What does a travel agent do?
Travel agents ask lots of questions. Personally, I love fulfilling bucket list trips. To know what is bucket list for the individual, I ask lots of questions. That way I can match up the client with the right destination, or right river cruise, or right resort. Ideally, I try to provide something special, or extra, that ties into that person’s interests and likes.
Travel agents personally travel a lot, and attend travel workshops and seminars throughout the year to be able to provide expert service. Most agents will specialize in a particular area or type of travel or part of the world. It is much more effective to become an expert on a smaller portion of the world, rather than the whole world. For example, rather than doing all cruises, I focus on River Cruises and small ship cruising.
Travel agents use the internet and the phone and write lots of emails. We research before the trip. We call ahead to the resort to make sure the resort is aware of allergies. We email with numerous vendors to find the best offer for the client. If a problem arises during the trip, the agent is the one on the phone getting it taken care of, so the client can enjoy the beach, or the pool or the slopes while the agent works on their behalf.
I love that I can talk and research travel and have it be called work!
