How to Become a Travel Consultant

Educating Yourself

Obtain your high school diploma or equivalent. As with many other careers, you probably won’t get far without your high school diploma or GED. If you never graduated from high school, check out test prep materials from your local library, then schedule the GED exam online. If you’re still in high school, begin or continue taking courses in a foreign language. Also consider business, computer, or communication courses if your school offers them.

Attend a 2-year or 4-year college. While college is not strictly necessary to become a travel consultant, your job prospects will increase exponentially if you have an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in a relevant field. Look for programs or majors in travel, tourism, geography, business, communications, hospitality, or any foreign language.

Study a foreign language. Learning another language increases your knowledge of another culture and boosts your credibility with clients. It also means you can take on more clients because you can converse easily with more people. Enroll in courses at a community center or college, or visit the library and check out self-taught programs like Rosetta Stone.

Take computer classes. Between making reservations and communicating with clients, you’ll do a lot of your work on a computer. So if you’re not already well-versed in email, word processing, and a spreadsheet application like Excel, it’s time to learn. Take classes at a local community center or college, or browse online tutorials or videos for learning various functions.

Sign up for a travel agent certification program. Physical and online travel schools offer programs that are designed to teach students about all aspects of the travel industry. They can take anywhere from two to six months to complete and are a good option for anyone brand new to the industry. Look up a list of programs endorsed by the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) or the International Association of Travel Agents Network (IATAN).

Developing the Necessary Skills

Travel as much as possible. The best way to prove you are qualified in the travel field is to develop experience in domestic and international travel. If you don’t have the money to travel internationally, start taking road trips wherever and whenever you can. Go places with friends and go places by yourself to get a sense of the differences between travelling in a group and travelling solo.

Keep a travel journal. As you embark on all of your adventures, reflect on the different cultures you’re experiencing. Note what you liked and disliked about a place. Write down your favorite restaurants or shops so you could recommend them to others. This is all good practice for when you start planning other people’s trips.

Practice your interpersonal skills. The way you communicate with people will have a huge effect on how successful you are as a travel consultant. Start working on these skills now by becoming a better listener and promoting positivity. Practice active listening by repeating what someone says in your own words. This shows them you’re engaged in the conversation. Create positive interactions by smiling when greeting others, offering them your assistance, and showing you care with a simple, “How are you today?”

Getting Job Experience

Work in a related field. Experience in hospitality, sales, and customer service is all useful to a travel consultant. Apply for a job working at the reservation desk of a hotel. Get a job as a tour guide or a booking agent at a local tour company. Even working at a call center will give you the customer service experience that employers are looking for.

Join a host agency. When you work for a host agency, you can get up and running quickly as an independent agent while also benefitting from the host’s resources, like access to suppliers, accounting services, and training opportunities. Then you split any commission you make with your host agency. You'll still have to do all your own marketing to drive traffic to your independent website, but you can avoid all the hard work of setting up a brand new business. Visit an impartial site, like HostAgencyReviews.com to compare host agencies and learn more about different ones.

Specialize your services. The travel industry is large, and it is fractured into niche markets, like student, luxury, or adventure travel. If you have a lot of personal experience with one type of travel, look for companies that cater directly to that market. Your expertise may allow you to start at a higher salary than an entry-level position. Other niche travel markets include community service, seniors, singles, families, women only, pets, disabled, and honeymoons.

Design a website. Having a user-friendly website is essential for a travel agent trying to attract new clients. If you're low on funds, you can use a service like Squarespace, which provides design templates for you to build on. But if you can afford it, hire a professional to design the site for you. They'll know all the tricks for attracting and retaining visitors. Write articles for your site, get a newsletter started, pay for ads online, and spread news of your new business across social media. It may be worthwhile to take an online course in internet marketing if you’re unfamiliar with it.

Start your own travel company. With a high-speed internet connection, a cell phone, and a well-designed website, there’s not much keeping you from starting your own business at home. You’ll need to file the appropriate business paperwork with your city or state, get insurance, and devote most of your time early on to marketing and attracting clients.

Get certified through IATA. The International Air Transport Association requires that you be accredited in order to book flights as a travel agent. If you work for an agency, you can use their accreditation to get your own ID card. If you start your own business, you'll need to submit a considerable amount of paperwork with your application. Some of the necessary paperwork includes your business license, proof of liability insurance, tax documents, and a letter of recommendation from a former employer. Each country has their own national certification boards for travel agencies, so visit the IATA website for your country’s requirements.