The Minute I Knew I Wanted to be a Travel Advisor ~ Angela R.

Finding a dream job is absolutely possible. I happened to find mine within the Travel Industry in March 2019. Growing up I was always interested in different destinations and cultures due to exposure from books, movies, music and pop-culture. That passion for travel and culture has followed me all through my adult life. I was afforded very few opportunities to travel with my family when I was younger. I’d always had a lifelong dream of traveling to Japan which finally came true in October 2018.

As a first time International traveler, I sought out the assistance of a travel advisor. All correspondences were lighthearted and fun. I enjoyed discussing their experiences and favorite aspects of the country alongside my own interests and what I was hoping to experience during my travels. They handled all of the logistics and put together a fully customized dream itinerary for a 17-day vacation of a lifetime. Both my experience working with this advisor, and time abroad had shown me that I could in fact make a career out of a love for travel. I decided then that I absolutely wanted to help others plan vacations to destinations as special to them as Japan is to myself.

I reside in a town mostly offering jobs in RV manufacturing. The idea of switching gears to a career in travel was a huge change for me. I went to the internet and started researching various travel programs. I found a wonderful program by the name of Direct Travel Academy. I reached out to them and had a conversation about my goals and future aspirations. Following that I enrolled in the program which is self-paced and can be easily completed within 1 year. The syllabus covers a range of topics which are all relevant to the travel industry of today. Subjects range from a crash course of the world’s most popular destinations, the types of clients you’ll face and how to best identify their needs. Travel Insurance, Preferred Suppliers, to exploring your own personal preferences and the type of advisor you want to become along with what specific destinations or types of products you’ll most want to sell. There are quizzes and assignments within each chapter to reinforce the content and understanding. There is also a wonderful mentor available to help with any questions and offer valuable feedback on assignments. This is a fantastic feature that is not available on many other travel programs.

Upon completion of the program I managed to secure a position with my local branch of Direct Travel Academy. In the time since becoming a travel advisor I have helped several clients plan honeymoons and dream vacations both Internationally and domestically. The Direct Travel Academy helped me to hit the ground running and also helped take a huge chunk off the learning curve of transitioning into a brand new industry. Travel has its own set of challenges and rewards, but hearing your client tell you about how great their vacation was and what a difference you made in their vacation will always be worth it.