In this article
Welcome to the world of travel & tourism
Whether you love travel and helping people, or you want a sociable, knowledge-rich career, this guide covers what a travel consultant actually does, the skills, the day-to-day, and the honest upsides and downsides.
General description
A travel consultant advises clients and plans and books their travel. In simple terms: they help people plan and book the trips of their dreams. Think of them as the crafters of trips.
- Advise on destinations and trips
- Plan and craft itineraries
- Book flights, hotels, and experiences
- Look after clients' travel
Key skills & qualifications
Hard skills
Soft skills
- Travel passion — you love and know travel
- People skills — crafting trips for clients
- Knowledge — destinations and products
- Attention to detail — bookings must be right
- Sales — turning advice into bookings
- Problem-solving — when travel goes wrong
Education & qualifications
No degree required — travel consultants are trained on the job, with travel knowledge and people skills valued over formal qualifications.
Typical responsibilities
- Advice — on destinations
- Planning — crafting itineraries
- Booking — flights and hotels
- Service — looking after clients
- Expertise — destination knowledge
- Problem-solving — travel issues
Responsibilities by seniority
Trainee Consultant
0–2 years
- Learns travel and systems
- Books trips
- Builds knowledge
- Developing expertise
- Toward specialist
Travel Consultant
2–6 years
- Crafts and books trips
- Advises confidently
- Builds a client base
- Trusted consultant
- Specialising
Senior / Branch Manager
6+ years
- Leads consultants
- Runs a branch
- Handles complex trips
- Mentors staff
- Toward management
Where travel consultants work
✈️ Travel agencies
High-street and online.
🛳️ Cruise / specialist
Specialist travel.
💼 Corporate travel
Business travel.
🌍 Luxury / bespoke
High-end trips.
🏖️ Tour operators
Package travel.
🚀 Homeworking
Independent consultants.
A day in the life
Advising a client on their dream trip — destinations, options, and what would suit them.
Crafting an itinerary, arranging flights, hotels, and experiences into a perfect trip.
Booking and confirming, the detail that makes sure every part is right.
Solving a travel problem or a change, looking after clients before and during trips.
Trips crafted, holidays booked, dreams arranged. The crafter of trips. That's the job.
What this job gives you
- Travel world and perks
- People-focused and sociable
- Knowledge-rich
- No degree needed
- Path to management / homeworking
Pros & cons
✅ Advantages
- Travel world and perks
- People-focused and sociable
- Knowledge-rich
- No degree needed
- Path to management / homeworking
- Travel perks and trips
- Commission potential
❌ Disadvantages
- Sales target pressure
- Weekend and seasonal work
- Online competition
- Travel problems to solve
- Modest base pay
- Customer demands
Salary potential — global rating
Rated against all professions globally, where ★★★★★★★★★★ = top 1% earners:
Career growth paths
- Senior Consultant — complex / luxury trips
- Branch Manager — run a branch
- Homeworking consultant — work independently
- Specialist (luxury, cruise) — niche travel
- Travel Agency Manager — manage an agency
- Tour operator roles — operating side
Travel Consultant vs related roles
Here's how some neighbouring roles compare.
| Role | Core focus | Note | Pay | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel Consultant You are here | Plans and books trips | Travel, service | Baseline | Accessible |
| Travel Agent | Books trips for clients | Travel, customer service | Similar | Accessible |
| Travel Agency Manager | Runs a travel agency | Leadership, travel | Higher | Accessible |
| Reservations Specialist | Manages bookings | Bookings, service | Lower-similar | Accessible |
| Holiday Representative | Looks after holidaymakers | Service, travel | Lower | Accessible |
Scroll the table sideways on mobile. Pay comparisons are directional and vary by market and seniority.
Future outlook
Despite online booking, people still value expert travel advice for complex and special trips, keeping skilled travel consultants in steady demand.
- People value expert travel advice
- Complex trips need human help
- Specialist travel is growing
- Service and knowledge matter
- Steady demand
Fun facts 🤓
Travel consultants turn a dream trip into a perfectly arranged reality.
They get travel perks — discounted and familiarisation trips.
Despite online booking, people still value expert advice for big trips.
It's reached through travel knowledge, not a degree.
Many consultants now work as independent homeworkers.
Myths about this role
"Travel agents are obsolete."
❌ People still value expert advice for complex, premium trips.
"It's just booking holidays."
❌ It's advising, crafting itineraries, and solving problems.
"Anyone can do it."
❌ Destination expertise and crafting trips is a real skill.
"There's no money in it."
❌ Commission and specialism can pay well.
"Online killed it."
❌ Specialist and luxury travel still need human consultants.
Is this job right for you?
✅ Good fit if you...
- Love travel and destinations
- Like helping and advising people
- Are knowledgeable and detailed
- Enjoy sales and service
- Want the travel world
- Want a sociable role
❌ Maybe not for you if...
- You dislike sales targets
- You can't work weekends
- You dislike customer service
- You want a non-travel role
- You dislike detail
- You want guaranteed high pay
Sociable & knowledge-rich
Travel consultant is a sociable, knowledge-rich, people-focused travel career, where destination expertise and service turn travel dreams into booked reality, with travel perks and a path to homeworking or management.
✅ Advantages
- Travel world and perks
- People-focused and sociable
- Knowledge-rich
- No degree needed
- Path to management / homeworking
❌ Challenges
- Sales target pressure
- Weekend and seasonal work
- Online competition
- Travel problems to solve
- Modest base pay
How to get started
- Get into a travel agency trained on the job — no degree needed.
- Build travel knowledge destinations and products.
- Craft and book trips develop your expertise.
- Specialise or build clients luxury, cruise, or homeworking.
- Advance branch manager or independent consultant.
What to know before you start
- It's advising and crafting, not just booking
- People still value expert advice for complex trips
- No degree needed — travel knowledge matters
- Travel perks are a real benefit
- Specialist and luxury travel is growing
- It leads to management or homeworking
From the field
The same lessons come up again and again from people actually doing the job:
People say travel agents are obsolete because of online booking. For complex, expensive, special trips, people still want an expert who'll get it right, craft the perfect itinerary, and sort it out if something goes wrong. We're busy, especially in premium travel.
Travel consultant · 6 years in
The perks are real — discounted trips, familiarisation visits to resorts and hotels so I actually know what I'm selling. And I love the work: helping someone plan a once-in-a-lifetime trip and getting every detail right is genuinely rewarding.
Travel consultant · 8 years in
Homeworking changed the job — lots of us now work independently from home, with our own clients, on flexible hours. I started in a branch, built my knowledge and a client base, and now I'm an independent consultant. The travel knowledge is what makes it work.
Homeworking consultant · 11 years in