A travel agent, also known as a travel consultant, helps clients plan, book, and manage travel experiences. Their role includes designing itineraries, arranging flights, cruises, hotels, and tours, handling travel documents, and providing expert advice on destinations. In 2025, travel agents remain essential for personalized service and stress-free travel planning.
The Core Role of a Travel Agent
A travel agent’s primary responsibility is travel planning. That means listening carefully to a client’s needs, understanding their preferences and budget, and designing an itinerary that makes sense. For example, planning a family vacation to Europe might involve booking flights into Paris, arranging train transfers to Switzerland, organizing a guided tour, and securing hotels with family-friendly amenities.
Unlike online booking engines, agents focus on tailoring the experience to each traveler. They save clients hours of research and reduce the stress of trying to compare hundreds of options alone. Most importantly, they bring industry knowledge and supplier relationships that help travelers get more value for their money.
If you’re considering this career path, you can see how this fits into becoming a travel agent step by step.
Services Travel Agents Provide
Travel agents handle a wide variety of services, many of which travelers don’t even realize are available until they work with a professional.
- Flight and hotel bookings: Securing transportation and accommodations that fit the client’s schedule and budget.
- Cruise reservations: Working with cruise lines and leveraging CLIA certifications for perks.
- Travel packages: Bundling flights, resorts, and excursions into complete tour packages.
- Ground transportation: Arranging transfers, car rentals, or train tickets.
- Travel documents: Helping ensure passports, visas, and insurance are in place.
- Destination guidance: Recommending tours, restaurants, and hidden gems at travel destinations.
This ability to design customized travel packages is one of the main reasons clients continue to work with agents rather than booking on their own.
The Skills That Make a Successful Travel Agent
The best advisors combine industry knowledge with soft skills that help them attract and retain clients. Some of the most important travel agent skills include:
- Travel planning expertise: The ability to create seamless itineraries and anticipate potential issues.
- Marketing skills: Promoting your services, often as part of running your own travel business.
- Sales skills: Confidently recommending upgrades, insurance, and tours that enhance the experience.
- Customer service: Supporting clients during cancellations, delays, or emergencies.
- Attention to detail: Managing multiple bookings and deadlines without mistakes.
Agents who commit to training and certifications often sharpen these skills further. If you want to explore the value of credentials, see the benefits of becoming a certified travel agent.
Specializations Within the Travel Industry
Many advisors choose to specialize in certain areas of travel. These niches not only help agents stand out but also allow them to charge higher fees or earn higher commissions. Common specialties include:
- Cruises: Many agents pursue CLIA’s Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) or Master Cruise Counselor (MCC) designations.
- Family and Disney vacations: Certification through the Disney College of Knowledge positions advisors as experts.
- Luxury and VIP travel: High-touch experiences with concierge-style service for affluent clients.
- Corporate travel management: Organizing business trips, conferences, and incentive travel.
- Group and international travel: Managing logistics for tours, reunions, and large events abroad.
Focusing on a niche can also boost your income. Our guide to how much travel agents make explains how specialization often leads to higher earning potential.
Why Clients Choose Travel Agents Over DIY Booking
With so many online tools available, why do clients still turn to agents? The answer comes down to value.
Travel agents often have access to deals not available to the public, thanks to relationships with suppliers. They also know how to find the right balance between cost and convenience, ensuring travelers don’t end up with long layovers, nonrefundable rates, or poorly located hotels.
More importantly, agents provide personalized service. When flights are canceled or borders close unexpectedly, clients know they can rely on their agent to handle the situation. That kind of security is something no online booking site can offer.
Travel Agents as Entrepreneurs
In today’s travel industry, the majority of travel agents work as independent contractors or small business owners, whether operating under their own brand, partnering with a host agency, or joining a travel franchise that offers support and shared resources—this alignment offers flexibility and access to essential infrastructure as highlighted by Travel Age West, explaining how hosted advisors utilize the host’s accreditation and technology while maintaining independence
Joining a host agency provides booking systems, supplier access, and training, making it easier for new agents to get started. Franchises, such as Cruise Planners, take it a step further by providing a turnkey business model that includes STAR University training, supplier relationships, and award-winning technology.
Many aspiring advisors who want to run a business of their own begin by exploring how to become a travel agent and deciding whether to go independent, join a host agency, or invest in a franchise.
How Travel Agents Enhance the Travel Experience
One of the main reasons clients still rely on travel agents is the travel experience itself. While online tools can provide endless options, a professional advisor knows how to curate journeys that are seamless, memorable, and stress-free. By working closely with clients, agents recommend the right travel destinations, design efficient travel arrangements, and anticipate potential challenges that travelers might overlook.
For those booking international travel, this expertise is especially valuable. Travel agents understand visa requirements, entry restrictions, and local regulations that vary from country to country. They also have relationships with travel suppliers such as airlines, tour operators, and resorts, which allows them to offer competitive pricing and exclusive perks. In this way, agents turn complex logistics into worry-free experiences that elevate the trip from ordinary to extraordinary.
The Importance of Customer Service and Professional Development
Another area that sets agents apart is customer service. Unlike booking sites, travel agents provide personal support before, during, and after a trip. From answering questions about travel policies to resolving last-minute cancellations, strong customer service skills build trust and improve overall client satisfaction. Many travelers appreciate knowing there is a real person ready to help when plans change.
For agents themselves, ongoing professional development is critical to staying competitive. The travel and tourism industry evolves constantly, shaped by shifting industry trends, new destinations, and emerging technologies. Successful agents keep pace through continuous training, certifications from organizations like The Travel Institute, and networking with peers. They also leverage social media to market their services, showcase client success stories, and reach new audiences.
By investing in both customer service excellence and professional growth, today’s travel agencies remain relevant and valuable in an increasingly digital world.
What Does a Travel Agent Really Do?
So, what does a travel agent do? They design personalized trips, manage complex travel arrangements, provide expert advice on destinations, and support clients through every stage of their journey. More than booking clerks, they are entrepreneurs who run their own businesses, market their services, and specialize in areas that add value.
If you’re considering this as a career, the next step is learning how to become a travel agent so you can explore the paths available — from working with a host agency to investing in a franchise. And if you’re ready to move forward, you can become a certified travel agent with STAR University, where structured training, supplier access, and a proven business model help you launch with confidence.