Imagine helping people plan out their dream vacations, staying up to date on travel trends and using your own travels as inspiration for your work: If this sounds like your dream job, you’re not alone. Being a travel advisor is a popular and desirable career path — but with the right choice, travel agent requirements don’t have to be complicated! With a support team and trusted brand behind you, anyone with a drive to succeed and a love for travel can achieve their travel agent goals.
What Travel Agents Do
At a high level, Dream Vacations Advisors sell leisure travel to clients. This may include resort reservations, custom itineraries, cruises and more. You’ll earn commission off each sale you make.
At a more granular level, your specific tasks will likely look different every day. You might:
- Answer emails or hop on the phone with clients
- Research new destinations or travel deals that you can connect your clients with
- Use travel booking software to confirm your clients’ vacation plans
- Read travel publications to keep up with recent travel trends
- Market yourself, including by posting on social media or sending emails to your prospect list
- Take a training session to brush up on things like communication, marketing or technology
If that sounds like your kind of workday, becoming a Dream Vacations Advisor could be the right move for you!
So, what do you need to be a travel agent? Here are some travel agent FAQs to help you better understand this exciting career path.
What Training Do You Need to Be a Travel Agent? Do I Need Experience?
Travel agents have a wide range of life and educational experiences. With Dream Vacations, no degree or prior experience is needed – we’ll provide all the training necessary. If you simply have the right qualities and attitude, you can find plenty of success as a Dream Vacations Advisor! You’ll need to be organized, friendly and have a passion for travel – but our team is here to help with the rest.
Travel Advisors with Dream Vacations also have access to our extensive training library, which includes more than 1,800 on-demand courses. These can help you stay up to date on the latest happenings in the travel industry, the newest technology and the most helpful marketing tips to reach more clients.
Can I Make a Living by Being a Travel Agent?
Working as a travel agent can pay off, whether you’re looking to replace your full-time income, work part-time or just want a little extra pocket money each month. Your income is based on how much you work each month and how much travel you sell – you’ll set your own “limit” based on your goals.
Do I Have to Work Certain Hours?
No — you can work whenever and however fits you (and your needs) best. Send emails for a couple hours in the early morning. Work a regular daily schedule similar to a 9-5. Or crack open your laptop after the kids are in bed. Whatever your schedule looks like, being a Dream Vacations Advisor fits around your life.
What are the Benefits of Being a Travel Advisor?
When you become a Dream Vacations Advisor, you’ll enjoy the flexibility of being an independent contractor. This means you can choose which hours you work, the location where you want to open your laptop and how much you want to work each week. Put in a few hours from the local coffee shop or work from bed at home. The choice is always yours.
Dream Vacations Advisors also get access to discounted (or even free!) travel for themselves. For example, you can take “FAM” (or familiarization) trips to get to know new destinations — and you often won’t even have to pay a dime yourself!
Beyond those “work” trips, you’ll also be able to book discounted travel for yourself and your family. While they can be (and usually are) enjoyable, these trips also bolster your knowledge as a travel agent – boosting your expertise. Taking your own vacations may not be included in typical travel agent requirements — but it certainly can help.
Do I Need a License to Be a Travel Agent?
At the federal level, travel agents in the U.S. don’t need a specific certification or license. Certain states have differing requirements, but you won’t go at it alone – our team will help you navigate the needs to get up and running.
How to Become a Travel Advisor with Dream Vacations
If you want to take advantage of Dream Vacations’ helpful training program, established brand awareness and extensive industry connections, the process to become an Advisor is easy.
You’ll chat with one of our friendly team members to learn more about our commission, sales process and training opportunities. Then, you’ll just pay $39/month to get access. Congratulations — you’re on your way!
Join the Dream Vacations Family
If you’ve ever thought about switching career paths but need to understand travel agent requirements, don’t worry! Becoming a Dream Vacations Advisor is accessible and fun, with a caring support team alongside you at every mile and every milestone.
If you’ve always wondered how to become a travel agent and are ready to take the next steps on your journey, sign up to learn more today!