1. How Much Do Travel Agents Make?
Earning while learning and experiencing different culture and places makes a career in travel
industry seem worth pursuing. With all the vacation and travel benefits we hear travel agents get
to enjoy, it’s no wonder many people want to get a job in the travel industry.
If you want to become a travel agent, or if you’re interested in working as a home based travel
agent, you might want to know how much one makes. How much travel agents make depends on
a few things. Travel agents normally earn a low base salary, but get bonuses or perks for selling
flight and travel packages.
Factors Affecting a Travel Agent’s Salary
Various factors like experience and skills affect a travel agent’s salary or income. Location and
size of agency and economic recessions also have an effect on pay.
Just imagine receiving salary and commission for helping people make their dream vacation
come true. Working as a travel agent sounds like a dream job indeed with rewards and
opportunities, but any successful travel agent will tell you, your income primarily depends on
how hard you work.
Some travel agents make a couple of hundred dollars a year while others make over $100,000 a
year. Some travel agents work full time, spending 8-10 hours a day from their office whereas
some work as they like (part time basis). Some work in big offices, some work from home.
Employees at a travel agency usually have a salary cap but for home based travel agents, the
sky’s the limit. Some of them make a sale to the average income guy whereas some sell it to the
rich (the bigger the sale amount, the higher the percentage earned as commission).
It is, however, not only about money. The joy of meeting new people, visiting beautiful places,
and having the freedom and flexibility to work anywhere that comes with owning your home
based travel agency cannot just be measured in terms of money, but also in terms of personal
satisfaction you get working as a travel agent.