How do you become a travel agent??
 

I know this may be a stupid question. I plan all vacations for family, friends, and myself. I gather all info, get flight info and prices, resort details and hand it over to a travel agent to book for me (us). I would like to know, how can I become a TA so I can reap the rewards of a Travel Agent for myself..I would love reduced airfare and a comp trip here and there. How do I become one? Do you need a license or to be registered somehow? I live in NY, I do not know if it vaires from state to state. No one seems to know the answer and my TA is a not help (I guess she does not want to lose the business!)<BR>Thanks

You should approach a agency owner and ask to become an &quot;outside agent&quot;. You should receive 50% commission on you sales after travelled. If you earn more than $5000 per year you'd be put on the IATA list to receive discounted hotel stays. The air perks aren't that great at all.

IATA must have a website with the details you're looking for.<BR>Have you even tried going to a search engine and typing in &quot;travel agent career&quot;?

Thank you for the info. Yes I did a google search and found websites that were not very useful - &quot;Become A TA in your spare time, just send us X amount of dollars&quot; kind of thing. But I will try again. I just needed to be pointed in the right direction, and I do appreciate it:)

Any reputable agency would require agency experience or schooling. As for comp trips, there aren't any. You pay (or the agency pays) a reduced portion and they're called &quot;Fams&quot; but they're working trips, not vacations. There are reduced airfares but I'm afraid not at an amazing fare you might have in mind. I've been a travel agent for five years now and although my TA instructors blew up the glamorous life of a TA and how we'd all be able to travel for free or next to free I knew that they were blowing wind up my skirt. Once you're working in an agency, you get the real deal. You shouldn't become a TA just for the travel because you won't be able to take advantage of it that often. Do it instead but you love travel.

I have to agree with most of the previous post. I have been an agent for 10 years. Back when i started we used to get alot more reduced or free travel. But with the way the airlines are these days, those free tickets are a thing of the past. I can usually still get pretty good discounts on hotel stays and at certain times of the year, agents can get some pretty good prices on cruises. These are for personal travel. Alot of the time you can't get a confirmed rate until 30-60 days prior though. All agencies work differently when it comes to agent travel. I would only get in the business if you love to work with people and travel details (like you said you have done). It isn't a real high paying job either, to take advantage of the deals, you have to have another moneymaking person in the family. I stay in the business because I do love it, and I do still take advantage of those discounts from time to time.<BR>Good luck!

I have a friend who is not a TA but works part time for the airlines. She does get so many free tickets a year. But she has to fly stand by and it sounds like a pain to me. She likes it though and it is the reason she works for the airlines for the free airfare. If you look in your local telephone book you will find reputatble schools in your area.

There are Travel Agent Schools you can attend. You will also have to be proficient in whatever 'system' the agency uses ie Amadeus. You have to love the work and reseach as the public can be very harsh on you..whatever goes wrong they seem to think is the agent's fault..ie flights cancelled at last minute, bad weather, couldn't get a free upgrade...! Good Luck!