Clark’s Advice on Becoming a Travel Agent

Money expert Clark Howard started a travel agency in his mid-20s and grew it into several branches.

By the time he sold in 1987, he thought he’d retire for good. Starting a media career took a serendipitous twist after a radio station asked him to come on the air as a guest and offer travel advice.

Clark, now 68 years old, still travels more than anyone I know. And he’s obsessed with finding the deal in every aspect of his life. So although it’s been 37 years since he sold his travel agency, he’s maintained his credentials well for travel advice.

And he’s still pretty aware of industry trends such as travel agencies.

How To Become a Travel Agent in 2024

I’m retired and want to become a travel agent. How do I do that?

That’s what a Clark listener recently asked.

Asked Robert in California: “I was fortunate to take early retirement and find a real interest in becoming a travel agent. Having sent students abroad for over 20 year and having traveled extensively, I think my experience could be valuable to others.

“I see so many scams on the internet about courses and paying fees. Any advice on how to get started? I don’t know the software (Sabre etc.) so not sure how to start.”

There are scams and pseudo-scams in the travel agency space, Clark confirmed. They’ve existed for decades and morph into slight variations over time.

“But know that a lot of that is just a bunch of hooey. And that’s why as someone who’s had some peripheral experience booking these groups, I want you to go to an insider. To an actual agency owner or manager local and find out their recommended path,” Clark says.

“And if it doesn’t seem like they’re forthcoming or welcoming or helpful, go talk to another local owner or manager and get the drill. Because they’re always looking for good, motivated people.”

Full-Time Travel Agents vs. Leisure Agents

Clark suggests telling the person you find about your interest in being a leisure or group travel agent. Hopefully that leads to you having a job with a local agency.

“There are far fewer people doing travel agent work full-time,” Clark says. “There are those that do just corporate volume booking all day long. And those still exist. Particularly for bigger companies that still use that kind of environment.

“And then there are the leisure agents who tend to be people who have traveled extensively and have a lot of knowledge and take professionalized courses to be really great at knowing how to book leisure and group travel.”

Robert has the background of booking groups and leading them. So he seems to be a great candidate to be a leisure agent.

Finding a Local Travel Agent

Christa, who produces Clark’s podcast, said she’s surprised there are still physical locations for travel agents. But they do exist, and in a higher volume than you may expect.

Christa suggested tapping into the Nextdoor app and asking if anyone in the neighborhood has a local travel agent they like. And that could be a starting point to follow Clark’s plan.

What Is Sabre?

Robert mentioned Sabre in his question. What is that?

“Sabre for those of you who don’t know, is what’s called a global distribution system,” Clark says. “It’s a computer system for the industry. It’s one of the competitors that an agency would use to book various phases of travel.

“And if you work at an agency that’s on Sabre or one of their competitors, you’re sent to school to be able to use it, often, or there’ll be an online course that the agency will have you do.”

Final Thoughts

“Travel agent” used to be a full-time position. Those still exist, particularly for corporate travel. But there are a lot of experienced travelers working part-time as a “leisure” travel agent.

If that interests you, Clark suggests finding a local travel agency and asking them about the process to get started.