Making Money on the Internet – Travel Agent

A travel agent assists customers and clients in discovering and creating travel plans based on their requirements as well as on the best options being offered by the destination they will be travelling to.

There is a lot of scope for making money on the internet as a travel agent. Working indoors on a computer is a huge requirement for this job. There are some ways through which individuals will be able to pump up the profitability of their business utilizing the power of the internet. A travel agent can make money online and increase profits using the following methods:

Create Your Website

After getting a good domain name, create your own website so that customers can be linked directly to it whenever they require your services. Here, your clients will be able to see customer reviews of your past and present clients. This will help in adding credibility to your status as a travel agent and will also help in the growth and development of your business.

Use Social Media to Your Advantage

Social media has the power of spreading information from one country to another. It creates a chain link of information that travels from place to place through people who share the information. This can help you in getting even international clients. Here are a few ways you can use the power of social media to enhance the profitability of your business:

• Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest present platforms where you will be able to interact and hold discussion sessions with various customers and people who are interested in hiring the services of a travel agent for good holiday and vacation plans.

• You can build up a fan page on Twitter and Facebook where you can post updates using pictures as well as share news relating to current travel packages.

• You can also post samples of your brochures and pamphlets online at attract potential clients and customers.

You can also use social media to develop ideas on the basis of customer comments and insights of what they prefer when selecting their vacation packages.

Promote Your Business on the Internet

• Blogging is on a high rise these days and you can translate your knowledge of travel and tourism into interesting articles and blog posts that people will enjoy reading about. In your blogs, you can include social buttons through which readers will be able to share your blog posts and articles on social networking sites for others to read as well.

• Another way of earning money via the internet as a travel agent is to publish tourism and travel related eBooks. If your blogs and eBooks are spotted by companies, you can also be hired to write on related topics and earning more income on them.

• Banner ads are also helpful in building awareness about your business as a travel agent. The more impressions you receive, the more you get paid. For this, you will require a good online presence over the internet. So it’s best to stay connected with your customers and keep them posted about any changes or promotions that are taking place with the services you offer.

Essential Tasks and Duties of a Travel Agent

In order for an individual to be able to make money online as a travel agent and be successful in this field, they will have to perform the following duties and tasks on a regular basis:

• Numerical computations of travel, insurance and accommodation costs

• Managing budgets

• Make bookings for flights, hotel reservations and transportation

• Provide support and advice for customer queries and requests

• Build and sustain a rapport with customers for retaining the current customer base and securing potential clients

• Planning, structuring, and selling itinerary holiday packages and travel incentives

• Provide customers with publications and brochures including travel information relating to local customs, foreign regulations, and pointers of interest

Skills Required In Becoming a Travel Agent

Travel agents need to be commercially aware of all travel and tourism related knowledge and current trends. They are required to have good interpersonal skills including verbal communication and numerical capabilities. Persuasion and the ability to make a sale are also essential skills needed for making money through this job.

Educational Requirement for a Travel Agent

An individual is expected to be up to date with technology and the field of traveling to be able to successfully make money as a travel agent online. Post secondary education can expand career opportunities. However, if approached by a company, it’s advantageous for an individual to hold a degree in travel, business studies, tourism, or any other such relevant degree.

Pay Scale

On the basis of hourly and annual rates, a travel agent can expect to earn the below mentioned amounts:

Pay per Hour

With a travel agent’s job, an individual can expect to earn on an average, $10 to $20 per hour with a median average of up to $14 on a per hour basis.

Pay per Year

A travel agent can expect to receive an amount of $25,200 to $51,200 on a yearly basis with a median average of about $36,600 per year.

Individuals who choose to be travel agents can use the above mentioned methods of making money and profits over the internet. And by staying up to date with all the current trends in the growing industry of social media, they can also discover new methods of money making over the internet as time goes by.