Travel Agents
What Travel Agents Do
Plan and sell transportation and accommodations for customers. Determine destination, modes of transportation, travel dates, costs, and accommodations required. May also describe, plan, and arrange itineraries and sell tour packages. May assist in resolving clients' travel problems.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Self-employed
- 11.2%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 3 of 5Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
- Education
- Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
- Job training
- Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.3/5
- English Languageimportance 4.0/5
- Sales and Marketingimportance 3.9/5
- Geographyimportance 3.4/5
- Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.4/5
- Administrativeimportance 3.2/5
- Telecommunicationsimportance 3.2/5
- Transportationimportance 3.1/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Telephone Conversations5.0/5
- E-Mail5.0/5
- Spend Time Sitting4.9/5
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.8/5
- Contact With Others4.5/5
- Deal With External Customers or the Public in General4.4/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products97% skill match
- Door-to-Door Sales Workers, News and Street Vendors, and Related Workers96% skill match
- Concierges96% skill match
- Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes96% skill match
- Customer Service Representatives96% skill match
- Loan Officers95% skill match
- Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents95% skill match
- Labor Relations Specialists95% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Service Orientationimportance 4.1/5
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.8/5
- Persuasionimportance 3.6/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.4/5
- Coordinationimportance 3.1/5
- Negotiationimportance 3.1/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.0/5
- Time Managementimportance 3.0/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
In-Demand Technologies
- Amadeus CRS
- Sabre Central Command
Other Software Used
- Apollo Reservation System
- Colibripms Software Colibri
- DataSwell
- Galor Travel Booster
- Global distribution system GDS software
- Globekey Agentkey
- IMS Travel Agent Reservation Software System
- Illusions Online Illusions OnDemand
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Social Orientation
- Dependability
- Attention to Detail
- Cooperation
- Integrity
- Optimism
- Adaptability
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- EnterprisingHigh
- ConventionalHigh
- SocialMedium
- ArtisticLow
- InvestigativeLow
- RealisticLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where travel agents make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Minot, ND5.73× national avg
- 2Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL4.56× national avg
- 3Springfield, MO4.51× national avg
- 4Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL4.38× national avg
- 5Urban Honolulu, HI2.75× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Customer Service RepresentativesCareer Change
- ConciergesCareer Change
- Advertising Sales AgentsAdvancement
- Retail SalespersonsLateral Move
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.
Selling Skills and Sales Operations
- New York University (New York, NY)grads earn ~$120,018
- CUNY Bernard M Baruch College (New York, NY)grads earn ~$76,565
- Texas A&M University-College Station (College Station, TX)grads earn ~$93,141
- University of Wisconsin-Madison (Madison, WI)grads earn ~$82,081
- West Chester University of Pennsylvania (West Chester, PA)
Special Products Marketing Operations
- Fashion Institute of Technology (New York, NY)grads earn ~$60,504
- Florida State College at Jacksonville (Jacksonville, FL)grads earn ~$47,402
- Fashion Institute of Technology (New York, NY)grads earn ~$70,727
- Kent State University at Kent (Kent, OH)grads earn ~$61,055
- Saint Joseph's University - Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA)grads earn ~$80,764