How to Become a Licensed Travel Agent

If you love to travel and see the world and you are organized, detail-oriented and have sales skills, a job in the travel agent industry is perfect for you. To set yourself apart from the less professional and even illegitimate travel agents out there, you will need to become a licensed travel agent by taking travel agent classes. By earning a college degree in travel and tourism or by enrolling in a travel school, you are on your way to becoming a licensed travel agent.

1.   Becoming a Licensed Travel Agent

o        1

Graduate high school or earn a GED. Most travel certification programs and travel agencies require a minimum of a high school education.

o        2

Do as much traveling as you can. Although it's not necessarily a requirement, travel agents who have real-life travel experience are much more desirable than those who just have book learning.

o        3

Enroll in a four-year college and major in travel and tourism. Specializing in geography, a foreign language or computer science is also very desirable for the travel industry. Many schools have study abroad programs that include cultural courses that are just as valuable as travel agent classes.

o        4

If you don't wish to go to a four-year college, enroll in the Travel Institute to earn a certified travel associate, or CTA, certification. You can find a list of schools near you on the Travel Institute website (see Resources) or enroll in the school's correspondence program.

o        5

Go to the Travel Institute website and register to take the TAP test. It's a test created by the Travel Institute to measure basic travel knowledge. If you pass, your name will be added to a national list, making you more visible to employers who are hiring.

o        6

                        Investigate local travel agencies and contact them about entry-level positions. 

                        Most travel agents begin their careers as receptionists or reservation clerks 

                         before being promoted to agent positions. Be sure to stay up to date on the latest 

                        tourism news, travel requirements and passport information for international travel