Travel Consultant Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a travel consultant. Feel free to use our job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a travel consultant.
Who is a Travel Consultant?
A travel consultant often called a travel counsellor, is someone who arranges almost every aspect of a client’s travel plans. In essence, this person gives clients professional travel guidance. A travel consultant makes arrangements for hotel, transportation, and extracurricular activities like tours or sightseeing. To provide their clients with expert travel recommendations, they leverage the knowledge they’ve gleaned from their studies.
One of the responsibilities of a travel advisor is to assist a client in avoiding bad hotel or restaurant bookings because of unfavourable reviews, to change your vacation dates to get a better rate, or to bundle your travel services into one package to save money. Additionally, suggestions for the best activities and events to attend while a client must have travelled may be made, as well as information on the likely weather. Making the appropriate arrangements to schedule the trip is the major responsibility of a travel Consultant after the client approves the itinerary. This might entail booking travel arrangements such as plane tickets, hotels, and rental cars. Before making a reservation, a travel consultant goes through the cancellation policies with the customer and talks over any relevant details like arrival and departure timings and any additional costs that the vendors might tack on, like parking or incidentals.
Travel consultants have visited several tourist areas and provide more services than traditional travel brokers. They can suggest restaurants, stores, and other destinations. They might have more clout when making bookings at popular locations and be able to secure discounts. Travel Consultants work with a diverse range of clients, including single adventurers, big families, and university students on vacation. A professional consultant will keep track of their client’s spending habits, pastimes, and any health hazards that they have listed. Before recommending a vacation to their customer, they would also consider factors like safety, traditions and culture, and weather. The travel consulting industry offers several areas of expertise, including:
International travel consultant: These travel consultants provide imaginative vacation packages, book accommodations and transportation for clients looking to travel worldwide. They need to be well-travelled or exceptionally skilled at conducting online research to succeed in this niche. This niche has space for sub-specialization, such as Italian wine tours, African safaris, and so forth.
Local travel consultant: For clients looking to travel locally, this travel agency offers imaginative vacation packages and coordinates hotels and transportation. In this scenario, you would cater to tourists that want to travel to your city or a previous residence. A good understanding of your surroundings and meticulousness are required for this.
Corporate travel consultant: Corporate travel consultants provide clients travelling for business imaginatively, professional packages and arrange for hotel and transportation. Their businesses would sponsor your clientele. You would be in charge of organizing outings for company meetings or team-building activities.
Cruise experts: Travel consultants who specialize in cruises offer imaginative vacation packages and arrange for cruise tickets, hotels, and transportation.
Without formal training, you can operate as a travel consultant. On-the-job informal training is probably something you can expect. If you have education, experience, or training in office work, retail, or tourism, your entry into this profession may be improved. You might want to think about earning a VET credential. You should get further information from your selected college since courses and prerequisites can differ between universities. Through a traineeship, you can also become a travel consultant. Different employers may have different entry criteria. The next step after selecting your expertise is to register your business name with the Corporation Affairs Commission (CAC). In addition to preventing you from wasting time creating a brand in someone else’s name, doing this will allow you to open a corporate bank account. Having a corporate bank account greatly boosts the trustworthiness of your consulting firm. Making travel plans that take your clients’ mobility and medical needs into consideration will help you succeed as a travel consultant. Promptly, a top-notch travel advisor will monitor and handle each inquiry.
Travel Consultant Job Description
Below are the travel consultant job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a travel consultant job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
- Uphold a professional image by the criteria set by the organization.
- Complete the sale of traveller’s checks.
- Create written and digital reports as needed on a weekly or monthly basis.
- Achieve every sales target set forth by the company.
- Make sure that international and inter-American driving permits are issued.
- Take advantage of every educational opportunity available to you.
- Attend to all incoming calls and welcome customers.
- Order and keep up with various brochures.
- Make sure to have the necessary supplies in the workspace.
- Respond to calls quickly, professionally, and politely.
- Make careful to return all calls each day.
- Create travel arrangements with the ground, flight, and hotel providers that are approved by the organization as cheaply as you can.
- Make the necessary arrangements using the most recent information you have.
- Update frequently on all airline policies, laws, and requirements, as well as on prices and other standards set by the industry.
