Is being a travel agent right for me?

Of course being a travel agent from home is like any type of career, it isn’t for everyone.  However for a wide range of people, it is a great industry.  Here are some reasons travel may be good for you.

You like people.  You don’t have to like everyone but generally like people.  If you don’t, then this probably isn’t the best career for you.  You have to interact with customers and suppliers.

You enjoy helping people.  You are a consultant for people who are planning a trip.  Your job is to help your clients plan and go on trips.  You can’t be someone who is annoyed when someone asks for help.

You like to travel.  If you are a traveler yourself, you will have information on different destinations.  If you do like to travel, you can save money on your own vacations.

Everyone already calls you.  Your friends and family contact you anytime they need help making their travel plans.

You are someone who can use the Internet.  While everyone else you know can’t seem to maneuver around the web, you can get online and find just about anything.

You enjoy projects and researching things.  This is one of the areas that has made me the agent I am today.  I did not do a lot of traveling and I actually failed geography class!  But I know how to research and find out information for my clients.  I use the Internet and books to help me.

You love to dream.  I am constantly thinking of the next place I would like to go and spend hours searching for things.  My searching helps me to learn more and more about the world and places to visit.

You are not afraid to pick up the phone and call suppliers to get information.  You don’t have to know every location in the world or have traveled all to be a good agent.  If you are the type of person who will pick up the phone and call someone for help, you will do just fine.  Suppliers and there to help you plan your clients’ trips.

You are looking for a way to have a second income.  If you already have a job this business is one that won’t require you to work long hours or stay in any location for too long. 

You move around and want something you can do from wherever you are located.   As long as you have access to the Internet, you can work from home as a travel agent just about anywhere.

You have special interests.  This is a wide area.  Maybe you enjoy a particular sport or have a favorite place you like to visit.  If this is the case for you, you can specialize in what you enjoy.  Many agents will just sell one particular vacation like ski trips or golf trips.  Some will focus on a particular location like Florida or Mexico.  Some focus on things like cruises or family trips.

You enjoy learning about new things.  This is one field that you will never know everything about it.  It constantly changes and there are so many areas of travel.  There is no way no matter how long you have been in the business you will know it all.

You have always wanted to be a travel agent.  This something I am told all the time by new agents.  The travel field has always interested them.

You already know people who travel.  Maybe your friends and family travel or your full-time job requires you to book travel already for many people.  I have several agents who do the travel for the place they work already.  They say they normally book it online or through another agency and realized they could be making money from the work.

You are tired of working for someone else.  This business will be your business.  You will work for yourself and instead of working hard to make someone else rich, you will be the one profiting.

You enjoy making money.  When I worked full time as a travel agent at an agency, I would look at my weekly sales.  I used to always think about if I had been on commission, what I would have made instead of the hourly rate I made.  Now if I have a great week, I get the money from it as opposed to the same pay.  Of course, the flip side is if I have a bad week I works to my disadvantage.  There is a great incentive to work hard and be rewarded.  There is nothing like the feeling of booking a cruise and making $500 in an hour.  If you want to make money and are willing to go after it, you will make it.

You want a job that allows you to work from home.  Many of my agents just wanted a way to work at home either for family reasons like children or for health reasons.  Many just want to own their own business and have the opportunity to be at home with their children.

You don’t want a 9-5 job.  I work whatever hours I decide.  Many of my customers enjoy the fact they can call me after they get home from work.  I enjoy working late at night when my house is quiet.  Many you want to have other commitments during the day like schooling or activities that a regular job would not permit.

You want to travel.  There are great opportunities to travel as an agent.  Some require a certain amount in sales in order to allow you to participate in familiarization trips or discounts as a travel agent but they are available.

Whatever the reason for deciding for being a home based travel agent, it can be a wonderful opportunity for a variety of people.