• Home
  • Degrees
  • Schools
  • Ranking News
  • Financial Aid
  • About
  • Contact Us

Outstanding Colleges

Find the Best College for you!

  • Home
  • Degrees
  • Schools
  • Ranking News
  • Financial Aid
  • About
  • Contact Us

April 23, 2015

11 Experts Reveal The Best Course/Certification to Become a Travel Agent in Canada

[wpsharely id=”629″] [/wpsharely]

While becoming a travel agent, some programs can be costly and lengthy. The path to becoming a travel agent may include certifications, degrees or just plain old experience. Experts reveal which route will help future travel agents get the best start in the business.

Certificates

Most of the experts interviewed believed that certificates were over-rated for travel agents. In fact, the majority did not have certification themselves. The general thinking is that such certificates are over-priced and do not necessarily improve the work of the travel agent. Certificates can be nice for show but they do not indicate how experienced a travel agent is.

Degrees

Experts agree that degrees can be helpful in the travel business. However, a degree is a huge commitment and cost so it is important to consider whether or not it is worth it. A degree in business, marketing could be important for running a travel agency. Degrees psychology or communications can help the agent better relate to clients and figure out their needs.

Experience

Travel agents agree that the best course of action to take if one wants to be a travel agent is to do a self-study. Working for a travel agency rather than getting the information from a textbook can be valuable for learning how to handle the daily stresses that come with running an agency. Working in a travel agency is about adapting to daily situations. Work experience gives a future travel agent the first-hand knowledge of how to remain flexible under pressure.

Who are the Experts?

Contributors ( in order the contribution was received) 

  • Muriel Truter
  • Eastern Representative
  • Mario Skrpec
  • Tony J Sotera
  • David Melse
  • Sue Heeks
  • Kyle Oram
  • Kim Knapp
  • Shelley
  • Derek Sidenius
  • Calvina Chow

So without further ado, let’s get into…

What are the best course/certification to become a travel agent in Canada?

Muriel Truter/Askari Travel

Askari TravelDo NOT KNOW AS NO ONE IN OUR OFFICE HAS CERTIFICATES – WE HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF THE PRODUCT WE ARE SELLING.
 

Eastern Representative/Eastern College

eastern collegeFormal training and education are necessary to launch a successful professional career. A great way to be successful in today’s competitive career market is to attend a career college, where you will get the specific, job-ready skills you need to perform in a relevant career field. With over 30,000 graduates and 32 years of success, Eastern College is Atlantic Canada’s most reputable and fastest growing school and we are here to help you to succeed.

Mario Skrpec/Mariden Tours

mariden internationalBoth are useless.

 
 

Tony J. Sotera/Travel 300

travel 300Of course I am bias as we have an in house training program to become a travel agent, as much as schools teach the knowledge aspect of the industry as it relates to tourism, they are all far from the on hand training that we provide to be an accomplished working independent travel agent in this ever changing and evolving travel industry. We take you from start to finish with ongoing support .

David Melse/Pose Travel

pose travelHaving neither of these certificates personally it’s tough to comment. To be honest I think the best type of certificate / experience to have is real world travelling experience. Once in the industry there’s a lot of opportunities for ongoing training from tour operators / suppliers etc that are highly relevant to the job.

Sue Heeks/Travel Gurus

travelgurusI used to believe that a CTC was the best tool an agent could have but I have done a 180 in recent years. Travel has become waaay less technical and more about sales. So to be successful in this business I believe you need to have confidence, be resourceful, have a thick skin and be willing to work hard.

 

Kyle Oram/KVI

KVIA degree in business, marketing, psychology or communications is far more valuable than any travel certifications. There are thousands of websites out there that can provide copious amounts of travel deals and data. An agent must be able to convince clients why they are better than a website.

 

Kim Knapp/Flight Centre

flight centerFlight Centre provides comprehensive training when you join the company, which covers our booking systems, sales and product knowledge. It’s not necessary for you to have attended school for travel.

Shelley/Guardia Travel

guardia travelI have no idea about schools or certificates. I have none of those certificates…never finding the time to get them.
Many of my colleagues do not have them either and it never affected their business.
Sorry, I am not trying to present a negative outlook…just a realistic one.

 Derek Sidenius/Wanda Tours

wanda tour

The most important education comes from personal experience but since a body of knowledge is necessary to perform the travel agent job well, a program such as that offered by CTC would be a good choice although I am in no position to say it is the best.

 

Calvina Chow/Travel Masters

travel masterTravel courses are a plus, but they can be lengthy and expensive. Most training is on the job. If the agent wants to pursue other areas of the industry, then the least costly training that targets front line consultants (like GDS training) is recommended. Sales and marketing is good for entrepreneurial individuals planning to become independent contractors.

 

Article by Kristy Feldman / Travel Agent / Become a Travel Agent, Course/Certification, Travel Agent in Canada Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Meet The Team

Kristy Feldman (Senior Editor)

Kristy studied economics at McGill University and then got her masters in Journalism from UC Berkley.Currently she is a freelance writer focusing on the college ranking and student loan industries.
Joe Kazan (Web Design & Marketing):

Joe is the man that makes the website run. He is also the face of the website with his natural interest in college rankings and student loans. He is the one who answers questions, comments and engages the community around OutstandingColleges.com
Prof. Mike King (Adviser / Contributor)

Mike is a retired college professor and administrator. He knows the admission and college ranking industry inside and out after 30 years in the industry.

Pages

  • Home
  • Degrees
  • Schools
  • Ranking News
  • Financial Aid
  • About
  • Contact Us

RSS College Ranking News

  • This RSS feed URL is deprecated
  • Charter School Donors Should Fund An Evaluating Organization - Capital Research Center
  • VIRAL VIDEO: Teen applies to 20 of the best colleges and got a full ride to all of them - 8News
  • International Students: Prepare for a Video Interview - U.S. News & World Report
  • Teenager applies to 20 of the Best Colleges in the US and gets Full Scholarship to All! - BellaNaija

Recent Posts

  • Can I Get Financial Aid for Graduate School?
  • Best Colleges for Astrophysics
  • What Is An Associate Degree?
  • What Type of Degree Should I Get?
  • 7 Reasons to Study Robotics

Archive

  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • November 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014

Pages

  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • School Listings
  • Sitemap

Categories

  • Accounting
  • Best XRay Tech Schools
  • Business and MBA
  • Degrees
  • Financial Aid
  • Health & Medicine
  • Medical Billing & Coding
  • News
  • Nursing
  • Ophthalmology
  • Ranking News
  • Schools
  • Science & Engineering
  • Trades & Careers
  • Travel Agent

Copyright © 2018 · Education Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in