TRAVEL AGENT

“One summer I spent three weeks traveling around Europe on the train. It was the first time I had traveled, and I loved it. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do for a career, but I did know I wanted to travel more. Looking through the paper one day I saw an ad for a travel school that offered a three-month course.

“I really enjoyed the class and at the end of three months got a job working in leisure travel. It involved booking everything from plane, to car, to train, to cruise reservations. The office I worked in was extremely busy, but I learned a lot very fast because of it. I worked in leisure travel for five years and now have worked in corporate travel for the last seven years. Corporate travel involves setting up client business trips. I enjoy this much more than leisure because most of the clients travel often and know what they want. But because of this, they can be very demanding. Business travel also changes constantly. Meetings get changed or cancelled and plans must be continuously revised. Anyone going into this field must be flexible.

“The thing I like best about being a travel agent is the opportunity to travel and learn about different places and cultures. I have been able to travel to many places that I probably would not have gone to otherwise. My favorite trips have been to Kenya/Tanzania on safari and to Peru to Machu Picchu.”