Travel agent job description: eight duties, the disruption half, and the rules on what you can sell

The picture of a travel agent is someone selling a holiday. The job is better described as someone who assembles several separate contracts into one trip, and then holds the customer's hand when one of them fails.

This article sets out a travel agent job description: eight duties, the disruption work that fills the week, the consumer protection rules that decide what an agent may sell, the target problem, routes in and a template. It is general information about the role, not legal or regulatory advice.

Agents are measured constantly (conversion, average booking value, satisfaction) and the people doing the work should hear how they are doing as often as the dashboard does. See how New Dynamics continuous feedback supports check-ins between managers and their teams.

What a travel agent does

The National Careers Service's travel agent profile, with "travel consultant" as the alternative title, describes the role as finding and booking "flights, accommodation and holiday packages for business and leisure customers".

O*NET's occupation, Travel Agents, covers those who "plan and sell transportation and accommodations for customers", determining "destination, modes of transportation, travel dates, costs, and accommodations required", who "may also describe, plan, and arrange itineraries and sell tour packages", and who "may assist in resolving clients' travel problems". Reported titles include Corporate Travel Consultant, Destination Specialist and International Travel Consultant.

Eight duties

1. Understand the need. "Converse with customer to determine destination, mode of transportation, travel dates, financial considerations, and accommodations required." Budget, dates, who is travelling and what matters to them, the quality of this conversation decides everything after it.
2. Research and quote. "Compute cost of travel and accommodations, using calculator, computer, carrier tariff books, and hotel rate books, or quote package tour's costs", and present options the customer can actually compare.
3. Book. "Book transportation and hotel reservations, using computer or telephone", and "print or request transportation carrier tickets".
4. Take payment. "Collect payment for transportation and accommodations from customer", including deposits, balances and the payment deadlines that trigger cancellation.
5. Document. "Record and maintain information on clients, vendors, and travel packages", and provide the customer with what they need: confirmations, references, and "brochures and publications containing travel information, such as local customs, points of interest, or foreign country regulations".
6. Advise on the conditions of travel. The National Careers Service lists advising customers "about passports, insurance, visas, vaccinations, tours and vehicle hire", with the honest caveat that the responsibility for documentation ultimately sits with the traveller, which the agent should say out loud.
7. Handle disruption. "Inform customers of changes like cancelled flights", "arrange refunds and handle complaints", and rebook what can be rebooked.
8. Sell. "Plan, describe, arrange, and sell itinerary tour packages and promotional travel incentives", and "meet sales targets and report to head office".

A holiday is several contracts

This is the structural fact that makes the job harder than it looks.

A trip may involve an airline, a hotel, a transfer operator, a car hire company, an insurer and a tour provider. Each has its own terms, its own change and cancellation rules and its own failure modes. When one fails, the rest do not automatically fall away, and the customer experiences all of it as one purchase that has gone wrong.

Three practical consequences for the job description:

• The agent needs to know what is packaged and what is not, because it changes the customer's rights and the agency's obligations.
• Records have to be exact. Reference numbers, names as they appear on passports, dates of birth, times and terms are what make a rescue possible at short notice.
• Escalation paths matter more than product knowledge. Who to call at the operator, what authority the agent has to spend, and when to involve a manager.

The disruption half

Nobody advertises this part, and in a bad week it is most of the job.

• The flight time moves, and the transfer no longer works.
• The airline cancels, and forty people booked on it need rebooking in an order somebody has to decide.
• A passport has six weeks left on it and the customer flies on Saturday.
• Something has happened at the destination, and every customer travelling there this month calls on the same morning.

An advert that mentions only sales attracts people who leave when they meet week one of this. Say it plainly, and say what support exists: out-of-hours cover, duty rotas, and who has authority to authorise spend.

What an agent may sell

Selling air travel to UK consumers sits inside a licensing regime, and the agent's employer is either inside it or acting under someone else's licence.

The Civil Aviation Authority's guidance on whether a business needs an ATOL explains the purpose: "the ATOL Regulations are legal requirements that exist to protect consumers if their travel organiser ceases to trade as an ATOL holder", ensuring consumers "are repatriated or refunded money paid to the travel organiser for ATOL protected holidays and flights".

On who may sell, the regulations "set out who can advertise and sell air travel arrangements to consumers in the UK and these include":

• "the operator of the aircraft (an airline selling its own services)";
• "an ATOL holder"; or
• "a person who is exempt".

A business selling a flight-inclusive package, as defined in the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018, or a flight-only sale, "must fall into one of the above categories". The CAA also notes that the regulations "equally apply to businesses established outside the UK if they are advertising and selling to consumers in the UK", and that packages including flights sold to UK consumers are covered "irrespective of the departure point of the flight".

Exemptions are listed in Regulation 10 and include "an agent for an ATOL holder", "a member of an accredited body", "an airline ticket agent" and "a person acting under a general business travel agreement". Which applies to a given business is a question for that business, the CAA's own advice is that "you should seek independent professional advice if you are uncertain as to whether you require an ATOL".

For a job description, this matters in one practical way: the advert and the induction should be clear about what the agent may sell, under whose licence, and what has to be said to the customer at the point of sale.

