Travel agents
Plan and sell transportation and accommodations for customers. Determine destination, modes of transportation, travel dates, costs, and accommodations required. May also describe, plan, and arrange itineraries and sell tour packages. May assist in resolving clients' travel problems.
Travel agents plan and sell transportation and accommodations for customers. Determine destination, modes of transportation, travel dates, costs, and accommodations required. May also describe, plan, and arrange itineraries and sell tour packages. The role reports a median annual salary of $48,450 in the US and is showing modest growth of 2% over the next decade. Entry typically requires a High school diploma or equivalent, and shows high AI exposure (0.77 on a 0-1 scale) — significant portions of core tasks are already being automated. The most in-demand skills for the role include ecotourism, self-service technologies in tourism, geographical areas relevant to tourism, distribute local information materials, comply with food safety and hygiene.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £28,746 a year for Travel agents (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £25,357 to £37,527 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 6212). ONS rates this estimate reasonably precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
No official India pay figure for this career: it falls in more than one occupation group, and the Government of India's labour survey (PLFS) publishes pay only by occupation group.
2 open listings on our jobs board → Recent listings whose job title matches this career. Some jobs in this career are advertised under other titles.
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Sales and Marketing
- Geography
- Computers and Electronics
- Administrative
- Telecommunications
- Transportation
A day in the life
You start the morning answering emails from customers asking about holiday options and flight changes. A couple comes in wanting a honeymoon somewhere warm, so you talk through their dates, budget and interests, then suggest a few packages and describe what each trip would be like. You search the booking system for flights and hotels, compare prices and work out the total cost including transfers and taxes. After lunch they settle on a choice, so you book the flights and rooms, collect payment and print their itinerary and tickets. Later you update client records and supplier details, and call a hotel to sort out a problem with a family's reservation. Some parts are dull, like chasing refunds and rechecking fares that change by the hour. But when a customer comes back glowing and tells you the trip you planned was the best they have ever had, it reminds you how much joy you help create.
Illustrative: one typical day, written from the O*NET task statements for this occupation. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
What you'd actually do
- Collect payment for transportation and accommodations from customer.
- Plan, describe, arrange, and sell itinerary tour packages and promotional travel incentives offered by various travel carriers.
- Converse with customer to determine destination, mode of transportation, travel dates, financial considerations, and accommodations required.
- Compute cost of travel and accommodations, using calculator, computer, carrier tariff books, and hotel rate books, or quote package tour's costs.
- Record and maintain information on clients, vendors, and travel packages.
- Book transportation and hotel reservations, using computer or telephone.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Travel agents do?
Plan and sell transportation and accommodations for customers. Determine destination, modes of transportation, travel dates, costs, and accommodations required. May also describe, plan, and arrange itineraries and sell tour packages. May assist in resolving clients' travel problems.
What does a typical day look like in Travel agents?
You start the morning answering emails from customers asking about holiday options and flight changes. A couple comes in wanting a honeymoon somewhere warm, so you talk through their dates, budget and interests, then suggest a few packages and describe what each trip would be like. You search the booking system for flights and hotels, compare prices and work out the total cost including transfers and taxes.
How much does Travel agents earn?
The median annual salary for Travel agents in the US is $48,450.
What is the job outlook for Travel agents?
The role is showing modest growth of 2% over the next decade. Current US employment is approximately 65,700 workers.
How do I become travel agents?
The typical entry education is a High school diploma or equivalent. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Travel agents need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include ecotourism, self-service technologies in tourism, geographical areas relevant to tourism, distribute local information materials, comply with food safety and hygiene, produce content for tourism brochures. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Travel agents?
Our AI-durability model gives Travel agents a score of 0.77 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at high AI risk — many core tasks are already being automated by generative AI and workflow tools. Focus on AI-adjacent skills or plan a pivot to an AI-durable adjacent role.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Travel agents has low barrier to entry — generally accessible — you can enter with basic credentials and on-the-job learning.