Travel Agent Resume & Guide

When looking for a new job as a Travel Agent, it is time to start compiling all of your most impressive work experience and to start thinking about the skills and qualities that make you unique and successful. 

We hope that the Travel Agent resume samples we have provided in this article will inspire you and give you the best chance at landing a job. We will show you what you need to highlight, which formats are the best to use, and how to make your resume catch the eye of any hiring manager. 

Travel Agent Resume Examples

(Free sample downloads are at the bottom of this page)

Travel Agent Resume Writing Guide

Resume Sections:

1. Contact information
2. Profile Summary
3. Work History 
4. Achievements
5. Education 
6. Skill Section
7. Certification & Licensing
8. Extras: Languages/Awards/Publications/Volunteering/hobbies

What to Highlight in a Travel Agent Resume

There are several pieces of information that every employer needs to see in an applicant’s resume. They need to know what you can do and, more importantly, what type of person you are. For example, in this field, the ability to work effectively with people is essential.

The job specifics of a Travel Agents may vary from job to job depending on where you work, whom you work for, and your clients' travel options. It would help if you were specific about your work experience so that the reader can ascertain what they can expect from you.

Below are a few questions that you need to answer and highlight in your resume document:

• What made you want to be a travel agent?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• How would you handle a customer demanding a refund from our travel agency?
• What would you do if a customer said they found a cheaper deal online?
• What skills or attributes do you have that make you a good travel agent?
• How do you handle unhappy customers who threaten to write a bad review about us on review websites?
• How do you tackle unexpected problems like delays or errors made in bookings and other related matters?
• Can you narrate an experience or scenario in your work as a travel agent you are especially proud of?

*Cool Tip for a stellar resume

Travel Agents need keep abreast with the latest tech applications and software to provide customers with s seamless experience. The best way to really impress the reader is to create a table that highlights your tech abilities, such as the one below:

Rezdy	TRYTN
Xola	TrekkSoft
Trello	Airtable
Checkfront	Travefy
Slack	Checkfront
Adalte	FareHarbor

Career Summary

Hiring Managers and Recruiters are busy and do not have time to waste going through each applicant’s resume in detail. It would help if you grabbed their attention from the beginning. One of the best ways to do this is by writing a captivating career summary/objective.

Rule number one, when writing your career summary or objective, mold it around the job description. This will ensure that you do not include any unnecessary information that will leave the reader disinterested. Rule number two, you need to rewrite your career summary or object for every job you apply for. Employers want to see a candidate who puts in the extra effort. 

A career summary will highlight what you have done and what you can bring to the table, a career objective highlights what you aim to do if you are hired. When trying to decide between a career summary and a career objective, simply look at the extent of your work experience. 

If you have years of experience, a career summary is the better choice. This will allow you to compile your most attractive experience, accomplishments, and qualities into a short paragraph between 4-6 lines in length. 

If your experience is on the thinner side, a career objective is the one for you. A career objective must include your ambitions and goals. Why do you want to work for that specific company, and how do you plan to add value to their team? When you answer these questions, include the core skills and values you have that will allow you to achieve these goals. 

The format should look something like this:

1. Make use of a commanding adjective to describe yourself regarding your current position and experience level in your first sentence. 
2. Next, have two or three dominant technical proficiencies and the industry section where you have received most of your experience. 
3. Conclude with a sentence about your qualifications/credentials. 

Note: Your career summary, and resume, must be written in the third person. Forget the I, me, and is. 

Summary Examples

Summary Example 1

“Customer service-oriented Travel Agent with five years of career experience in the Travel and Tourism industries. Possesses expertise in strategic partnership identification and development, event planning, and travel coordination. Key skills include organization, time management, and written and verbal communication.”

Summary Example 2

“A highly determined junior Travel Agent seeking the opportunity to learn and grow. Experience in booking corporate travel events, Excellent problem-solving skills, as well as initiative, resourcefulness, and creativity. Demonstrated ability to use appropriate judgment and problem-solving skills to resolve issues/conflicts with travel arrangements.”

Summary Example 3

“Enthusiastic Travel Agent professional with excellent customer service skills can maintain a professional demeanor at all times.Excellent verbal and written communication, project planning and time management. Outstanding interpersonal skills.”

Summary Example 4

“Senior Travel Agent with over a decade of experience. Highly adept at recommending and organizing travel plans for families and businesses. Highly skilled communicator that can build long-lasting relationships. Excellent knowledge of travel software and computer reservation systems. Capable of maintaining productivity in fast-paced environments and the ability to juggle multiple projects simultaneously. Expert in client service and sales with a proven track record of meeting or exceeding expectations.”

