Last Updated By Kamayani Meghawal on 08 Mar, 2023
A travel planner is a person who is responsible for making travel arrangements for a client based on their requirements. He also provide advises and suggestions about the destination, mode of transport, hotel accommodation, car rentals and tours to take.
Some major responsibilities of a travel planner are planning a list of all the requirements of a client, designing packages for clients falling inside their budget, recording and updating the information of clients on the database, explaining transportation, flights and hotels accommodation options available for the clients. Besides this, travel planner provides a day by day itinerary to the clients which include all the activities and tours. The final plan also includes booking of hotels and transportation. Sometimes travel planners visit hotels, resorts and restaurants to check the quality of services which will be offered to clients.
Candidates who are interested in planning and managing travel-related activities may choose a career as a travel manager. It must be noted that those who are applying for a job as a travel planner should have personal travel experience and strong customer service skills. Travel planners are mostly hired by individuals and companies to plan and organise a trip for them. Apart from this, they are also hired by tour and travel companies.
Aspirants who want to make a career as a Travel Planner should know all the details about Travel Planner. Check the table mentioned below to know a quick overview of Travel Planner.
Details | Specifications |
---|---|
Industry | Tourism |
Eligibility | 10+2 class or graduate |
Average Salary | INR 3,50,000 - INR 4,50,000 (Per annum approx) |
Employment Opportunities |
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A Travel Planner is responsible for various things including travel arrangements, tour plans, package designing, suggesting the right option to clients, and so much more. To understand how to make a career as a travel planner, it is important to understand what a travel planner does. Travel planners also visit hotels or resorts to check the quality and services.
Travel Arrangements - A travel planner is responsible for making travel arrangements for the client. The travel planner gathers all the information on stay, meals, travel, and other information. They collect information from clients in order to make arrangements as per the client’s preferences and budget.
Package Design - Designing a package according to the client’s needs is the responsibility of the travel planner. A travel planner's job involves making a cost-effective and client-preferred package depending on the budget.
Explaining Options and Understanding the Preferences - A travel planner’s job involves understanding the preferences of clients according to their budget, preferred options, and other information. The travel planner is also responsible for arranging and giving details of flights, car rentals, routes, attractions and other information.
Advising - A travel planner is responsible to explain the best available options to the client and advising them on travel packages that suit their requirements and budget. A travel planner also recommends travel safety, visas and travel options.
Customer Support - A travel planner is responsible to book accommodations, flights and travel itineraries. If the customer gets into any problem or issue with the travel plan, the travel planner is responsible to arranges transport as per the client's specifications.
Candidates must meet the minimum eligibility criteria set out below
Education: Candidates with a bachelor or master degree in travel, tourism or any equivalent specialization may apply for a job as a travel planner. The eligibility requirements for career a travel planner will vary for all companies. Candidates may check the job description of the company to know more details about education requirements.
Experience: Career as a travel planner requires a lot of experience. Candidates must have some experience in the industry so that they provide some best recommendations and options to the clients. They can work at any junior-level position in any travel agency to get some experience about the industry before applying for a job as a travel planner. Besides this, they can also work independently by starting a travel agency for local places.
Skills: It is necessary to have some good communication skills for a travel planner. There are many other skills which may help a travel planner to get growth in his career.
Candidates who are completing schooling and wants to become travel planner can easily start the process early. There are ways to become a Travel Planner including after the 12th class and graduation and even post-graduation. Students can also pursue diploma courses to make a career as Travel Planner.
Students from any stream can make a career as a travel planner, whether you are from Arts, Science, or Humanities. Students can start preparing while in class 12th with any stream. Once the students complete their 12th-class education, they can enrol themselves in various travel or management courses. Here are some famous courses for a Travel Planner:
Course Name | Duration |
---|---|
Bachelor of Arts in Hotel Management (BA) | 3 years |
Bachelor of Travel and Tourism Management (BTTM) | 3 years |
Bachelor of Tourism Management (BTM) | 3 years |
Bachelor of Business Administration in Travel and Tourism Management (BBA) | 3 years |
Bachelor of Tourism Studies (BTS) | 3 years |
Bachelor of Tourism Administration (BTA) | 3 years |
Bachelor of Travel and Tourism (BA) | 3 years |
To pursue graduation courses to become travel planner in India after completing the 12th class, students can opt for the entrance exams. Here are some famous entrance exams for Travel Planners in India after the 12th class.