- Inform the travel manager of any issues or critical circumstances.
- Give customers suggestions and guidance on accommodations, resorts, destinations, activities, and transportation
- Coordinate all aspects of your trip, such as booking your flights, hotels, ground transportation, sightseeing excursions, and additional services like car or boat rentals.
- Provide clients with appropriate vacation suggestions based on their preferences and financial constraints.
- Present brochures, booklets, and other promotional materials for internal use or to distribute to potential clients.
- Create marketing strategies to advertise the travel services a business or agency provides.
- Make plans for the issuance of tickets for flights, cruises, buses, etc.
- Help people apply for passports and get visas so they can go abroad
- Consult with customers to organize itineraries, make hotel reservations and arrange for ground transportation like limos or rental vehicles
- Describe the various travel insurance policies and aid customers in acquiring protection.
Qualifications
- A high school diploma or its equivalent is required.
- A degree in business, tourism, hospitality, or a related discipline
- Prior travel experience
- A track record of success as a travel advisor with knowledge of domestic and international travel arrangements
- Excellent computer research and writing abilities.
- Excellent interpersonal skills, including respect, empathy, and communication.
- Ability to provide clients with exceptional services.
- Excellent software knowledge for travelling (computer reservations systems, GDS systems and e-travel)
- English language proficiency; additional language expertise is a plus
Essential Skills
- Customer Service Skills: Your ability to give outstanding customer service to your clients will be aided by these talents. You can utilize your abilities to assist your clients in locating the ideal trip arrangement for their requirements. These abilities can also be used to assist your clients in understanding the procedure for making a travel reservation and to respond to their inquiries.
- Communication Skills: Information transmission through vocal or nonverbal means is referred to as communication. You might speak with clients on the phone, in person, or via email as a travel consultant. To make sure that your clients comprehend the information you’re presenting, it’s crucial to be able to communicate effectively with them.
- Problem-solving Skills: Finding the ideal vacation options for clients is a common task for travel advisors. Finding answers to any problems that may occur is frequently part of this. A travel consultant may be able to solve a customer’s difficulty by locating a travel partner that does serve the desired destination, for instance, if the customer wishes to travel to a location that isn’t serviced by the company for which the consultant works.
- Organizational skills: The ability to manage many activities and obligations is an organization. Numerous tasks are frequently assigned to travel advisors, including researching destinations, planning itineraries, reserving hotels and flights, offering customer support, and keeping records. Effective time management and deadline compliance are made possible for travel consultants by their strong organizational abilities. To give accurate information and conduct transactions accurately, travel consultants must be organized when working with clients.
- Time Management Skills: Planning and carrying out travel itineraries for clients requires good time management abilities. This ability will help you guarantee that you satisfy your clients’ expectations and finish all job-related activities for each trip. For consumers that ask for travel packages, for instance, you might have to arrange for flights, lodging, and auto rentals. To guarantee that you finish all required duties on time, employ your time management abilities.
- Product knowledge: Travel consultants should be fully knowledgeable about the travel goods they promote. This involves being aware of the advantages of each product, the locations they serve, and the costs connected with each choice. Customers can select the best travel solution for their needs with the aid of your product knowledge.
- Travel Documentation Skills: A detailed understanding of travel documents, including how to make hotel and aeroplane reservations and the required paperwork for overseas travel, is frequently required of travel consultants. This includes being aware of any paperwork you would need to complete before travelling, such as passports or visas, and being informed of any possible risks associated with the area of your destination.
- Itinerary Planning Skills: The routes you suggest to your clients are called itineraries. They contain information about things like where to stay, what sights to see, and how to get there. Planning an itinerary is a crucial ability for travel advisers because it enables you to give thorough descriptions of locations and activities. Itineraries can also be used as a marketing tool for extra services like tickets for transit or tourist attractions.
How to Become a Travel Consultant
Step 1. Obtain an Education in the Field
The educational requirements for a travel consultant vary by employer, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, but generally speaking, postsecondary education is required. Travel agent training can be found in certificate programs for prospective travel advisors. As an alternative, a prospective travel consultant might want to earn a bachelor’s degree in tourism, business administration, travel, or hospitality. Marketing, sales, travel protocols, reservation taking, ticketing, and geography are among the common classes taken by travel consultants. prospective travel consultants can gain practical experience in the field while working with experts by interning in a travel firm. Additionally, gaining knowledge of various languages and cultures can help travel agents explain a place more accurately and persuade customers to visit it. When speaking to someone who doesn’t speak English, travel advisers can make reservations or book other plans by phone with the help of their knowledge of a foreign language.
