A travel agent is basically an official who assists people to travel from one destination to the other. Mostly they offer counsel on the right choice of countries, what one should expect from those countries, what documents a person would need to gain entry to a place and air ticketing services.
The least educational background needed for someone to become a travel agent is a high school diploma. A background in sales or customer service could be helpful as well. Here are some relevant decisions and requirements to be met before one can be called a travel agent.
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Determining what kind of travel agent one would be
There are different types of travel agents, like a leisure travel agent, corporate travel agent, and for one to be successful as a travel agent, one must know exactly the type and kind of travel agent they want to be. This can translate that, one must decide if they want to specialize in a specific area of the world, and that would mean, they familiarize themselves with the culture and destinations.
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Education on being a travel agent
Just like every profession on earth, a travel agent must endeavour to acquire and attain academic knowledge in their field. One can take up courses in Travel, Tourism, Business Administration, Economics and Hospitality. Knowledge in this field would give agents the academic exposure to understand their job well and also to make the best out of it.
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Choice of working space
Aspiring travel agents must decide and choose whether they would want to work within a travel agency or set up their own travel agency. This decision, however, should be centred on the resources available to the agent, their social network and experience. This is because a wrong choice at this point could ruin one’s career before it takes off.
Documentation required differs from country to country. In Ghana, travel agents who run their own companies are to register their business with the Registrar General, and then obtain a license from the Ghana Tourism Authority.
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