Travel Consultant
Also advertised as: Cruise Consultant, Holiday Advisor, Homeworking Travel Agent, Travel Agent, Travel Consultant, Travel Sales Consultant
Advises customers and books flights, hotels and package holidays to match their needs.
What the job involves
Travel consultants work in branches, call centres or online to help customers plan and book holidays, from simple flights to complex multi-destination trips. You need product knowledge of destinations and suppliers as well as strong sales skills to meet commission targets. Many roles now combine phone, video and web chat with customers.
Typical responsibilities
- Advise customers on holiday and travel options
- Book flights, accommodation and travel packages
- Meet sales and commission targets
- Handle amendments, cancellations and complaints
- Keep up to date with destination and visa requirements
Common employers
- High street travel agents
- Online travel agencies
- Tour operators
- Cruise lines
Pay, hours and working environment
Typical pay
£19,000 – £22,000 a year
With experience
£24,000 – £30,000 a year
Typical hours
37.5 hours, may include weekends
Working environment
Branch, office or home based
Remote working
hybrid
Demand for this work
steady
Pay ranges are indicative guidance drawn from advertised UK vacancies and published careers information. They are not an offer, and actual pay varies by employer, location and experience.
Skills and qualifications
Core skills
- Sales
- Destination knowledge
- Booking systems
- Customer service
- Attention to detail
Transferable skills you may already have
- Retail or call centre sales experience
- Customer service
- Numeracy
Requirements employers ask for
- Sales
- Destination knowledge
- Booking systems
- Customer service
- Attention to detail
- GCSEs including maths and English
Useful but not essential
- Retail or call centre sales experience
- Customer service
- Numeracy
- Travel and tourism qualification
- ABTA or industry training courses
Helpful qualifications
- Travel and tourism qualification
- ABTA or industry training courses
Ways into this career
A degree is only one route. Where an apprenticeship, work-experience or qualification route exists, it is listed here alongside the academic option.
Apprenticeships and work-based routes
- Travel Consultant (Level 3)
Degree and college routes
- Related subject: Travel and tourism
- Related subject: Geography
Where this career can lead
next
Senior Travel Consultant
next
Branch Manager
next
Product Manager (Travel)
The good parts and the hard parts
What people enjoy
- Staff travel discounts and familiarisation trips
- Sociable customer-facing work
- Growing demand for personalised travel advice
What people find hard
- Pay often depends on commission
- Can involve unsociable weekend hours
Common questions
- Do you need a degree to become a travel consultant?
- No. As well as degree routes, this career can be entered through an apprenticeship or by building experience and qualifications on the job. not_required
- How much does a travel consultant earn in the UK?
- Typical advertised pay runs from £19,000 to £22,000 a year, rising towards £30,000 with experience. Figures are indicative guidance rather than an offer.
- What skills transfer into this career?
- Skills that transfer well include Retail or call centre sales experience, Customer service, Numeracy.
Related careers
Bar and Waiting Staff
Serves food and drink, looks after guests and keeps service running smoothly.
Chef
Prepares and cooks food to standard, and helps run the kitchen section.
Hotel Manager
Runs a hotel: guest experience, staff, revenue, standards and budgets.
Events Coordinator
Plans and delivers events, from logistics and suppliers to the day itself.
Restaurant Manager
Runs the daily operation of a restaurant, from staffing to customer experience and profit.
Sous Chef
Deputises for the head chef, running sections of the kitchen and supervising chefs.
Where this information comes from
- National Careers Service
- Institute for Apprenticeships
Last reviewed 14 September 2026.
Read how our career data is built and reviewed, or tell us if something here is wrong.