Becoming a Travel Advisor: Tips and Misconceptions

by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 6:25 PM ET, Wed January 22, 2025

In early January, LinkedIn reported that the travel advisor profession has become one of the fastest growing lines of work in the United States.

There’s so many people wanting to break into the profession that being a travel advisor is nearly as popular as cutting-edge careers like Artificial Intelligence Consultant and Artificial Intelligence Engineer.

The news didn’t exactly come as a surprise to career travel advisors.

Those already in the industry say there are many things to love about being a travel advisor including the ability to be your own boss, make your own schedule, and work from anywhere in the world. That kind of autonomy and flexibility is hard to come by and hard to beat.

What’s more, being a travel advisor offers a life of adventure thanks to the regular travel opportunities involved. And it’s a very attractive second career for those who have hopped off the corporate ladder.

But these same conversations almost inevitably include a touch of frustration about the misperceptions regarding what it takes to be a travel advisor. And with equal measure, there’s also consternation about the reasons some of the profession’s most recent entrants are choosing to join the field in the first place. (Read: Being a travel advisor is about far more than free travel.)

As a follow-up to TravelPulse’s first installment in this two-part series, we spoke to travel advisors about the myths and misconceptions related to being a travel advisor and what the job is really all about. Here’s what the travel advisor community had to say.

Travel advisors talk about the myths and misconceptions related to the profession. (Photo Credit: Courtesy AdobeStock)

Side-Hustle, Part-Time Gig or Full-Time Profession?

As it has done with so many other aspects of our world today, social media is having a profound impact on the travel advisor industry.

In particular, it’s making travel-related careers seem far more appealing, thanks in large part to the countless Instagram travel influencers who’ve glamorized globetrotting lifestyles and travel advisors themselves, who have become influencers in their own right.

But this development is a double edged sword.

“Social media is at an all-time high. Want-to-be travel advisors see amazing trips on TikTok and Instagram and think, ‘I could do that.’ And, in a lot of ways, that’s true,”  Mary Helen Law, founder and luxury travel advisor with Law Luxury Travel, tells TravelPulse.

But Law and others worry that at least some of the people racing to be travel advisors may be doing so for misguided reasons: Access to free travel and little more.

“A lack of regulation in the travel industry and massive agencies touting the profession as a ‘side-hustle’ or ‘part time gig’ have people clamoring to jump on the alleged ‘free travel’ bandwagon,” Law points out.

While there are indeed travel perks that come with the job, there’s also far more to the role than simply exploring the world on someone else’s dime. And painting an accurate picture of all the work involved is important, say current travel advisors. Especially now, when the industry is growing so quickly.

A travel advisor with Cadence Travel, Katie Dillon has been fielding questions for at least the past year from people she knows in the social media and blogging industry who are suddenly interested in becoming a travel advisor. (Dillion’s own journey to becoming a travel advisor started first with being a travel blogger. And you’re likely to have heard of her wildly popular blog: La Jolla Mom). 

Many people are looking to make a career pivot now, says Dillon, because Google recently changed its algorithm delivering a two-fold punch to travel bloggers: Undercutting their ability to make ad revenue as travel bloggers and reducing the traffic to their websites.

But like others, Dillon, who has been an advisor for going on eight years now, cautions that often the individuals curious about being a travel advisor don’t realize the job involves more work than a simple side hustle.

“You don’t just book a trip and walk away,” says Dillon. “Clients have last-minute things come up, occasional issues, flight changes and more. And they will reach out to you to help them troubleshoot. This is the part of the job that the people I speak with aren’t thinking about when they ask me if they should become a travel advisor.”

Breaking Into the Profession: What’s Required? 

Here’s the rub for many travel advisors who spoke with TravelPulse. Transitioning into this line of work doesn’t require any sort of formal training or certification. It’s possible to get up and running very quickly, with minimal training or investment.

That reality has certainly democratized the profession and made it incredibly appealing to the side-hustlers. But it has also been a cause of frustration for some travel advisors.

“I’m curious how many veterans in the industry mentioned there being a need for certification or industry standardization?”asks JoAnn Weeks, director of vacations with Ascendas Travel. “There are so many who just pay to become a travel advisor without any formal training and so many who are only hobbyists.”

“I mean, someone wanting to be a cosmetologist wouldn’t open a shop and start cutting hair without any training. Why is this acceptable in our industry?”adds Weeks. “I love that we are attracting new vision and younger blood to replace so many of us who are aging out, but there has to be a certification process put into motion.”

Planning travel keeps advisors busy (Photo Credit: Exnoi / Adobe Stock / Generated with AI)

Building Enduring Success as an Advisor

While it may be possible to set-up shop quickly as a travel advisor, that doesn’t necessarily mean professional success comes easy or is realized overnight.

“Breaking into the travel industry requires a commitment to learning because there’s so much to master,” says  Jason Block, CEO of WorldVia Travel Group. “Even after more than a decade in the field, I still learn new things every day.”

“The real challenge isn’t so much breaking in but staying in and continuing to thrive at a high level,” Block adds. “This industry evolves constantly, so maintaining a mindset of continuous growth is crucial. Those who embrace learning and adapt to change are the ones who achieve long-term success, while those who think they know it all often struggle to keep up.”

In other words, meaningful, long-term success is something that can be challenging and elusive. And it takes more work than those interested in an easy, globetrotting gig may be anticipating. Still, for entrants who are willing to put in the time and remain dedicated, the rewards can indeed be significant.

Maya Kapoor-Miller, an independent travel manager with the global online platform Dreamport, offers a perspective on this reality. For Kapoor-Miller, one of the biggest challenges during the early stages of being a travel advisor was establishing a regular client base.

“Travel advisors often rely on word-of-mouth and referrals to build their own brand in this very competitive industry,” says Kapoor-Miller.

Navigating this reality took a dedicated willingness to learn and grow, explains Kapoor-Miller. But in just over one year’s time, she’s already reaching her professional objectives in terms of earning the amount of money she had hoped to bring in. The past year’s worth of effort has also brought Kapoor-Miller something else: A very rewarding sense of satisfaction as a small business entrepreneur. 

“It is my very first business, and in my opinion, it is one of the very few businesses that you can start with zero investment,” says Kapoor-Miller. “For me, working as a travel agent means not only making money but also fulfilling my entrepreneurial dream. If I can do it, anyone can do it either working for a travel company or as a travel freelancer – whichever you prefer.”

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