06/21/2019
HOW TRAVEL AGENTS EARN THEIR LIVING
As your travel agent, I am your biggest advocate in the travel industry. I am here to offer guidance and do whatever it takes to make my clients happy. It is my job to get you what you want and need seamlessly so your trip is enjoyable and stress-free. Before we get started, I think that it is important for you to know exactly how we earn our living as professional travel agents and the part you play.
We sell travel. Most travel agents charge professional service fees in amounts that depend upon the type of trip we are planning, arranging and booking for each client. This fee covers our time and the effort it takes to correspondent, research, customize, input data, generate reports, prepare invoices, quotes, itineraries and travel documents among other tasks in order to get you exactly what you want. In addition, some of our suppliers pay us commissions for booking their products on behalf of our clients. So, like other sales professionals, we receive fees and commissions for the services we provide, selling, planning arranging and booking your trips.
We work very closely with our travel industry partners, those suppliers from whom you purchase airline tickets, reserve hotels, rental cars, tours and/or cruises, among other related services you may require. These relationships are extremely important to us because they benefit you in many ways when you work with a travel agent. We can get you extra amenities, special requests, and perks that you cannot get for yourself even when you book online or directly with the suppliers. Also, we can immediately resolve a variety of supplier related issues that may occur before or during your travels.
Our suppliers truly appreciate working with us and listen to us. They also train us so we learn more about their products and services. After taking their courses, we become certified specialists, many courses are updated and our certifications must be renewed annually. Our training is ongoing. Our suppliers provide us with promotional and marketing materials too; offer us educational FAM tours or cruises so we can become even more familiar with their products: the properties, cruises, airlines, various services, and activities available as well as the destinations that we recommend to you.
Working as a travel agent is not a job for us but a passion and a career. We take it very seriously just like any other professional who provides a specific service for you; our service is sales and planning. Independent affiliated agents like me are not employees of our host agencies. Instead, our host agencies provide the administrative, marketing and industry support we need to operate our businesses. In turn, we split the monthly commissions we earn with our host agencies. We certainly could not live off or operate our travel agency businesses from just our service fees alone, thereby those commissions matter.
Plus, our monthly sales volume helps to sustain us as independent agents and in good standing with our suppliers and host agencies. So, if we lose even the smallest of sales from a client it affects us (agent and host agent) greatly in many ways. When you approach a travel agent to help plan your trip, please know we are committed to doing it right. Also understand the time and effort involved in the planning process is valuable, we can’t work for free. As your travel agent asking questions and getting to know what you want helps us better service your needs now and in the future. Plus, we can only help you in an emergency situation if we have made the booking. Our confidential agency number is applied to every booking we make so the suppliers know we are involved with the planning of your trip or vacation.
We love being travel agents and working hard for you to help make your travel dreams come true. So, let us! Now that you know how we earn our living, let’s start planning your trip!
Thank you for your time, consideration and your business.
