Entry-level travel agent jobs: who hires beginners, what they ask for and how to get hired

Entry-level travel agent jobs are mostly sales and reservation roles at employers that train you: AAA clubs, cruise lines, Disney and Costco Travel. BLS lists a high school diploma, no related work experience and moderate-term on-the-job training as the typical entry path. The 10th-percentile travel agent wage was $34,610 in May 2025.

Most beginner jobs ask for some customer service history, not travel experience. Here is who hires beginners, what live postings ask for, what entry pay looks like, how to get hired, and which offers to walk away from.

What does "entry-level" mean for travel agents?

It means you can be hired without travel industry experience and learn the systems on the job. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) sets the typical entry path for each occupation. For travel agents, it lists a high school diploma or equivalent, no work experience in a related occupation, and moderate-term on-the-job training.

BLS defines moderate-term training as more than 1 month and up to 12 months. The travel agent profile adds that employers typically provide on-the-job training that lasts at least 1 month, covering how to operate computer systems that are used in the industry.

"No related experience" is the typical path, not a promise. BLS also says employers may prefer to hire candidates who have sales experience or relevant certification or education. That matches the postings below.

Which entry-level travel jobs exist?

Two occupations cover most beginner roles. They overlap in day-to-day work but are counted separately by BLS.

Travel agents sell and plan trips. BLS counts about 61,500 jobs in 2025. Employers call these roles travel consultant, travel agent or vacation planner.

Reservation agents book and change trips for one company's customers. BLS describes them as workers who take and confirm passengers' bookings for hotels and transportation, with about 120,100 jobs in 2025. Most information clerks get short-term on-the-job training, usually lasting a few weeks.

For beginners, reservation and contact center jobs are the widest door. You sell one brand, follow a script and learn booking tools with a team around you. Travel agent jobs covers all five job types, including the senior ones.

Who hires entry-level travel agents?

These employers had beginner-friendly roles on their own careers pages in October 2026. Postings close, so check each link before you plan around it.

A few things stand out.

AAA asks for the least. The required list is a diploma, communication skills, Microsoft Office and passing applicable pre-employment screenings. Training covers travel products, destinations, and itinerary planning, sales and travel systems. The trade-off: it is on-site, and consultants grow their client base through referrals, networking, and community involvement.

Cruise and Disney roles want service experience, not travel experience. Both ask for sales or service time in a busy environment. Neither asks for a travel certificate.

Costco's listing is a role description, not a live opening. Costco says the listing does not mean that any positions are currently open or available. The agent uses airline and in-house computer systems to make member reservations. Costco Travel posts its openings on its own careers page, where you can also subscribe to alerts for call center roles.

Corporate travel is rarely entry-level. BCD's base Travel Consultant role still wants agent experience and Sabre, a global distribution system (GDS), the booking software agencies use for flights. A search of BCD's US jobs for "trainee" on October 22, 2026, returned no results. Practical guidance: treat corporate travel as a second job, after a year in leisure or reservations.

Online travel agencies and airline vacation brands also hire service agents. We didn't find a current entry-level agent posting on the careers pages we checked, so none is listed. Search each company's own site.

Can you get a work-from-home travel agent job with no experience?

Rarely as an employee. In our October 2026 sample, the one remote entry role, Carnival's Fun Expert Agent, still asked for 6 months to 1 year of sales and customer service. It also set rules on your home setup: high-speed internet is required; WiFi-only setups are not permitted, and you must have your own equipment.

Remote shifts are also fixed. Carnival's agents work 1:30–10 on weekdays and one weekend day shift after training. Remote travel agent jobs compares remote employer requirements in detail.

So there are two realistic routes to working from home without travel experience:

1. Get 6–12 months of phone or retail sales experience first, then apply to remote reservation roles. Any high-volume service job counts toward what these postings ask for.
2. Go independent with a host agency. A host contracts with you instead of hiring you, and many accept beginners. You work from home on your own hours, but you are paid by commission, not wages. How to become a travel agent from home covers the setup.

If you want fewer hours, part-time travel agent covers part-time jobs and selling travel on the side.

How much do entry-level travel agents make?

BLS doesn't publish a starting wage, but its percentiles show the lower end of the range. These are May 2025 figures for employees and include money earned from commissions. The survey does not include the self-employed.

The 10th percentile means 10% of workers earned less. New hires often start near the low end, but BLS doesn't measure pay by years of experience.

Postings give a closer look. Disney's Tampa role states starting pay of $20.00 per hour in Florida plus performance incentives. AAA's Bakersfield consultants start with an hourly rate of $23.50. Both are single postings in one state, as posted in October 2026, not general rates. Disney travel agent jobs has the full Disney posting.

Travel agent salary has the full BLS percentile table and pay by state and metro. For self-employed advisors, see how much travel agents make.

What do entry-level postings ask for?

Read enough postings and the same five requirements repeat.

1. A high school diploma. AAA, Carnival and BLS all name it.
2. Sales or customer service time. Usually 6–12 months, in any industry. Disney asks for a high-volume environment.
3. Computer basics. AAA asks for Microsoft Office and web-based applications. Disney asks for Windows skills.
4. Schedule flexibility. Disney's center runs Sunday through Saturday, 5:45 a.m. to 12:15 a.m.. AAA mentions most Saturdays and occasional evenings.
5. Passing a training class. Disney's training includes performance assessments. Carnival's runs 7 weeks.

