Do you love to travel? Do you want to share your tips and tricks with others who want to get the best deals and have the best times on their vacations? If so, you should consider becoming a travel agent. Not only will you get to assist others in creating memories that will last a lifetime, but you’ll also get to travel to new places and call it ‘research’!

The job of a travel agent involves helping clients create travel itineraries, determining costs, negotiating deals on hotel rates, and helping troubleshoot and problem-solve before and during a client’s trip. If these sound like fun and interesting tasks, a travel agent may be the perfect career for you.

Here is how to become a travel agent so you can realize your traveling dreams.

Get Professional Training

Anyone can start booking trips online, but if you want to become a trusted travel agent, you need to get professional training. Some community colleges offer degrees in tourism or travel, and you can enhance those courses with classes on business management or marketing. You can supplement formal education with travel organizations that offer advanced certificates such as the International Air Transport Association or American Society of Travel Advisors and even intern or volunteer with another agent or tourism agency to gain real-world experience.

Work on Your People Skills

At the end of the day, being a travel agent means being good with people. Not only will you have to find new clients through marketing, networking, or building a word-of-mouth reputation, but you’ll also have to be skilled at negotiating and excelling and creating and maintaining relationships with vendors, partners, and return clients.

Research Budgeting and Deal-Finding

Your clients will count on you to help them maximize their budgets through proper planning and negotiating deals. Have no idea how you’ll do this? If you’re a little lost, your best bet is to work for an agency that offers job shadowing or on-the-job training.

Learn About the Industry and Vacation Destinations

Your clients will rely on you to be up-to-date on all industry news including travel restrictions, requirements to enter different countries, and which areas in the world are safe to travel to. They’ll also expect you to know the latest and greatest resorts, hotels, events, destinations, and more so you can guide them toward the best vacation possible.

While doing research on industry trends and changes may not be the most exciting thing in the world, traveling to different parts of the world to check them out for potential clients can be incredibly exhilarating. As a travel agent, you’ll get access to negotiated rates on hotels, resorts, and activities that are not available to the general public. You may also receive invites to newly opened travel destinations or get other special offers that you never would have gotten if you’d gone into a different industry.

Decide if You Want to Specialize

Though there are plenty of travel agents who work with clients on all types of travel, you may have more luck if you settle on a niche. This could be helping business executives plan corporate meetings abroad, assisting couples with booking cruises, working with young singles on finding safe places to stay in destinations around the world, or even helping pet owners find airlines and hotels that will accommodate their furry friends.

Build Your Clientele

To be a successful travel agent, you need to have clients who will pay you to book their vacations or business trips! One of the best ways to build your clientele if you’re independent is to network in your local community and get your name known. If you work for an agency, you may be given clients or you may be expected to network and market yourself to bring in new clients for the firm. Either way, you’ll need to have top-notch people skills so you can acquire, serve, and retain clients to build your business.

Join an Agency and Be Independent: The Choice is Yours

While many agents start their careers with an agency, so they receive on-the-job training and learn from more seasoned agents, some opt to go independent after they’ve learned the ropes. Whether you work for an agency or for yourself is a largely personal decision. While working at an agency offers the perks of socialization, possible healthcare and retirement benefits, and communal learning, being your own boss allows you to have a flexible life built completely on your terms.

How to Become a Travel Agent: Start Now

There’s no reason to put off your dreams of a new career. Now that you know how to become a travel agent, you simply need to take the next steps to make your dream a reality. Reach out to a local college, travel organization, or travel agency today to find out what you need to do to launch your travel career.