A travel agent simply books and recommends vacations to people, but have you ever thought about why they love what they are doing? Planning the perfect trip or vacation seems complicated, but it gets easier. Before knowing the benefits of becoming a travel agent, let's understand who a travel agent is.
What is a travel agent?
A travel agent's job is mostly indoors, where they communicate with their clients online, on the telephone or in person. During the season of holidays, a travel agent's office is as hectic as ever but during the off-season, they get time to do more research and prepare and generate clients before the time of on-season.
To start your own travel agency, you can follow some easy steps like these:
1. Choose your niche: Selecting a niche includes things like choosing which type of travel agent you want to become. There are four main types of travel agents: High-Street travel agent, Online travel agent, Business Travel agent and Call-Centre travel agent. After this, you should now choose what will be your focused destination to sell.
2. Choose a Name: A company's name is not only just its name but also its value. In this step, you will choose a name for your agency which is very important to market your product.
3. Open a Bank Account: A bank account is the most crucial component of a business because, without a bank account, one won't be able to accept or forward payments. If you are renting your office or working from home, choose a bank which is the easiest to reach and has suitable policies.
4. Register Your Company: After all the above steps, it is time to get official. In this step, you will register your company with the state and obtain licenses and registration for your agency, like trademark and GST number.
5. Register with other entities: Every industry has its regulators, and for a travel agent it is recommended to be registered with IATA (Indian Air Transportation Agency)
6. Connect with a Host Agency: For booking a hotel and airline, it is best to connect with people who can get you great prices. A host agency is a supporting pillar for a travel agency and provides them with their product, i.e., hotels and airlines.
1. Follow Your Passion: This job consists of people who are here to earn through their passion. A travel agent job is highly recommended to people who love to travel.
2. Be your own boss: A travel agent can always set their own working hours; usually, their day is not filled with deadlines.
3. Sell a dream not just a product: A travel agent tries to make every vacation a dream vacation. A travel agent's job is to recommend to people how they enjoy their lives in a better way.
4. No need for special training: Becoming a travel agent does not require a special degree or qualification, so one is only stopping themselves from becoming a travel agent.
5. Obtaining Various Skills: A travel agent needs skills to become successful, and the job teaches them to you. For example, you will learn skills like Communication, Marketing, Management, IT, etc.
6. Knowledge of the world: A travel agent is constantly learning about the world and is always up to date on information around the globe.
7. High earning potential: For a travel agent, the sky's the limit when it comes to earning potential. A travel agent earns throughout the year if they have loyal or new customers.
There are numerous benefits of becoming a travel agent as mentioned above. However, one should make a thoughtful decision before trying for the role as it requires certain requisites.