Step 2. Obtain Travel Consulting Experience
It’s critical for a travel consultant who is just starting to gain appropriate work experience. Entry-level work with nearby travel firms or careers with online travel companies are both options for prospective travel consultants. To obtain voluntary professional certification and develop in the area, experience is often necessary. To gain expertise in travelling in a variety of methods, travel consultants should also gain first-hand travel experience on commercial airlines, commercial bus lines, lengthy drives, and train trips. They must also be knowledgeable about how hotels and other accommodation establishments function. After gaining this kind of first-hand travel knowledge, a travel advisor is better equipped to respond to clients’ inquiries regarding travel accurately and sincerely. In the travel sector, many travel agents opt for a speciality. Consultants could decide to focus on a certain niche market, such as organizing family vacations or overseas trips. Consultants can have access to a range of professional resources from networking opportunities to access to a virtual library to professional advocacy and access to continuing education through organizations like the American Society of Travel Agents.
Step 3. Acquire Licensure and Certification
Some states need travel agents to receive licenses to market travel services, while this is not necessary for all jobs. Research the prerequisites for professional employment in particular sectors as they differ by state. A travel consultant might differentiate themselves as a professional in the field by voluntarily obtaining certification. Travel consultants can become certified at various levels through the Travel Institute’s optional program. Taking specialized classes, passing an exam, and accumulating 18 months of travel consulting experience are requirements for earning the Certified Travel Associate (CTA) credential. Earning the CTA credential, passing an extra exam, and having a minimum of five years of work experience in travel consulting are requirements for the Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) designation. Every year, certification must be renewed.
Step 4. Consider Opening an Agency
Travel consultants could think about starting their agency after gaining some job experience and more schooling. It will take a lot of work to do this, including getting financial support, approval from travel agencies like the International Airlines Travel Agency Network, and sponsorship from accommodation and travel companies. The majority of travel consulting is done online. However, some customers could choose to connect your offerings with a specific area. You can create a virtual address that clients will associate with your consulting business to avoid hiring out a physical office space.
Step 5. Consider Continuing Education
To stay current with developments in the industry, travel consultants should pursue continuing education opportunities. When it comes to protecting clients, staying informed about safety issues in particular parts of the world is essential. Consultants must be proficient in using new software and databases as technology and reservation computer systems continue to advance. To broaden their knowledge and better serve their clients, consultants can also enroll in continuing education courses in specialized travel specializations, such as accessible travel, gay and lesbian travel, and wedding/honeymoon travel. Renewal of certification could also call for continuing education. In conclusion, even though there aren’t any official academic prerequisites for becoming a travel agent, having some sort of postsecondary education might be advantageous when looking for an internship, experience, certification, and, ultimately, a long-term job in the industry.
Where to Work as a Travel Consultant
Travel agencies, tour operators, and corporate travel departments are just a few of the places where travel consultants work. Although they may need to work evenings and weekends to meet their clients’ schedules, they normally work a standard 40-hour work week. Some travel consultants conduct their business remotely, while others may make frequent trips to meet with customers or attend conferences. Making travel plans for last-minute travels or dealing with furious clients can be difficult aspects of the job. However, the majority of travel agents find their jobs to be stimulating and relish the chance to assist clients in creating vacations of a lifetime. Because many people prefer to deal with a qualified agent when planning a vacation, travel agents will still be required to assist customers in planning and booking trips. However, as more people conduct their online travel planning and booking, technological advancements might reduce the necessity for travel consultants.
Travel Consultant Salary Scale
The amount of money paid to travel consultants varies according to their level of education, number of years of experience, and the kind of travel agency they work for. In Nigeria, the average monthly salary for a travel consultant is roughly 298,000 NGN. From 143,000 NGN to 467,000 NGN is the range of salaries. The typical salary range for a travel consultant in the US is between $46,558 and $58,011. The average salary is $52,457.