Working in travel is becoming an exceedingly popular field nowadays. One of the most popular jobs is to work as a travel agent. If you search online you are bound to find a selection of available travel agent jobs.

But finding them is only the beginning, you need to ensure that you have the tools in your locker to impress and consequently bag the job. This is especially important in the current day and age, where jobs are few and far between and more and more applicants are fighting for a sole position.

Therefore, to give you a helping hand, this blog post will provide you with some tips and guidance on how to get a job in this field. 

What is involved in being a travel agent?

First and foremost, it is crucial that you are thoroughly aware of what a travel agent does and what their day to day duties entail before you apply for any travel agent jobs. A travel agent basically manages all the travel needs of a passenger.

This includes; finding flights and accommodation, collecting payments, booking insurance, organising transfers to and from the airport, arranging and selling itineraries for tour packages, as well as providing customers with information regarding any holiday or travel-related queries. 

If this sounds like something which appeals to you then I highly recommend that you apply for an array of travel agent jobs. But, before you do, you’ll need to know what skills you need and attributes you need to impress, bag the job, and succeed in the industry. 

You need to have good communication skills to be a travel agent

Firstly, you need to display that you are good at communicating and working with people. This will be evident in the way in which you communicate with the interviewer.

Make sure that you keep eye contact and that you talk at a steady and easy to understand pace. If the interviewer does not clearly understand what you are trying to convey, then neither will potential customers. 

You need to be good at making sales 

Secondly, you need to be a good salesperson. This is evident through the experience you have had. It is not enough to simply have worked in sales, you need to show that you were successful and have learned from your experiences.

Prior to the interview, try and think of examples where you attained your target sales and/or excelled, think of how you got to this point. Also, think of examples in which you failed to reach your target and why this was so, and what you learned from it.

You can use these in your interview to display your knowledge and experience of working in a sales-driven environment.

Be a good leader

It also helps if you can show that you are a good leader. You need to be someone who has the capacity to work independently but also has the ability to be a key part of a team. This is something that comes naturally to some people, yet for others, it is something that they need to work on.

You could out Leader as Coach for some help and assistance in this area. This is a coaching course that will help you to boost your leadership and management skills, so it is certainly something good to have on your CV.

It will look incredibly impressive. Showing that you are willing to go the extra mile to progress your skills and learning is something that is also going to look impressive in the eyes of any employer.

You must be organised and good at dealing with timeframes 

Furthermore, you also need to be extremely organised, as you will be dealing with itineraries, bookings etc.

This is something you can display in your interview by being relaxed, arriving on time, having all your necessary documents with you presented in a neat and concise manner as well as being structured when answering any questions (but not so much so that it appears fake).

These skills and attributes mentioned are key to any travel agent jobs. So make sure you master them before applying for any. Good luck on your job quest! Remember, it is difficult at the moment, so try not to be too hard on yourself.

Do not take a “no” personally. Use it as an opportunity to better yourself for the next vacancy that you apply for. Persistence and patience will pay off in the end.