Living Frugal
How to Become a Work from Home Travel Agent
As a Work from Home Travel Agent, you have the ability to start making money online from home.
Do you have experience as a Travel Agent and have been laid off or maybe you're a stay at home mom and you need to be there for your kids?
To become a successful work from home travel agent, you will need to learn the skills necessary to compete in the market to start making money online from home.
If you don't have the skills, not to worry. All of the information you need to acquire the skills are available online or you can take classes at your local trade school that are specifically designed to train you in the travel agent field.
Travel Agent Courses Online
- You can earn your travel agent certification online from home. Gatline Education offers a travel agent online course where you'll learn about various portions of the travel business such as ground transportation, tours, cruises, reservations.
- Also included in the travel agent online course is training for various computer reservation systems such as WORLDSPAN, APPLLO, GALIELEO or AMADEUS GDS reservation systems.
- Once you enroll, you are given 6 months to complete the online courses.
- If you need additional time to complete it, you can request a 6 month extension at no cost.
Travel agents generally work on commission. If you work for another company you may have base compensation.
Since you're primary source of income will be from commissions, you need to have the necessary customer service and marketing skills to convince your clients that you have the best deal on their travel needs.
Being able to find your customer the perfect family getaway and offering top notch customer service are your keys to being a successful work from home travel agent.
Travel Agent Certifications
The IATAN, IATA and the CLIA offer certifications if you meet the criteria.
These certifications will help you in your job search and they are essential to your success should you decide to start your own home based travel agent business in the future.
For more information on the travel agent certifications or requirements, visit the websites listed below.
- International Association of Travel Agents Network (IATAN)
- International Air Transport Association (IATA)
- Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA)
Travel Affiliate Programs
- Travel affiliate programs allow you to sign up to work for another company.
- The program provides you with the necessary tools required to be successful, but the downside is you work solely on commissions.
- There is no base salary. I wouldn't recommend it as a way to make fast money.
- The upside is there are no up front costs. The only expenses are the ones you have from advertising and running a website.
- You can find work from home travel agent affiliate programs by searching the web or visiting the links below.
Work for a Company
- If your long term goal is to start your own home based business, you want to start working for an actual company first.
- While working for another company, you'll acquire the skills needed to become a successful work from home agent all the while building your skills to start your own home based business in the travel industry.
- Check out job sites like Monster.com or jobsonline.net to search for these positions.
- You can also visit the links below to search for opportunities:
Good Luck in your new career!!!