Leisure, business and homeworking

• Leisure retail. Store or contact centre, families and couples, seasonal peaks, sales targets and a uniform. The National Careers Service notes evening, weekend and bank holiday working on a rota.
• Business travel. Corporate clients, travel policy compliance, tight turnarounds, out-of-hours support, and far less browsing.
• Homeworking or self-employed agents, often trading under a host agency's licence and brand, with the paperwork and compliance that arrangement implies.

The three want different people. Say which one the advert is for.

Targets, and what they do to advice

Travel agents carry sales targets, and the tension is familiar: the trip that suits the customer is not always the one that pays best.

• Measure the booking that sticks, not only the booking made: cancellations, amendments and complaints tell you more than conversion alone.
• Count the rescue. The agent who spends an afternoon rebooking a stranded family has generated no sale and a great deal of value.
• Watch what happens in a bad week, because that is when a badly designed scheme does its damage.

Our employee feedback guide covers making that kind of conversation routine rather than annual.

Skills, routes in and progression

The National Careers Service lists the skills: customer service skills; excellent verbal communication; the ability to sell products and services; thoroughness and attention to detail; administration skills; active listening; persuading skills; a desire to help people; and competent use of a computer and the main software packages.

Entry is usually through a travel consultant apprenticeship, a college travel and tourism course, or direct application from retail or customer service work. Progression, per the same profile: assistant manager or manager, branch or call centre manager, operations director, regional director, or a move into tour operating or self-employment.

A travel agent job description template

Job title: Travel consultant [leisure / business]

Reports to: Branch or team manager

Channel: [store / contact centre / online], [hours, weekends, bank holidays, any out-of-hours rota]

Purpose: Match customers to travel that suits them, book it accurately, and look after them when something changes.

Responsibilities

• Establish each customer's needs, dates, budget and priorities.
• Research and present options, and quote accurately including all costs.
• Make bookings with carriers, hotels and operators, and issue tickets and confirmations.
• Take deposits and balances and manage payment deadlines.
• Advise on passports, visas, insurance, vaccinations, transfers and car hire, and record what has been advised.
• Maintain accurate customer, supplier and booking records.
• Handle schedule changes, cancellations, amendments, refunds and complaints.
• Work within the business's licensing and consumer protection obligations and say what must be said at the point of sale.
• Meet sales and service targets and report as required.

You will need: attention to detail with names, dates and references; calm under pressure; the ability to explain terms plainly.

What the advert should say

1. Leisure or business, and the channel: store, contact centre or home.
2. The hours, including weekends, bank holidays and any out-of-hours cover.
3. The disruption expectation and the support around it.
4. The targets, and the service measures that sit alongside them.

Frequently asked questions

What does a travel agent do?

Finds and books travel for customers and looks after the booking afterwards: establishing what the customer needs, researching and quoting options, booking flights, accommodation and extras, taking payment, advising on passports, visas, insurance and vaccinations, keeping accurate records, informing customers of changes, arranging refunds and handling complaints, and meeting sales targets.

What are the duties and responsibilities of a travel agent?

Eight groups: understanding the need, researching and quoting, booking and ticketing, taking payment, documenting the booking and providing travel information, advising on the conditions of travel, handling disruption, and selling. O*NET's description ends by noting that agents may also assist in resolving clients' travel problems, which in practice is a large part of the job.

Is a travel agent the same as a travel consultant?

Yes. The National Careers Service gives travel consultant as an alternative title for travel agent. Employers use travel consultant more often for business travel and for homeworking roles, but the work described is the same.

What rules apply to selling flights and holidays in the UK?

The ATOL Regulations exist to protect consumers if a travel organiser ceases to trade, ensuring they are repatriated or refunded. The CAA states that the regulations set out who may advertise and sell air travel arrangements to UK consumers: the airline operating the aircraft, an ATOL holder, or a person who is exempt, with exemptions including an agent for an ATOL holder and an airline ticket agent. Whether a particular business needs a licence is a matter for that business, and the CAA advises seeking independent professional advice if uncertain.

What skills does a travel agent need?

Customer service skills, excellent verbal communication, the ability to sell, thoroughness and attention to detail, administration skills, active listening, persuading skills, a desire to help people, and confident use of computers and the main software packages. Accuracy with names, dates and reference numbers matters more than most adverts suggest.

What hours do travel agents work?

Typically around 37 to 40 hours a week, with evening, weekend and bank holiday work on a rota, in a store or a contact centre. Business travel roles often add out-of-hours support because clients travel outside office hours.

Your next step: advertise the whole job

1. Say whether the role is leisure or business, and in which channel.
2. Put the disruption work in the advert, with the support that comes with it.
3. State the hours, including weekends and any out-of-hours rota.
4. Publish service measures alongside the sales targets.

For making the feedback conversation routine rather than annual in a target-driven team, read and download our employee feedback guide. The guide is free to read, and the PDF uses our short download form.

Want targets, check-ins and reviews in one place, so the rescue work counts as well as the sale? Book a New Dynamics demo and bring your current scorecard. You can also email contact@new-dynamics.com.