What they rarely ask for: a travel certificate, a GDS, or your own client list. Those show up in senior and corporate roles.

How to get hired as a travel agent with no experience

This section is Tripdash's practical guidance, built from the postings above.

1. Search the job titles employers use. Try "reservation sales agent", "travel consultant", "vacation planner" and "reservation agent", not only "travel agent". Disney uses reservation sales agent. AAA uses travel consultant.
2. Count the experience you already have. Retail, restaurant, call center and front desk work all count as sales and service. Put the volume on your resume: calls per day, customers per shift, sales targets met.
3. Show you can learn systems. List any booking, point-of-sale or CRM software you've used. A customer relationship manager (CRM) is the tool that tracks clients and follow-ups. AAA lists CRM experience as preferred.
4. Show you know the product. Disney requires Disney product knowledge. For a cruise line, take a cruise or study its ships before the interview.
5. Consider a short course. BLS says certification is not required, but courses can help an application with no travel history. The Travel Institute's TRIPKIT costs $499 regular tuition and takes most students 40–60 hours. Travel agent training compares cheaper and free routes.
6. Match the posting line by line. If it asks for a wired connection, a quiet workspace or weekend shifts, say you have them.
7. Apply on the employer's own site. The ASTA Travel Career Center, run by the American Society of Travel Advisors, lets you search industry openings and post a resume. Confirm any job board listing on the company's own careers page.

Resume checklist (practical guidance):

• A one-line summary naming the role, such as "Reservation sales agent with 1 year of high-volume phone sales"
• Customer service and sales roles first, with numbers
• Software you've used, including any booking or CRM tools
• Languages. Disney lists a second language as preferred
• Any travel course or certificate, with the provider's name
• Your availability, including evenings and weekends, if the posting asks

Employee or independent advisor: which entry path fits?

Both routes accept beginners. They differ in who pays you, who brings the clients and who trains you.

W-2 vs 1099 for travel agents explains the tax side. The IRS decides which one you are by the facts. A key question is whether the company controls or has the right to control what the worker does and how the worker does his or her job.

Which to choose (practical guidance): Take an entry job if you want a paycheck and structured training, and you can work the shifts. Go independent if you already have people asking you to plan trips, or you want your own hours from day one. Some people do both in order: a year in reservations, then independent. How to become a travel agent walks through either path.

Which entry-level travel job offers are scams?

Beginners are the main target, because "no experience needed" is the hook. These warning signs come from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The note on host fees is Tripdash's practical guidance, not the FTC's. This is a summary, not legal advice.

1. You pay to get hired. The FTC says honest employers, including the federal government, will never ask you to pay to get a job. Practical guidance (Tripdash, not the FTC): a host agency fee is a business cost, not a fee for a job. The offer should say up front that you're joining as a contractor.
2. Big money, little effort. Job scammers advertise jobs where you can make thousands of dollars a month working from home with little time and effort.
3. The training is the product. The FTC warns about paying for starter kits, so-called training, or certifications that are useless.
4. Pay depends on recruiting. In a pyramid scheme, your income would be based mostly on how many people you recruit, not how much product you sell.
5. A check you're asked to pass on. An offer that has you depositing a check and then using some of the money for any reason is a scam.
6. A famous employer that asks for money. Disney says its recruiters will not request funds or payment in any form and will only contact you from an official company email address.

Before you share bank details or ID, follow the FTC's advice: Look up the name of the company or the person who's hiring you, plus the words "scam," "review," or "complaint." Report scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Where Tripdash fits

Tripdash is a host agency, not an employer. Full IATA-level training and Tripdash certification are included, along with IATA accreditation, E&O insurance and supplier access. Tripdash also sends qualified leads, and you keep 80%+ of every booking. See how Tripdash works for advisors.

Sources

1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook: Travel Agents, last modified August 27, 2026 (May 2025 wages, 2025–35 projections).
2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook: Information Clerks, 2025–35 edition.
3. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Measures of education and training, Employment Projections.
4. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics profiles, May 2025: Travel Agents (41-3041) and Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks (43-4181), national annual wage percentiles.
5. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics: scope of the survey.
6. Auto Club Enterprises (AAA). Travel Consultant, Bakersfield, CA, job JR202639368, posted October 14, 2026, checked October 22, 2026.
7. Carnival Cruise Line. Fun Expert Agent (remote), job ID 13954, posted October 15, 2026, checked October 22, 2026.
8. Disney Careers. Reservation Sales Agent, Disney Central (Tampa, FL) Bench, Full Time, job 1376332BR, posted October 11, 2026, checked October 22, 2026.
9. Disney Careers Support. Notice on Recruitment Scams, checked October 21, 2026.
10. Costco. Reservation Agent (Costco Travel), job 28789, job description updated July 2026; Costco Travel. Careers. Both checked October 22, 2026.
11. BCD Travel. Travel Consultant (remote, US), posted October 16, 2026, checked October 22, 2026.
12. The Travel Institute. Start your travel career: TRIPKIT, checked October 21, 2026.
13. American Society of Travel Advisors. Travel Career Center, checked October 2026.
14. Internal Revenue Service. Independent contractor (self-employed) or employee?, updated May 19, 2026.
15. Federal Trade Commission. Job scams, March 2023.
16. Federal Trade Commission. Multi-level marketing businesses and pyramid schemes, July 2022.