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What does a Travel Agent do?

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Talent.com talent.com
Answered February 22 2021
Career Expert at Talent.com
A Travel Agent is a professional and expert in the travel industry, their roles and responsibilities revolving around booking and planning trips for their clients. Travel Agents can work for individuals, families, groups, or businesses, all of which dictate what kind of travel they are responsible for reserving. For example, a family may be more likely to book a tour package than a business, and that same company may book daily flights between major cities for their employees.   
  
Additionally, a Travel Agent can work in a specific field that specializes in particular destinations or activities. One may focus on cruises in the Pacific, while others spend their career focusing on domestic trips for families.  
  
The main objective of a Travel Agent is to help people plan and arrange their travel, whether for business or pleasure. They should have the expertise and knowledge to offer advice and opinions about what to do when to go and the expected seasonal rates. 
 
Roles & Responsibilities for a Travel Agent 
  • Providing clients with information about their trip (e.g., flight schedules and accommodation options, transportation, and all related costs), as well as general information about their destinations (e.g., most popular attractions, local customs and languages, and safety information) 
  • Providing travelers with intel on passports, visas, or currency exchange 
  • Advising their clients on the best options for their trips 
  • Recommending hotels 
  • Offering transportation options  
  • Providing general advice about the destination 
  • Planning and organizing vacation trips for individuals, families, or groups, overseeing all details including flights, hotels or accommodations, means of transportation, and activities 
  • Using online reservation systems to book transportation and accommodation for their clients  
  • Selling travel and vacation packages to clients 
  • Designing travel packages 
  • Promoting packages designed by hotels, resorts, and cruise lines 
  • Keeping up-to-date with the most popular vacation destinations available  
  • Researching new and popular destinations 
  • Creating and maintaining a profile of their clients to achieve a better service 
  • Keeping track of clients’ personal information, travel history, and preferences, as well as special needs and other requests 
  • Managing administrative operations 
  • Requesting and managing payments from clients 
  • Completing transactions for flights, hotels, and other transportation  
  • Providing a detailed list of costs to their clients, along with all corresponding receipts 
  • Staying alert and solving any inconvenience the travelers may encounter, such as missed flights or misplacing hotel reservations 
  • Spreading awareness about the importance of travel insurance and being able to sell insurance packages  
Easteregg!