Travel Agents Essay, Research Paper

Travel Agents

Travel agents make travel arrangements for individuals or

groups. They plan itineraries, make reservations for hotels,

transportation, or tours. Also, prepare tickets, suggest places to go,

give brochures, and gives all the information to the person traveling.

In this job you have to atlears have a high school diploma. Many

vocational schools offer 6-12 week full-time travel agent programs. A

few colleges offer a bachelor?s and master?s degree in travel and

tourism. The skills needed would have to do with operating word

processors, selling products or services, giving information on events

and procedures, and waiting on customers. Some high level skills

would be planning, giving information, computing, and totaling

charges. The salary for travel agents is anywhere between

$20,000-$40,000. It usually depends how long you work there. The

longer you work the more money you make.

The working conditions are usually sitting at a desk in an office.

The have a computer to use for reservations. They can talk to

customers in person or on the phone. Travel agents have a stressful

job sometimes because they may have to deal with airline delays,

weather emergencies, incorrect information, or computer failure.

travel agents have very different schedules. They may work

forty-hour weeks, but also work evenings and Saturdays. Also, a lot

of overtime work may be expected.

There?s a very small number of job openings for this job. A total

of 6,628 annual job openings is expected between 1996 and 2006.

The outlook is increasing. The employment change from 1996 and

2006 is estimated to be +33.5%. This is a small occupation in the

United States, employing 119,856 workers in 1996.

The typical tasks connected with this job would be to describe,

plan, arrange, and sell travel packages offered by different travel

carriers. Also, mostly anything to do with knowing direction,countries,

cities, states, and all different locations. Another task would be to be

organized; otherwise, your job will not be successful.

The aptitudes that I may need to learn would be things like

General learning ability, Numerical perception, Eye-hand

coordination, Finger dexterity, and Manual dexterity. Some of the

significant Aptitudes for this job would be Verbal and Clerical

perception. This job doesn?t require any physical abilities.

This job satisfies my primary and secondary needs and wants

by helping me realize ideas for what to do for a job. My primary

needs are things I need to help me live which means that this will

fulfill my life. It will help me make enough money to live. My

secondary wants would be things to make me happy. I would like this

job to be close by, not too far away.

Two or three related jobs that I would consider going into if

necessary would be something with business, information,

management, and marketing. Travel agents use these three things.

These are just other choices incase the travel agent doesn?t work for

me.

When I used the surveys given in class, they told me I was a

people person. You need that when you become a travel agent,

because you need to talk to people and help them understand what

they need to know. Also, you need reading, writing, computer

understanding, and typing skills, which either I have now or could

learn more in college.

I would like to pursue this career choice. I think this job is right

for me in different ways. It is right because all the interests or

aptitudes follow what I have to get a job. I took surveys, they told me

the same thing. There weren?t any surprises. There were some

things I didn?t know, but now I do. I think the positive factors include

salary, the outlook, and skills. The negative factor is that computers

have almost taken over everything including travel agents. For

example they do plane tickets over the Internet. I could see myself

doing this in 10-15 even 20 years from now.