Travel Agent Course Curriculum

This course is meant to teach you how to navigate your Penn Foster program. You'll also learn about the structure and features of your program and some resources and study tips to help you succeed in your studies.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to do the following:

• Identify all components and materials in your program
• Identify ways to use Penn Foster’s helpful services and academic resources
• Identify Penn Foster’s academic and behavioral policies
• Choose effective study and time management skills

You’ll learn about the earliest days of personal travel and then examine how travel and tourism has become one of the world’s leading industries. As you progress through this course, you’ll discover what tourism actually is and how it touches so many aspects of our lives. You’ll find out who travels, why they travel, and how they travel. You’ll also learn about the many employment opportunities within the travel industry.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to do the following:

• Explain the history of travel and tourism, commission structures, and psychological theories related to the travel industry

You’ll explore the growth of commercial aviation, from the very first passenger flight to today’s jumbo jets. You’ll be introduced to the language of airline travel. Next, you’ll review the basics of airline procedures and operations from a travel professional’s point of view. The history of important industry resources will also be discussed.

Two very important services you'll read about are booking airline reservations and completing tickets. You’ll read about domestic airfares, including the different types of fares and discounts that are available, and how to calculate prices for air transportation. Your clients will depend on you to find them the best airfares and flight schedules.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to do the following:

• Explain the history of the airline industry, airport codes, airline operations, types of aircraft, and basic flight information
• Explain domestic airfares, airfare codes and rules, airline prices, and ticket information

A travel professional needs to be knowledgeable in geography. You'll explore physical geography, the names of the continents, and major water and land features. There are many kinds of geography. Travel agents are most concerned with physical geography, cultural geography, and location geography. These are discussed in your study material. In addition to arranging basic ticketing and reservations, travel agents provide travel advice and help clients obtain the documents required for travel. Providing accurate information is important when advising international travelers. Passports and visas are needed to enter many foreign countries. There are also many limitations on what can be brought home from foreign lands. Your study material discusses the important aspects of booking international airline travel. You’ll also explore other important considerations when advising international travelers, such as foreign currencies, airfares, airline carriers, travel documentation, and customs allowances.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to do the following:

• Explain various elements of physical geography and how they relate to travel
• Explain various elements of cultural geography and location geography and how they relate to travel
• Explain important elements, regulations, codes, resources, and pricing for international travel

As a professional travel agent, you'll be matching your clients to the right destinations and to the services to experience those destinations. Tourism geography is important and discussed in your studies. You need to continually stay up to date with trends and changes. Here, you'll focus on studying the most frequently traveled destinations. This includes Canada, the United States, the Caribbean islands, Mexico, and Central and South America. You'll also explore key destinations in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Your studies also cover Asia, Australia, and the South Pacific. You’ll explore the geographical backgrounds of various places so that you can help your clients.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to do the following:

• Explain the geographical backgrounds and features that appeal to tourism in Canada, the United States, the Caribbean islands, Mexico, and Central and South America
• Explain the geographical backgrounds and features that appeal to tourism in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East
• Explain the geographical backgrounds and features that appeal to tourism in Asia, Australia, and the South Pacific

There are different types of lodging guests, which in the industry are called market segments. Travelers fall into one of four basic markets in the hospitality industry: business, vacation or leisure, group events or conventions, and personal reasons. In your studies, you'll read about types of accommodations and how to determine what will work best for each client. It's important to make sure when selecting a hotel that it's in a convenient area with good service and at the right price for your clients. You'll also read about different industries related to careers in hospitality. You should be able to provide your clients with complete travel products and services. To do so, you need to know your clients’ needs and have the ability to translate this knowledge into the right travel choices. Your studies provide a good foundation for how to sell tours and vacation packages.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to do the following:

• Explain the different types of accommodations and how to determine what will work best for each client
• Explain how to sell tours and vacation packages that meet your clients’ needs

Travel agents are responsible for a large percentage of all cruise bookings. Many travelers prefer the personal attention that a good travel professional provides. Many travel agencies have a cruise department staffed with fulltime cruise specialists. Your studies provide you with important information on the types of cruise ships, the accommodations available on cruise ships, the cost of cruises, and the itineraries of typical cruises. You'll be introduced to resources available to provide your clients and how to book a cruise. Your studies also discuss land transportation products such as rail travel and car rentals. Trains and cars provide travelers with independence and flexibility. They also give clients the chance to visit places standard tours don’t go. Although most business travelers take a plane or train to their destinations, they often need rental cars to get to their hotels, meet with clients, and sell their products.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to do the following:

• Explain the types of ships, layout of the ships, accommodations, and itineraries related to cruises
• Explain trains and car rentals used for land travel for various locations and how these travel options can benefit your clients

Microsoft Office allows people to create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and databases. This course will teach you how to use two popular tools from the MS Office Suite— MS Word and MS Excel. In this course, you'll learn how to use MS Word to create and edit text documents, insert figures and tables, and format pages for a variety of uses. You'll then learn how to use MS Excel to organize and format data, including charts, formulas, and more complex tables.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to do the following:

• Identify how to create various Microsoft Word documents
• Identify how to create various Microsoft Excel documents

Computer reservation systems (CRSs), which are commonly called global distribution systems (GDSs), perform various functions that impact most of what travel agents do. CRSs compile all the important resources travel agents need to access, allowing agents to work efficiently. Your studies explain the history of these systems, their capabilities, and the basics of how they operate. The internet has redefined the travel agent’s role. It has increased communication, provides a way to gain information, and helps with the process of making reservations. Although clients can make their own travel reservations online, many travelers will reach out to a travel agent. What’s the key to keeping up with changing technology? Becoming adept at navigating the internet with a travel-specific focus and knowhow to find the best information available, as efficiently as possible. Your studies discuss the various ways the internet is used to research important information to help meet your clients’ needs.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to do the following:

• Explain how computer reservation systems are used effectively in the travel industry
• Explain how the internet is used in the travel industry to market, research, and communicate effectively

What makes a travel agency successful? Success can be attributed to many factors, such as successful sales techniques and high-quality customer service. Travel agencies sell the same products that are offered by the same suppliers at similar prices. What sets travel agencies apart from one another is how successful the agents are in selling these products and providing their customers with proper follow-up communication. There are many potential clients, such as corporate travelers, families, students, groups of people, or maybe just one person. In this course, you’ll discover ways in which you can become successful in travel sales and how to best meet the clients’ traveling needs.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to do the following:

• Explain successful sales strategies for travel agents

As a travel professional, you’ll have different career paths to consider. For example, you can work for a travel employer, start your own travel agency, or operate your own guest inn. You can also become a specialist and focus on specific types of trips or destinations. You can also consider working for airlines, resorts, cruise companies, tour operators, railways, or car rental firms. Your study materials discuss the types of job positions that are available. You'll also explore professional development, writing resumes and cover letters, resources for job searching, how to present yourself during job interviews, and how to follow up on a job interview. You'll also be introduced to important considerations that are involved if you decide on a career path in starting your own travel agency business.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to do the following:

• Explain the opportunities available in the travel agency industry, how to get started on this career path, and how to continue with professional development

This course provides test registration information for taking the TAP® exam.

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to do the following:

• Take the TAP® exam