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Travel Agent Schools

By Kelly Monaghan

So you want to be a travel agent working from home, eh? You may be thinking, “Well, I can’t just jump in and start doing it, can I?” Actually, you can. That’s pretty much what I did, back in the early nineties.

But I’m not recommending that you follow my example. Why? Because the “School of Hard Knocks” is the most expensive one you can find! I lost thousands before I figured out what’s what in the travel business.

So let’s take it as a given that you shouldlearn something about what being a travel agent is all about before you go off half cocked and cause yourself (and probably your first clients!) a lot of damage.

travel-training

How Do Travel Agents Get Trained?

What are your options? Well, there are number of ways that travel agents get training:

  • Apprentice yourself to a travel agent or agency. This is sort of like being an intern. You get no pay (or very little), but you’re learning the ropes.
  • Get hired by a storefront agency as a beginner. This is sort of like an apprenticeship, but you get a salary with the prospect of a raise once you have mastered the basics.
  • A for-profit travel agent school (that is, one that does nothing but train travel agents) or a vocational school that offers courses on the travel industry along with other career training.
  • Online training courses offered by a for-profit school.
  • A public institution like a university or a community college.
  • Training offered by a host agency to its outside reps, either as part of its sign-up fee or as a separate add-on offering.
  • Fam-seminars offered by suppliers and professional organizations.
  • The Home-Based Travel Agent Success Course.

Let’s look at each of these in turn and discuss the pros and cons of each, with special attention paid to their suitability for those looking to work from home – as opposed to working in a storefront travel agency.

 

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