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WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A TRAVEL AGENT
by Dale Everly Colson, MCC
Travelstar, Inc.
Westport, CT 06880

Just imagine! Your job requires you to spend your days reserving lovely trips for nice people. In addition, you are required to travel all over the world personally sampling the travel products you sell. From that common perception of what a travel agent does, it would seem that loving to travel and a desire to help people are the major qualification of a travel agent. As is the case with most things, the professional travel agent's job is far more demanding and complex than the casual observer would ever guess.

It has been said that "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing." Contrary to popular opinion, knowledge and expertise are the real products that travel professionals provide to the traveling public. Years of training, hard won experience, a vast pool of knowledge, excellent technical skills and considerable expertise are the qualifications that should be the hallmark of the retail travel professional. Unlike many other professions, a travel agent's "body of knowledge" changes on a daily basis. The complexity of just the air travel segment of the industry alone is mind boggling. A travel agent must have routes, fares and rules at his or her fingertips in order to provide top quality service. It has been estimated that there are over 150,000 air fare changes a day world wide. In order to give you all the alternatives that meet your needs, your professional travel agent must know how to keep up to the minute with such information.

In retail travel, there is no such thing as "close enough." Travelers rightfully expect accurate information from their travel agents and travel agents must have the skills and insights to provide that accurate information. A knowledge of the multitiude of travel products available is the stock in trade of a travel agent. Keeping abreast of changes in existing products, new products being offered and trends that promise to produce new products is a time consuming, full time job. Professional travel agents are expected evaluate travel products, analyze all the alternatives and offer sound advice to travelers. To do that well takes a great deal more skill, training, expertise and experience than a traveler might imagine. Is there a good Italian restaurant in Sydney? What tailor in Hong Kong offers the best quality at the best price? Is there a charming, romantic little inn in Nice? What activities are offered for children on the cruise ship you're considering? When is the best time to go trekking in Nepal? What time does the Vatican Museum open on Tuesday? Is that shore excursion in Oslo worth the money? Is there any way to do this cheaper? Ask your travel agent! It's a travel agent's job to know or to find the answers.

A travel agent must be an expert in geography. In retail travel, it is essential know both where a destination is and the best ways to get there. The agent must also know what the destination offers to tourists and which companies doing business in that area provide the best products and services. Hand in hand with the physical geography of the world is a keen understanding of world politics and other situations that may effect travelers. Travelers look to agents for information about such things as terrorism, policical unrest, visa requirements, potential heath hazards, economic conditions, travel advisories and currency flucuations that might affect their trips. A good, professional travel agent can and does provide such information for a myriad of world wide destinations each day. Excellent interpersonal skills are essential for professional travel agent. Travel agents are counselors, advisors, psychologists, advocates and friends for their clients. Your travel agent listens carefully to what you say, understands what you want from your travel experiences, carefully considers your concerns, considers your budget, factors in your special needs and suggests the travel products best suited to your own particular dreams. Doing so requires skill, patience, a sense of humor and a genuine desire to make you happy. The job of a professional travel agent is frequently exhausting, often challenging and always rewarding. We provide the stuff of which dreams are made and we are proud, as professionals, to do it well.