“Leisure drives exploration.” With the 21st Century offering plenty of opportunities for leisure activities, people are taking more time out of their lives to quench their thirst for exploration.
The adventure activities can range from a rugged solo trip in the mountains to a premium luxury stay in exotic locations. Regardless of the type of exploration, the steady increase in the number of tourists each year remains common.
The upsurge in tourism demands the steady deployment of tourism-related infrastructure as well as professionals – the most basic and indispensable of which is a travel agent.
An Overview of Travel Agent Courses
Just like any industry, travel and tourism requires highly skilled and knowledgeable professionals to function. A travel agent is a professional in the tourism industry tasked with carrying out official and unofficial formalities alongside research and resource procurement needed to plan a trip. In simpler terms, a travel agent makes booking trips easier for an individual as well as companies.
Becoming a travel agent requires knowledge about the industry as well as the skills to navigate a multitude of options while planning a trip, and a travel agent course helps individuals achieve just that.
A travel agent course will often train an individual in things like customer service, reservations, event management, etc. Some travel agent courses also teach individuals to better understand geography, culture, and local flavors.
A travel agent course like most courses today can be pursued remotely from the comfort of one’s home. An online travel agent course would often better suit the need of people with a flexible schedule. They are also cheaper as they require minimal infrastructure and resources to function. A travel agent course is a great way to upskill oneself from the comforts of one’s home.
Why do People do these Courses and is it Mandatory to do Them?
With the world being more connected than ever before, the tourism industry is seeing a steady and rapid bloom. According to statistics, the global market cap for tourism as an industry is over 1.3 trillion US dollars.
The tourism industry is a big pie, and if you’ve stumbled upon this blog, you probably want a piece of it. Like any profession, upskilling yourself and increasing your knowledge in this field can be a great head start for carving out a piece of your desired size from this pie. People pursue these courses to often add more value to their existing travel and tourism business.
A travel agent course sure is helpful, both on an individual and enterprise level, however, a travel agent course is in no way mandatory to run a successful travel agency. Platforms such as Pathfndr make use of AI to power travel websites, making it a breeze to handle complex systems.
Free Travel Agent Courses
A good travel agent course doesn’t necessarily need to have a price attached to it. That’s why, free online tourism courses with certificates are a great place to start. Each travel agent course online free has something unique to offer to learners. Some of them are listed below:
- International Travel Preparation, Safety & Wellness
Offered by the reputed John Hopkins University, this course is a great entry point for anyone starting out as a travel agent. The course runs you down through the basics of international travel safety which is an essential component of travel.
You can currently check out this course on Coursera.
Syllabus
- Nuts and Bolts of Travel Preparation
- Travel Health & Prevention
- Staying Safe
- Cultural Competence & Ethics
Duration: The four topics covered in this course take approximately 10 hours to complete. Individuals can schedule the lessons as per their routine and flexibility.
Special features: Subtitles available in five languages (English, Russian, Portuguese, Spanish, French). Digital certificate on completion. Beginner-friendly (Does not require prior knowledge/experience in this field).
- Tourism and Travel Management
Offered by the renowned University of Queensland, Australia, this introductory travel agent course focuses on giving an insider perspective on the tourism and travel industry. The course has limited seats and is free for audit, however, a paid upgrade is also available with extra features such as a Certificate of Completion and graded tests.
This course is available on edx.
Syllabus
- Understanding the tourism industry and a detailed study of its challenges
- Principles in tourism and travel management
- Employing strategies and resolutions to address tourism issues and challenges
Duration: This course is self-paced with lectures taking 2-3 hours per week over a period of 7 weeks. The total course duration is around 14-21 hours.
Price: The course is free but a paid version with additional features is available for around 150 AUD.
Special Features: Self-Paced. No prerequisites are needed. Introductory and beginner friendly.
Paid Travel Agent Courses
While a free travel agent course can be great for just trying out the niche or learning more about the industry, paid travel agent courses often come with certifications and other benefits that might make them worthwhile in the long run.
- Becoming a Successful Travel Agent
Created by Kim Lewis, this travel agent course is a great starting point for any aspiring travel agent. The course is compact and insightful with 8 lectures detailing the rundowns of being a travel agent. This makes the course perfect for individuals interested to just learn more about the industry or taking their initial steps as a travel agent.
You can get this course on Udemy.
Course Content
- Introductory Video
- Prepare Your Business
- Host Agency or Independent
- What’s Your Style
- Branding your Business
- Marketing
- WOW Customer Service
- What’s Next
Duration: The eight short lectures covered in this course take a total of 1 hour and 7 minutes to complete.
Price: 10 USD
Special features: Short and compact. Access over mobile and TV. Lifetime access to video lectures. Certificate of Completion.
- Accounting and Financial Management for Travel Agencies (E-Learning)
Accounting and financial management play a key role in travel. This travel agent course focuses on teaching you the financial aspect of being a travel agent. While independent travel agents will benefit from this course, this is best suited for individuals aspiring to work as a travel agent under an agency or open their own travel agency/business.
This course is offered at IATA.
Course Content
- PDCA cycle at a travel agency and how they are used in business planning.
- Financial reports, annual and management accounts
- Accounting systems and data management
- Budgeting and forecasting
- Managing cash flow alongside financing opportunities
Duration: It is an e-learning course that takes about 20 hours of study over a span of 6 months.
Price: 150 USD
Special Features: Graded test/assessment upon completion. Certificate on completion. Specialized course on finance and accounting aspects of being a travel agent.
Conclusion
A travel agent course is a great way to upskill yourself whether you are a newcomer or a seasoned professional. While free options for these courses are available, most of them have essential features locked behind a paywall.
Platforms such as Pathfndr can help travel agencies and businesses grow with A.I.-powered website and travel booking management tools that are easy to deploy and can massively reduce the manpower and skill needed to bust a successful travel website.