Are Travel Agent Schools A Good Investment?

Travel agent schools are not as numerous as they once were, but there are still many of them scattered across the country. Travel agents schools certification is a major draw for students and many sign up without thinking too much about it. Before you start looking into travel agent schools certification, however, it is a good idea to determine what, exactly, you hope to gain from enrolling.

If you are looking for employment, you should be aware that travel agent schools can seldom guarantee that there will be a job waiting for you once you complete their training.

What Do Travel Agent Courses Teach?

Travel agent courses teach order entry skills. If you are looking for know-how, you should be aware that the travel agent training at theses schools is designed, primarily, to train low-paying, entry-level employees for travel agencies. Consequently, travel agent courses concentrate on dull, rote tasks like using the GDS (Global Distribution System, sometimes called a computerized reservation system or CRS). Travel agent schools are very good at this and if you want to learn how to use a specific GDS, then turning to one of the travel agent schools might be a good choice.

Even then, travel agent schools are not your only choice. Many GDS vendors offer computer based training on their systems that you can use at home. If you work through a “host agency” as a home-based travel agent, the host agency might offer training on the GDS it uses.
What Travel Agent Schools DON’T Teach

By and large, travel agent schools do not teach you how to think like an agency owner or how to get out in the community and sell travel. That’s because travel agent schools are designed to serve the needs of storefront travel agencies, providing them a steady stream of entry-level employees who will sit at a computer screen all day and enter orders.

Travel agent schools also don’t go out of their way to teach you that selling cheap, point-to-point airline tickets (which is what the GDS is designed to do, after all) is no way to get rich quick — or to get rich at all, for that matter. Once again, this is because travel agent schools serve the travel agency business first and foremost.

To their credit, some travel agent schools are adapting to the new reality of home-based agents by offering courses in how to become one. In fact, some travel agent schools are using my materials to teach their courses! The same materials you get in my home study course for far, far less than the tuition charged by travel agent schools.

Travel Agent Training At These Schools Is Expensive

You should also understand that travel agent schools are not cheap. The travel agent training they provide costs anywhere from $800 for a single course to many thousands for a complete series.

You can save yourself thousands of dollars and prepare yourself for the travel agent career you really want by skipping travel agent schools altogether and taking my home study travel agent course. It prepares you to start immediately working one-to-one with customers, selling them high-margin travel products and putting serious money in your pocket. Travel agent schools simply are not designed to do this.

But Don’t I Need The Travel Agent Schools Certification To Be A Travel Agent?

In a word, “No.” True, if you want one of those low-paying, entry-level jobs in a travel agency, a travel agent schools certification will help. But even then it’s not absolutely necessary.

And if you want to get started immediately as a home-based travel agent, avoiding all the low-margin business the travel agent schools train you for, all you need is the knowledge and strategies I teach in my home study course.

If you still think attending one of the travel agent schools is right for you, that’s fine. After all, being a home-based travel agent is not for everyone and there is nothing wrong with working in a travel agency. It’s a good — although slow — way to learn about the business.

Just remember, there are many travel agent schools out there and not all of them are reputable. Investigate thoroughly and choose wisely!