable foregoing a fee. So I personally do not charge a planning fee for them to work with me. If they book, I’ll get a commission off of their trip when they return.

That’s one thing I forgot to mention… if you are looking for a career that offers instant gratification after a sale this is not it. You only get paid a commission when your clients return. It makes sense, right? Your clients could cancel their trip so it doesn’t make sense for you to be pre paid those funds and then have to awkwardly give it back. So starting out, it can be challenging (financially) until you’ve been in a year and collecting commission plus booking new trips. You will start to get in a rhythm. Now let’s talk about the pros and cons of charging a planning fee.

Pros and Cons of Charging a Planning Fee

• Pros – More $ (duh), weeding out clients who are just window shoppers and likely not going to buy, shows your professionalism and proves that you value your time (and ultimately worth) enough to not work for free
• Cons – You may lose out on clients who aren’t comfortable paying a planning fee up front, if you’re not established enough some might not find it worthwhile to pay you

Pros and Cons of Not Charging a Planning Fee

• Pros – Able to build up a solid clientele base by not pushing away prospective clients due to the start up fees
• Cons – Less $, you may experience a ton of window shoppers who may just end up booking on Expedia after you’ve done all the work

In this business, we have a word that we use: ASKHOLE. It’s someone who sucks up our time to ask us all these questions about their trip only for them to book it themselves. It’s like going into Best Buy to ask someone all about a TV then booking it on Amazon. Eh. It happens, though.

Step 8: Qualifying Your Clients

On the next step of How to Become a Travel Agent guide, this section is all about qualifying your clients. So remember Step 4, bullet #4 about training modules? Well if you are unable to visit a destination or resort, it’s imperative that you are getting your education elsewhere. The reason being… is because the biggest part of our job is qualifying the client. What does that mean exactly? It’s essentially a matchmaking service, similar to a dating service. The way two people are paired up based on their compatibility is what I strive for as a travel agent. As a travel agent, you are to match a client with their perfect flight schedule or perfect accommodation.

For example, let’s say we have a honeymoon client who wants the following:

• Nice beach
• All inclusive resort
• under $4k budget for a week including airfare
• Good food

Off the top of my head, I’m probably looking into Negril, Jamaica. Beautiful 7-mile beach, affordable all inclusive resorts and even adults only resorts like Sandals Negril or Couples Negril. The Karisma Resorts are known for their Gourmet inclusive meals with out of this world, melt-in-your-mouth, a la carte options. So would probably look into Azul Beach Resort in Negril. I’m definitely avoiding super kid-friendly properties like Sunscape Splash in Jamaica. No honeymoon couple wants to visit a resort with a huge water park and kids running around everywhere.

It takes time to be able to match up your clients to the perfect accommodations but with time and education you will eventually have it down to a science as to what to book. Before, I’d send clients like 11 different options at a time lol I now can narrow it down to 5-6. I never just send a few because I want people to make an informed decision and I think having 5-6 options to choose from is ideal unless they ask for something very specific.

Step 9: Figure out your Work Flow

So let’s say you have a healthy clientele base, you’re swamped with quote requests that you can barely keep up with. What next? Well now you have to figure out how to manage your work flow. I’ll tell you what works for me, but will caveat there is probably an easier/more efficient way of doing it.

• Online Google spreadsheet. I have 5 tabs that I’m constantly in daily:
  1. Current prospects – these are the people that need my immediate attention. If they’re highlighted in red, it means I owe them a quote. If they’re in white background, it means I’m good on my end. I sent them a quote already or followed up with them. If they’re highlighted in green, it means they’ve already said they want to move forward. They’re just waiting on funds in order to deposit.
  2. Closed – these are all of my upcoming trips that I’ve closed (but haven’t traveled yet and therefore I haven’t received payment for yet)
  3. Paid – these for my clients who I’ve been paid for already. Trust me when I say, YOU will want to keep track of every penny you are owed. It is not your boss’ responsibility to manage your finances. It’s yours! I keep track of every single commission check I’m owed, big or small
  4. Wedding leads – I get automatic emails from the wedding guide magazine in my city so I follow up and manage them on this tab
  5. Z Archived – dead leads that aren’t going anywhere. But I still want to store their contact info just in case
• Vacation CRM Database Tool – $50 / Month
  • Best fiddy bucks I’ve ever spent a month
  • It securely stores all of my clients’ contact info and credit card info as well as their vacation info. My Google spreadsheet is plan B but Vacation CRM is my #1 resource. It tracks final payment due dates for all my clients, birthday reminders, upcoming trip reminders. You won’t feel like you need it at first but TRUST ME when you start pulling in more clients you will definitely want to keep them all straight. It’s a LOT of info. I love the reminders section where you can set a reminder for just about anything. I remind myself to send them their final travel documents X number of days before they depart on their trip. Too easy. I currently have a reminder in there to book surprises and treats for my clients heading on a Royal Caribbean cruise soon (ex: chocolate covered strawberries, etc.).

Tag an OCD friend since there’s only 9 steps (LOL!). I know we are so programmed to want even numbers for lists but that’s pretty much it for now. Follow these 9 steps and you will be on your way to being a great travel agent. Are you a travel agent that has additional tips/tricks to share? Please feel free to send me a comment below. Any additional questions, feel free to email me: cassandra@accent-on-travel.net.

Thanks!