Exam Name | Full Form |
---|---|
CUET | Common University Entrance Test |
AMU EE | Aligarh Muslim University Engineering Entrance Examination |
IPU CET | Indraprastha University Common Entrance Test |
DUET | Delhi University Entrance Test |
JMI EE | Jamia Milia Islamia Engineering Entrance Examination |
Students can become a Travel Planner in India after completing graduation or post-graduation. Students can also pursue post-graduation courses or internships after completion of graduation. Here are some famous post-graduation courses mentioned in the table to become a travel planner:
Course Name | Duration |
---|---|
Master of Travel and Tourism Management (MTTM) | 2 years |
Master of Travel and Tourism (MA) | 2 years |
Master of Arts (Honors) in Hotel Management (MA) | 2 years |
Master of Business Administration in Travel and Tourism Management (MBA) | 2 years |
Master of Tourism Management (MTM) | 2 years |
Master of Tourism Administration (MTA) | 2 years |
Students can easily pursue post-graduation courses to become a successful Travel Planner in India after graduation. Here are some top entrance exams for Travel Planners in India.
Exam Name | Full Form |
---|---|
BHU PET | Banaras Hindu University Post Graduate Entrance Test |
AMU EE | Aligarh Muslim University Engineering Entrance Examination |
CUET | Common University Entrance Test |
JMI EE | Jamia Milia Islamia Engineering Entrance Examination |
CAT | Common Admission Test |
CMAT | Common Management Admission Test |
XAT | Xavier Aptitude Test |
MAT | Management Aptitude Test |
A travel planner spends the majority of his time in an office environment. He has to take care of confirmation of all activities including the accommodation, transportation and destinations which are promised to the client. His roles and responsibilities depend on the job profile and type of industry. Some common profiles available for a travel planner are
Holiday Planner - A holiday planner plans and provides the essential facility to travellers in order to make their travel arrangements. The holiday planner is responsible for making reservations, booking flights and arranging stay.
Travel Agent - A travel agent is responsible for booking flights, hotels, and tours for clients. The travel agent also makes insurance coverage and other plans.
Travel Consultant - Travel Consultants meet the clients to learn, discuss, and understand their travel requirements and budget. They are responsible for creating and advising suitable travel packages.
Office Manager - Office Manager is responsible for managing staff, implementing procedures, and administrative systems.
Travel Coordinator - The Travel Coordinator is responsible for arranging business travel for employees and other people. They identify cost-effective arrangements and make a suitable itinerary.
Travel Executive - A travel executive organizes and prepares holiday tour packages for clients. This responsible includes transportation, accommodation, and sightseeing arrangements.
Travel planners are hired mostly by travel agencies and tour management companies. Every company offers different kinds of roles to a travel planner. Candidates may select any of the sector listed below for applying for a job as a travel planner.
Check out some top recruiting agencies available for a travel planner.
In order to become a successful Travel Planner, candidates are required to posses some basic skills. The candidates should have an interest in communicating, meeting new people, travelling, and so much more. Here is a list of the skills required to be an outstanding travel planner:
Excellent Communication Skills | Multilingual Skills |
Highly Organized | Interpersonal Skills |
Quick Thinker | Customer Support |
Scheduling | Sales |
Negotiation Skills | Information about Field |
Money Handling | Time Management |
Good Listening Skills | Attention to Detail |
The average salary of a fresher in this profile is around 21k to 22 k per month. The average salary offered to a travel planner will totally depend on the location, experience and skills of the candidate. Any experience candidate in travelling sector will surely get more salary than a fresher. They can check the table provided below to know the average salary of starting level, mid-level and senior-level of a travel planner.
Profile | Starting Salary per annum (in INR) | Mid Level Salary per annum (in INR) | Senior Level Salary per annum (INR) |
Travel Planner | 2,53,000 | 4,17,000 | 7,06,000 |
The aspirants who wish to become a Travel Planner and want to know the fees for Travel Planner can check the details mentioned below.
Candidates looking to make a career as a travel planner and pursuing some internship or certification can opt for multiple options. Students can choose the online course from various program of certification programs from IGNOU. Students can also choose to learn the skills with an internship at a travel company. Here is the list of some Travel Planner certifications.
A travel planner should be experienced enough to offer good recommendations and deals to the clients. He should be able to plan a trip that matches the expectations of that client. Apart from this, he must make sure that the budget of the trip does not exceed the limit decided by clients. There are many other things such as time management, good communication skills and negotiation skills which are required for being a good travel planner. He can develop his skills by reading books related to travel and tour planning. Some recommendations for travel manager are provided below.
Take our test and find out if it suits your strengths.