A love of travel attracts many people to the field. But to succeed, agents must be able to convey their enthusiasm to the customer and have a genuine desire to be of service. Since agents deal with the public, they must be friendly, articulate, and well-groomed. To handle the technical aspects of their work, they must be well-organized, accurate and meticulous about following up on details. Travel agents encourage people to travel and help them plan and prepare for the trip.
Agents help clients define their travel interests and needs, including time and budget requirements.
They work out tentative plans and suitable alternatives and then make all the arrangements. Travel agents consult a variety of published and computer-based sources for information on departure and arrival times, economical fares, car rentals, and hotel ratings and accommodations. Sources include maps, official guides, tariff books, computer terminals, and other reference materials to obtain schedules, fares, and related information. Agents make airline, hotel, and car reservations. They make the reservations and issue itineraries using computerized reservation and ticketing systems similar to those used by airlines.