Impact of Connecting with Other Travel Agents

Working as a travel agent comes with plenty of obstacles, especially for those who work at home and aren't seeing their colleagues at the office every day.

That's why it's imperative that you connect and network with other travel agents on a regular basis.

You'll find that by reaching out to other travel agents, you can exchange advice and gain mentorship from more senior agents or give back to those in need as a senior travel agent yourself.

Furthermore, you'll be able to help each other out with difficult client issues or keep each other apprised of fantastic opportunities and worthy commissions. In the end, it can only make you a better travel agent to your clients.

While it can seem difficult to connect with other travel agents, we've put together a list of the easiest ways to reach out to your colleagues.

FAM Trips

FAM trips, or familiarization trips, are trips set up for travel agents to experience a destination so they can better advise their clients on where to go and what to do. It is one of the best (and most fun!) ways to meet fellow travel agents.

See FAM trips as an opportunity to learn about a destination or travel activity and as a means of connecting with colleagues. While on the trip, pass out your business cards and make meaningful connections with other agents. Following the trip, e-mail those you connect with and be open and willing to work with your fellow travel agents by providing tips, insight and advice.

Facebook Groups and LinkedIn

Social media is redefining the way people connect and it offers the perfect opportunity for travel agents to help each other out. There are hundreds of Facebook groups for travel agents, some of which are niche-focused and others that are based on your location in the world. Join them and become active in posting or commenting and watch how quickly you can connect with fellow travel agents.

LinkedIn is also a great place to network with your colleagues. For those looking for mentorship from more seasoned travel agents, consider sending a message to a travel agent you admire and offer to buy them a cup of coffee or see if they'd be willing to chat via Skype. You'll be surprised by how many agents are willing to give back to others in the career field, and when the opportunity arises for you to do the same, you can.

Professional Organizations

Don't ignore the power that travel agent associations have and join one today. There are plenty of organizations to consider: the American Society of Travel Agents, the International Air Transport Association, the National Association of Career Travel Agents, and the Cruise Lines International Association.

Many of these organizations have local chapters you can become active in. They also host plenty of events you might want to attend. They were designed to help travel agents like you to grow in their career and they're a wonderful place to find other travel agents who want to do the same.

If you don't want to join an organization or association, you may see if your host agency like the Travel Leaders Network, Avoya or Virtuoso have networking opportunities like workshops, conferences or regional gatherings that you may participate in.

Agent At Home

The AgentAtHome Community is a very active one full of travel agents who work at home. Many travel agents connect over engaging post discussions or questions and find ways to help one another out by sharing their contact information and connecting outside of the platform. With 3,785 subscribers, you're sure to find a travel agent (or a few hundred) that you can network with.

March 27, 2019