Employment history

This section is one of the more important sections in your resume, and one that employers pay specific attention to. Although the main focus is on your experience, this section should also show off your skills and achievements. Your work experience section should have a detailed summary of your 3 or 4 most recent positions. 

Although this section may seem daunting to write, we are here to prove you otherwise. 

We recommend using reverse chronological order when listing your employment history, as this puts the most impressive information first. Remember to include the title you held, how long you were at the company, and a few bullet points highlighting the duties and responsibilities you were given. Wherever possible, you need to quantify your statements.

See examples:

Travel Agent at Amazon Travel, New York

(Jan 2016 – Dec 2021)

Tasked with making arrangements for tours, including, but not limited to, tourist attractions, transport, accommodation, and car rentals for the African continent focusing on responsible and sustainable accommodation establishments and also destination weddings.

• Provided advice about destinations and packages to tourists.
• Provided recommendations about tour and vacation packages provided by the company.
• Visited hotels and restaurants to improve accuracy on the travel agency's information such as cleanliness and available facilities so that recommendations are accurate.

Assistant Travel Agent at PenTravel, Nashville

(Jan 2014 – Dec 2015)

Primary responsibility to coordinate with local Tourist Guides to create itineraries for their clients according to specific guidelines and preferences also to handle all post-sales documents, pre-paid inventory management, rail booking, and document shipping.

• Attended client’s queries on the phone, via the Internet, and in person.
• Provided suggestions about how the company website can be improved for ease of use, completeness, and marketability, if and when necessary.
• Checked the weather conditions and forecasts; coordinated with local government bodies about the nature of the trips, and encased emergencies. 
  

Travel Agent Job Description Examples

Below we have provided further job duties that you can use in your resume:

Examples:

• Handle bookings, invoices and issue tickets as well as confirm customers' names with airlines/hotels.
• Provide pricing information, brochures, and internet-based information.
• Liaise between coach operators, airlines, hotels, and resort representatives.
• Visit resorts to ascertain accommodation quality and suitability.
• Market holidays to clients via travel agents, websites, and brochures.

• Collect and process payments for multiple travel leisure's.
• Direct calls to the necessary departments while inputting reservations for a variety of nationalities.
• Establish new clientele for the company according to company standards.
• Monitor updates on files and reservations in the company's 4D system.
• Direct customers to appropriate staff for voucher exchange and travel tickets.

• Coordinate with travel agents to create itineraries for their clients according to specific guidelines and preferences.
• Handle all post-sales documents, pre-paid inventory management, rail booking, and document shipping.
• Provide excellent customer service to customers and support our sales team.
• Quality control components in all aspects of the quotation and reservations process.

Accomplishments

An employer will almost always choose a candidate that puts in extra effort and goes the extra mile. Your accomplishments section is where you can show the reader how you do just that. Do not simply copy and paste your accomplishments from one resume to the next. Rather, take the time to read the job description to outline the specifics the employer is looking for, and create a new accomplishments section for every job you apply for. 

The trick to creating an effective accomplishments section is to follow a process simply:

• Answer what makes you special and why you are proud of yourself? 
• How were you able to add value to the company? Did you lower expenses, save time, improve productivity, improve turnover, or boost employee morale? 
• Quantify your resume! Provide proof by reflecting metrics, numbers, percentages, to quantify your statements.

If you are struggling to quantify your accomplishments, ensure that they answer the following questions: “How much?” or “How many?”. See below:

1. What is the average recurring market size increase per year?
2. What is the average new market increase in new market territories?
3. What is the organic traffic growth rate for online campaigns on social media platforms?

Let’s start with what NOT to Do:

• Awarded Travel Agent of the Year award.
• Organized reservations for many guests while overseeing ticket distributions and managing customer relations and sales of tickets.
• Prepared and processed many guests and customers for online bookings.

Add the numbers, and they become compelling:

• Awarded Travel Agent of the Year award for scoring 98% in the client satisfaction survey.
• Organized reservations for over 340 guests while overseeing ticket distributions and managing customer relations and sales of tickets.
• Prepared and processed more than 12,500 guests monthly.
• Delivered seven hours a day, reaching 27,000 guests and generating $270,000 of yearly income.

Education

Your education section is vitally important and one that employers pay close attention to. Take the time to ensure that you have listed your information clearly and correctly. 

Along with university qualifications, you should also include professional memberships or anything that promotes your continuous professional development. 

