Working from home as a Travel Consultant

by Gewleigh | J Jan 2018 | Business Skill, Published Books

When we think of a Travel Consultant we think of big shiny offices or shops on the high street. The traditional Travel Consultant is changing and there are more opportunities to work from home. It truly is the age of the computer and internet.

What can a travel consultant do?

In essence, they make clients life easy by organising all their travel arrangements. This can be either for business or personal and both. Booking holidays, booking flights and hotels all takes time. A travel consultant takes this hassle away from the client. It will also mean that you will have to do some research into making the correct judgement and getting the right hotel booking and a good price.

It will also mean that you will have to do some research into making the correct judgement and getting the right hotel booking and a good price. Therefore understanding your client’s budget and personal requirements will be of vital importance. You could possibly have your client’s credit card details, so confidentiality and trustworthiness are essential. Discretion will also need to be undertaken.

It would be an advantage to have a list of local hotels and conference centres available in your area or create an approved suppliers list for your client’s.

There are some insurances that you will need to undertake with this type of job and training. However, there are franchises that you can purchase that will guide you through the process. This is an excellent way to get the backing of a larger organisation while still working for yourself at home.

Suggested Skill Requirements

• A good understanding of clients’ needs. Knowing your client’s likes and dislikes would be an advantage, but through careful questions and open and honest discussions, you will be able to find out their exact requirements. You will need to be thorough and precise in what they want and what you can deliver.
• Thinking on the spot
• Organised. You need to know what is going on in your market. Knowing what offers are on in particular hotels and holiday resorts. Having a preferred list of hotels and taxi that you rely on will also be an advantage. Keeping records and a plan will be a must.
• Flexibility. You will have to understand and know that business clients will change their minds and plans at the drop of a hat. You need to stay flexible at all times and work towards their time frames requirements.
• Excellent IT skills. Keeping records and understanding how IT systems work will be a must. There are some websites for Travel Agents that may be useful for you to use.
• Ability to work under pressure. Travel can be very stressful for some people, and they will rely on you to walk them through the process. If you are booking holidays, then remember that this is their only time off work and they have a dream that they are expecting you to provide.
• Ability to work to tight deadlines. Knowing all deadlines will be of vital importance, and you will need to work to those deadlines and ensure that all subcontractors understand the time limits.
• Research, digest, analyse and present material clearly. You will need to know your market inside out, make suggestions and help your clients make the right decisions for them. There will be some clients who know exactly what they want, but others will be relying on you to contribute to making those choices.
• Excellent interpersonal skills. Understanding customer services is vital and speaking to them in a language that they understand and feel comfortable with is be an advantage.

In addition to the above you will also need to:

• Honesty and reliability
• Attention to detail
• Discretion, understanding and confidentiality
• Use of Word to create forms etc.

Further Reading if you want to work from home

In conclusion, you may like to find out what jobs you could do working from home from our book entitled ‘Jobs to do Working from Home‘ by Julie C Farmer.