Travel agents help make arrangements for people who are traveling for either business or pleasure. In order to assure the arrangements they make are the best ones possible, travel agents first assess their clients' needs. There aren't any particular educational requirements, other than a high diploma, needed to work in this field, but employers prefer to hire agents who have completed vocational training. Travel agents face a lot of competition from online travel services (Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition).
If you are thinking about becoming a travel agent, you should learn more about it. Read Travel Agent: Career Information to get some basic details about this occupation, including earnings, job outlook and advancement opportunities. Then find out what working travel agents think about their job by reading our Real Life of a Travel Agent submissions. Finally, if you are considering pursuing this career further, take the Should You Become a Travel Agent? quiz. It can help you determine if this career choice is for you.