To be a Travel Agent, you have to do specific on the job training. The relevant State’s Qualifications Authority must register that qualification. Make sure to provide accurate details of the qualifications and certifications you have accomplished. 

Definitely put down any relevant memberships to industry bodies or groups. If you are busy finishing a degree, diploma, or program at this time, providing information about that is also essential.

At the bare minimum, a Travel Agent must have a high school diploma. However, most agencies require their employees to obtain further training or post-school degrees. 

When listing your qualifications and degrees, list them in reverse chronological order. First, list the degree's start and end dates, followed by the degree's name, the institution’s name, and the city and abbreviated state's name.

Remember:

• Remove high school information if you finished a university degree. 
• List completed credits if you are still busy with a qualification
• Include relevant honors, coursework, or awards (e.g., graduating cum laude) 
• Extracurricular activities look good to employers.
• Do not forget any current qualifications you are busy completing. 

Below is an example of a Travel Agent’s education:

2018 – Associate of Arts degree in Hospitality, Columbia University, New York, NY.

2016 – Spanish and French, Orlando Language School, Orlando, FL.

2015 – Travel and Tourism Management (Certificate Program), Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management, Buffalo, NY.

2014 – Certified Tour Operator (CTO), Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), Online.

Skills

The tourism field requires specific technical skills; however, employers view soft skills that highlight a person’s personality as equally important. These skills are basically centered around your character and people skills and allow the reader to gauge whether you would be an effective Travel Agent or not.  

Now that many big companies rely on computers to start the initial stages of recruiting, you must understand that their algorithms look for keywords in your resume and then give you a score. 

To get a high score and reel in an interview, tailoring your resume is critical. Use the job advertisement's crucial keywords as “resume SEO” verbiage to add indispensable authority to your resume.

The best way to truly capture the reader's attention is by creating an attractive and easy-to-read skills section that highlights your most admirable skills and qualities. 

Please use a skills matrix or bullet points that allow the reader to easily navigate this section and find the information they are looking for swiftly.

Examples of hard skills for a Travel Agent Resume Include:

• Domestic & international travel expertise
• Budgeting & accounting
• Negotiating rates
• Logistical planning
• Relationship management
• Travel consulting & reservations
• Transportation coordination
• Event planning

Examples of soft skills for a Travel Agent Resume include:

• Customer service skills.
• Excellent verbal communication skills.
• The ability to sell products and services.
• To be thorough and pay attention to detail.
• Administration skills.
• Active listening skills.
• Persuasion skills.
• A desire to help people.

Qualifications & Certifications associated with Travel Agents

Travel Industry Terminology	How do Tour Operators Put Together Tours	Industry Trends
Profile of a Tour Manager/Director	Pre-Tour Departure Preparations	Public Speaking
City Tours (working with the Local Travel Agent or doing it yourself)	Baggage Handling and Control	Destination Itinerary Planning
Hotel Arrivals and Departures	Motorcoach Commentary	Cultural Practices
Being Environmentally Aware on Tour	Optional Excursions (what they are, how to present them, operate them, and money handling)	Leisure Days on Tour
Airline and Airport Procedures	Motorcoach Travel	Client Welcome Preparation, content, and delivery

Optional Extras for Travel Agent Resumes

In this field, recruiters and employers are really interested to know as much as they can about an applicant to gauge if they are the right person for the job. An optional extras section is the best place to do this. 

Here you can include information about your interests and hobbies or showcase any further training you have received or conferences you have attended. 

If this is your first travel job or you have limited experience, this section can be utilized to beef up your resume. List any certificates, licenses, or software experience that highlights your technical abilities.

This section applies to those who need to add more and those with extensive experience but want to highlight their personal qualities or show a particular strength, such as speaking several foreign languages. 

Remember, though, that whatever you decide to add must not overwhelm your resume or comprise your resume length.

Travel Agent Resume Downloads

Professional information of Travel Agents

Sectors: Travel, Tourism, Hospitality, Transport, Aviation, Entertainment, Cultural & Heritage,
Career Type: Operations, Business Management, People Management, Process Management, Organizational, Guiding, Project Management
Person type:  Leader, Guide, Consultant, Assistant, Organizer, Planner, Motivator, Implementer, Reviewer, Facilitator, Marketer, Promoter
Education levels: Post High School Diploma and upwards
Salary indication: From $17.22 per hour average depending on experience and company size (*Indeed)
Labor market: Estimated 26% decline from 2018 – 2028 dependent on the industry category (*bls.com)
Organizations: Small, Medium, Corporate, Fortune 500, Government, Multinational, NPO