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Who is a Travel Planner?
Once a year, go someplace you've never been before~ Dalai Lama
Career as travel planner is a popular career choice for many who love to travel and plan. A travel planner is someone who not only has the foresight but also the experience to plan a good holiday or a vacation. Where to go, how to go, how to reach, where to stay and what places to visit, are just some things that a travel planner has to look into, besides other things. It often happens that we plan a lot for a vacation with our family and friends, but the plan seldom materialises or if we go for a vacation, things don't always go according to plan. Planning a trip can be a tedious affair if not done correctly. There are a number of aspects that need to be taken care of and these have to be planned well and ahead of time. So if you are someone who loves to plan and loves to travel, then career as a travel planner or a trip planner is a good option. Those who have done a hospitality travel course have a good scope working as travel planners.
Travel Planner in a Nutshell
A travel planner provides an essential facility to travellers in making arrangements. He or she makes reservations, books flights and arranges transports. A travel planner may also visit holiday resorts and other destinations to help clients make informed decisions. A per
Quick Facts for Travel Planner
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Industry
Tourism
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Average Salary in India
₹31513.5
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Suitable for
Male, Female
A career as travel planner is suitable for everyone regardless of gender. Whether a person is male, female or belongs to any other gender can opt for this career. There is no gender-based restriction in this career.
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Any special needs
Yes
A career as travel planner is suitable for individuals with special needs. Several companies provide a desk-based job role. Individuals can find jobs in travel consultancy services.
Table of Contents for Travel Planner
What is the role of Travel Planner?
Someone who is working as a travel planner, the individual is mostly required to deal with clients directly. A travel planner career comes with several responsibilities. It includes designing travel packages as per client preferences and budgets. A trip planner updates the clients on a database and explains to them about transportation, flights, hotel accommodations and other options. He or she provides a daily travel itinerary to clients that include a list of routes, activities and tours. Travel planners often visit hotels, restaurants and resorts to check the quality of client services.
Travel Arrangements
A travel planner is responsible for making travel arrangements. He or she obtains information from clients and makes arrangements as per clients’ preferences and budget.
Designing Packages
A travel planner job involves designing travel packages that are cost-effective and suits the clients’ requirements and the budget.
Explaining Options
A travel planner explains to clients about various options of transportation and accommodation. He or she provides them with the details of flights, car rentals, routes, tourism attractions and other necessary information.
Advising
A travel planner advises clients on travel packages that suit their requirements and budget. He or she also provides recommendations on travel safety, visas and immunisations.
Customer Support
A travel planner books excursions, flights and hotels. He or she arranges transport as per clients specifications. A travel planner negotiates with hotels, rental companies, tour guides and operators for the best rates.
Types of a Travel Planner
There are types of travel planners. We have listed several types of travel planners below with their job description.
Tour Operator: A tour operator works in a travel organisation, firm or company. His or her job involves buying travel components separately from suppliers and combining them to design a travel package to be sold directly to clients with the travel organisation’s price tag.
Corporate Travel Planner: A corporate travel planner makes travel arrangements for employees of corporate companies. He or she either works in travel agencies or expense departments. His or her role involves managing personnel travel details, arranging travel visas, initiating the reimbursement to those who travelled for official work and made arrangements by themselves.
What is the workplace/work environment of Travel Planner like?
A travel planner usually works in an office environment. He or she may often work remotely as most of the working hours are spent on phones and computers. A travel planner work environment is similar to busy offices or call centres that are noisy and crowded. A travel planner may often face stress during travel emergencies and changes in schedules.
Does Travel Planner require travelling?
Likely
A travel planner may often visit hotels and resorts to check on the services that will be provided to clients.
Employment Shifts
Full Time, On Call, Work From Home
A travel planner may work in rotational shifts providing necessary information to clients travelling during late hours and early mornings.
Employment Nature
Contractual, Permanent
A travel planner may work on both contractual as well as permanent shifts. The nature of employment depends on the requirements of the organisation. The contract is limited to a specific duration such as six months or one year. Based on the candidates' performance, the contractual duration may be extended or provided a permanent role.
Work Place
Office, Work From Home, Remote Areas
A travel planner works in an office environment. He or she may often work from remote areas or from the comfort of home.
Presence in Geographical Area
Semi-urban, Urban
Travel companies are usually located in urban and semi-urban areas. Rural areas enriched with history and tourism spots also provide alluring opportunities to travel planners.
Time Pressure
Likely
Yes, it requires frequent time pressure in the career of travel planners. They are required to immediately provide details to clients and necessary customer support, to resolve their queries.
Overtime Details
A travel planner may often be required to work overtime. During the summer holidays, most people are likely to plan vacations. This is the time when travel planners are required to work extended hours.
