How to Be a Work at Home Travel Agent

Working as a travel agent can be both personally fulfilling and financially rewarding, which is why many choose to work in the field. But with internet travel sales and discounted traveling sites dominating the industry, it can be difficult to find work as a travel agent in a traditional office. Many travel agents are instead looking online for an opportunity to be a work at home agent - and with good cause. Not only do you have the comfort of working from your own home office as a work at home travel agent, with the use of the internet, you can rake in far more in commissions than in a traditional travel agency. And with experience, you can even start your own work at home travel agent company, instead of working on behalf of another company. Add in the many perks that a work at home travel agent receives, from free swag to free airplane tickets or even vacations, and it almost sounds too good to be true! Interested? Then read on to learn how you can be a work at home travel agent:

1

Do Some Research in Traveling AND Marketing

If you don't already have experience in the industry, as a work at home travel agent or otherwise, then there is a great deal you need to learn before you can be a successful work at home travel agent. Travel agents traditional work solely on commission - although if you work for another company, you may receive a base salary - that they earn from selling and booking vacations and packages. That means that as a work at home travel agent, you not only need to have a great deal of knowledge about traveling and destinations, you also need to have sales and marketing skills. And with the online competition for discounted vacation packages growing at an insane rate, you will have a great deal of competition as a work at home travel agent. Being able to match your customers with the perfect vacation, offering excellent customer service, providing additional service that consumers can't find elsewhere, and possessing outstanding sales and marketing skills are all essential to your success as a work at home travel agent.

If you don't already understand both customer service and marketing completely, then you need to spend some time learning about both before you consider starting as a work at home travel agent. The good news is, all of the information you need to teach yourself about the industry is widely available to you online - you can even take classes at your local community college or trade school that are specifically tailored to help you excel as a work at home travel agent. If you're coming up short on information online, then consider enrolling in a few marketing classes and travel agency classes. A few months of learning about the trade can make all the difference in your eventual success as a work at home travel agent.

2

Get Certified as a Work at Home Travel Agent

There are three major organizations that certify a qualified travel agent - including a work at home travel agent - and these certifications are considered an industry standard. The IATAN, IATA (sister organizations) and the CLIA offer certification to you as a work at home travel agent, if you meet the requirements. These certifications can not only help you land a good job as a work at home travel agent, but can help you later on if you decide to build your own company as a work at home travel agent. To learn more about the certifications they offer and the credentials you must possess to apply for the certifications, check out each respective organization's website below:

International Association of Travel Agents Network (IATAN)
http://www.iatan.org/

International Air Transport Association (IATA)
http://www.iata.com

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA)
http://www.cruising.org/

3

Start as a Work at Home Travel Agent for a Company

Even if your eventual goal is to become an independent work at home travel agent, starting your career as a work at home travel agent for an online travel agency is still the best place to start. Those who already have worked in the field offline should still consider starting as a work at home travel agent for someone else. Working for a larger company will teach you the skills you need to make it as an independent work at home travel agent, while allowing you to make money at you learn. Companies also give you access to a wide array of tools that you may otherwise never discover, and the customer base is obviously larger - something you'll definitely need if you want to make good money as a work at home travel agent. If you have absolutely no experience in the industry, applying as a work at home travel agent with a smaller company will give you a better shot at being hired. You can find open positions for work at home travel agents by checking out some of the websites listed below. Start by browsing through Craigslist or other job seeking websites to see if there are any positions available as a work at home travel agent in your city; if not, you can move on to the internet-based companies that have positions open for a work at home travel agent. You will need a resume to apply for most of the work at home travel agent positions, so taking a class or two in advance on traveling and marketing will definitely look good on your application and significantly increase your chances of being hired as a work at hoe travel agent if you have no previous experience in the field.

Work at Home Travel Agent - Job Search Sites:

Monster.com
http://jobsearch.monster.com/Travel-Agent/get-jobs-5.aspx

Indeed.com
http://www.indeed.com/q-Travel-Agent-jobs.html

Jobs Online
http://www.jobsonline.net/travel-agent-jobs/

Work at Home Travel Agent - Direct Employment:

World Travel Holdings
http://www.worldtravelholdings.com/virtualCareers.html

Liberty Travel
http://libertytravel.jobs/

Expedia
http://www.expediajobs.com/

4

Buy into a Work at Home Travel Franchise Opportunity

If becoming a work at home travel agent for a corporation doesn't sound appeasing, you can also start your own work at home travel agent company by buying into a franchise. Obviously, this will cost you some start-up money, but the benefit here is that you will have support and access to the tools you need to become an independent work at home travel agent. A franchise also allows you to use a brand name for your work at home travel agent business, which gives you access to a larger pool of customers without requiring you to answer to someone else. The downfall is, there is absolutely no base commission with a franchise - your income completely depends on how well you do as a work at home travel agent. For those with minimal experience as a work at home travel agent, this is definitely not the route to go in the beginning, unless you are completely confident in your marketing skills. If you'd rather buy into a franchise, you can find some work at home travel agent franchise opportunities at the websites listed below:

FareConnect
http://www.fareconnect.com/

PTS Travel
http://www.ptstravel.com/

Franchising.com (Database of Work at Home Travel Agent Franchise Opportunities)
http://www.franchising.com/travel_agent_franchises/

5

Try a Work at Home Travel Agent Affiliate Program

A work at home travel agent affiliate program is exactly what it sounds like: an opportunity for affiliates to sign up and work on behalf of another company as a work at home travel agent. The affiliate program gives you access to the tools and the support that you need, but again, you only earn commission on the packages you sell as a work at home travel agent - there is no base salary. The benefit to a work at home travel agent affiliate program is that there is no buy-in costs, and the only expenses on your part are the expenses you incur through advertising and running a website as a work at home travel agent. This route is a good choice for those who want to become a work at home travel agent without answering to a company, but don't have the money or the will to run their own independent work at home travel agent company as a franchise. You can find a few work at home travel agent affiliate programs by searching online, or check out some of the links below to get started:

Travel Spot
http://www.travelspot.us/

Travel Affiliate Pro
http://www.travelaffiliatepro.com/

PlanetFone
http://www.planetfone.com/affiliate_agents/default.htm

Agent Sky (offers full website packages for work at home travel agent affiliates for a fee)
http://www.agentsky.com/

6

Invest in Your Own Work at Home Travel Agent Company

If affiliate programs and franchises are not for you, you can always start your own work at home travel agent business without a company backing you up. This is by far the most risky way to become a work at home travel agent, so this option should be reserved for those who already have extensive experience as a work at home travel agent and in marketing and sales. To start a work at home travel agent business, you will need to build your own client pool, market your company yourself, build your brand name, and connect with airlines, cruise lines, car rental agencies, hotels, and other companies in the travel industry so that you can market and sell their products and services. Working directly with these companies as a work at home travel agent will give you the highest level of commissions, as you have no other company to pay first before you receive your earnings as an independent work at home travel agent. You can also enjoy the benefits and kick backs that work at home travel agents receive for working exclusively with the companies they select, or work with a broader range of companies to offer your customers more options - the choice is yours. Starting a work at home travel agent business entails much more than can be detailed here, so if you are looking to begin your own work at home travel business independently, check out the link below for an article on how to start your own travel agency home business: