How to hire travel agents

Job description template

Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.

[Job title] at [Company name]
[City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range]

About the role
[Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.]

What you will do
• Book transportation and hotel reservations, using computer or telephone.
• Collect payment for transportation and accommodations from customer.
• Compute cost of travel and accommodations, using calculator, computer, carrier tariff books, and hotel rate books, or quote package tour's costs.
• Converse with customer to determine destination, mode of transportation, travel dates, financial considerations, and accommodations required.
• Plan, describe, arrange, and sell itinerary tour packages and promotional travel incentives offered by various travel carriers.
• Print or request transportation carrier tickets, using computer printer system or system link to travel carrier.
• Provide customer with brochures and publications containing travel information, such as local customs, points of interest, or foreign country regulations.
• Record and maintain information on clients, vendors, and travel packages.

What you bring
• [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any]
• [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: High school diploma or equivalent]
• Strong active listening, reading comprehension, speaking, active learning, critical thinking and writing skills
• Working knowledge of customer and personal service, English Language and sales and marketing
• [Anything else you would really turn someone away for]

Pay and benefits
[Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $24.11 an hour ($50,160 a year).
[Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.]

How to apply
[Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]

Copy the template Check your finished job post

Interview questions for travel agents

Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.

1. Tell me about a time you had to book transportation and hotel reservations, using computer or telephone. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
2. Tell me about a time you had to collect payment for transportation and accommodations from customer. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
3. Tell me about a time you had to compute cost of travel and accommodations, using calculator, computer, carrier tariff books, and hotel rate books, or quote package tour's costs. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
4. Tell me about a time you had to converse with customer to determine destination, mode of transportation, travel dates, financial considerations, and accommodations required. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
5. Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
6. Tell me about written instructions, a policy or a manual you had to follow closely. How did you make sure you followed it correctly?
7. Explain something technical from your last job as you would to a new coworker.
8. Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?

Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.

What travel agents do

• Book transportation and hotel reservations, using computer or telephone.
• Collect payment for transportation and accommodations from customer.
• Compute cost of travel and accommodations, using calculator, computer, carrier tariff books, and hotel rate books, or quote package tour's costs.
• Converse with customer to determine destination, mode of transportation, travel dates, financial considerations, and accommodations required.
• Plan, describe, arrange, and sell itinerary tour packages and promotional travel incentives offered by various travel carriers.
• Print or request transportation carrier tickets, using computer printer system or system link to travel carrier.
• Provide customer with brochures and publications containing travel information, such as local customs, points of interest, or foreign country regulations.
• Record and maintain information on clients, vendors, and travel packages.

Skills that matter most

Active ListeningReading ComprehensionSpeakingActive LearningCritical ThinkingWritingCustomer and Personal ServiceEnglish LanguageSales and Marketing

Education, experience and outlook for travel agents

• Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent (BLS)
• Related work experience most have: 1 to 2 years (O*NET)
• Training on the job: Moderate-term on-the-job training (BLS)
• Job outlook: +0.2% over ten years, little or no change · about 5,900 openings a year (BLS)

What to pay travel agents

Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:

See travel agents pay in every state

Related hiring guides

• Advertising Sales Agents
• Insurance Sales Agents
• Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents
• Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel

Job duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.