Weekly Hours of Work
Min 35 Hours
A travel planner works a minimum of 35 hours per week. Work hours depend on the functioning schedule of travel companies. Travel planners may work on rotational shifts as well with one or two days off a week.
How to become a Travel Planner?
Steps to become a Travel Planner
What are the skills and qualities required to become a/an Travel Planner?
Do you know about the minimum requirements to become a travel planner? One needs to be proficient in several areas to efficiently perform daily activities. We have provided below travel planner skills that are considered crucial in the resume of travel planner.
Communication Skills: A travel planner has to communicate with numerous people on a daily basis. He or she has to explain to them about travel packages and all the options concerning travel and accommodation.
Organising Skills: A travel planner must possess organising skills. He or she has designed numerous travel packages based on clients' specifications and budgets. A travel planner has to update the information of numerous clients into databases and provide them with accurate information.
Multilingual Skills: Language skills play a crucial role in a travel planner career. Being multilingual increases the chances of growth in this career and work with bigger travel organisations. As travel planners are proficient in communicating in other languages and hence make travel arrangements easily for foreign clients.
Interpersonal Skills: A travel planner stays involved in multiple tasks. He or she has to communicate effectively internally within the team as well as with other stakeholders. Interpersonal skills are crucial for the travel planner role to avoid blunders caused by miscommunication.
Customer Support: A travel planner has to provide necessary information to individuals and resolve their queries on phone calls, emails and other modes of communication. He or she has to immediately take action on complaints made by clients.
Which certifications and internships can be helpful in becoming Travel Planner?
Aspiring individuals may also opt for certification courses provided below to upgrade their skills and knowledge for a travel planner career.
Professional Certificate in Tourism and Travel Agency Management | |
Introduction to the Travel & Tourism Industry: Passport to the World |
Internship Availability
Aspiring individuals may find travel planning internships through various job portals such as Internshala, Lets Intern, Simplyhired, Instahyre, Naukri.com and Monster. There are several responsibilities assigned to tour and travel interns or travel planning interns. A travel planning intern is required to provide clients with detailed information willing to travel to domestic destinations. He or she is required to connect with them through various modes of communication such as phone calls, email and WhatsApp. He or she sends messages to them for booking confirmation, invoices as well as post-holiday feedback.
Career Path Progression for Travel Planner
Junior Travel Planner: A junior travel planner generally possesses a working experience of one to four years. He or she is responsible for providing customer service. It includes building rapport with individual customers to make new clients and maintenance of customer base.
Senior Travel Planner: A senior travel planner possesses experience of 10 to 19 years in the travel industry. He or she is responsible for providing assistance to individuals or groups of clients in planning and booking travel.
Travel Planner Jobs and Salaries
Junior Travel Planner
Contractual/Permanent
- Average Salary 21360
Job Description
A junior travel planner work responsibilities include research on travel planning and itinerary customisation. He or she drafts service contracts and provides counselling to clients.
Salary Description
A junior travel planner could earn more than Rs. 21360 per month. He or she could easily make more than Rs. 250,000 per annum.
Senior Travel Planner
Contractual/Permanent
- Average Salary 41667
Job Description
A senior travel planner is responsible for providing necessary support to clients in planning and booking travel. He or she facilitates ticket purchases for transportation, makes reservations and rent cars for clients.
Salary Description
A senior travel planner could easily earn Rs. 500,000 per annum. The average salary of a senior travel planner is Rs. 41,667 according to payscale.com.
What is the job outlook for Travel Planner?
Nowadays, everyone can use the internet to research travel destinations and make travel arrangements on their own. This has somehow resulted in lesser job growth for travel planners. One can read the reviews on travel websites and make their mind to seek a travel planner or not. Individuals who specialise in making travel arrangements for specific destinations have better job prospects. With experience in the industry, one can find extremely good opportunities and higher pay packages.
Frequently Asked Questions for Travel Planner
Que. What does a travel planner do?
Ans.A travel planner is a professional who is involved in travel planning. Also called a trip planner, the individual is primarily involved in directly dealing with clients in terms of booking flights, and train tickets, booking hotels, and preparing itineraries in general.
Que. Is travel planner a good career?
Ans.A travel planner is increasingly becoming a popular career, especially among those who love planning and travelling. A number of people have started to opt for unconventional careers, and travel planning is one of them. Hence, there has been a rise in a number of people who are becoming travel or trip planner.
Que. What are top recruiters of travel planners?
Ans.Top recruiters of travel planners are
Cox and Kings | Travelguru |
Thomas Cook | Expedia |
MakeMy Trip | Yatra |
Goibibo | Tripoto |
Que. What are top colleges of travel planners?
Ans.Top colleges of travel planners:
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