Last Updated: November 11th, 2021 by
Luxury travel advisors are responsible for catering to the travel desires of wealthy clients. That includes preparing transportation and accommodation and solving any problems that occur.
In this guide, you’ll discover everything you need to know about becoming and working as a luxury travel advisor.
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Job Description
A luxury travel advisor is a jack of all trades in the tourism industry. Their overall job is to know the ins and outs of the industry so that they can put together the best travel experiences possible for their high-end clients.
At its core, a luxury travel advisor’s job is to plan travel itineraries for their clients and ensure that they are carried out successfully. This task will cover domestic and international travel, both for leisure as well as business purposes.
As part of the job, you must continually build and maintain relationships with potential and past clients. At the same time, you also keep close ties to industry partners internationally in the top airlines, hotels, restaurants, and more.
A luxury travel advisor guides their client towards the best travel options available. But behind the scenes, they work closely with their industry partners to solve any problems that might take place. That will give the client a seamless travel experience.
What Does an Average Day for a Luxury Travel Advisor Look Like?
The activities on an average day can be quite mixed for a luxury travel advisor. They include:
#1 Preparing Tailor-made Travel Itineraries
The core of a luxury travel advisor’s job is to tailor travel itineraries based on their clients’ needs. That means the travel advisor will spend their days looking at options for sightseeing, hotels, and flights that will fit the desires of their clients.
#2 Communicating With Clients
To produce those tailor-made travel plans, luxury travel advisors must communicate with clients, and sometimes their staff, very closely. Part of this task will also mean reaching out to clients already traveling and seeing if everything is going as planned.
#3 Booking Flights, Accommodations, And Ground Transportation For Clients
When the client has agreed to the travel itinerary, the luxury travel advisor will start making bookings. This step will include making reservations for flight tickets, hotels, and other transportation. More importantly, they’ll ensure the bookings are made at the right time and price to fit the client’s budget.
#4 Keeping Track of Latest Developments
Traveling always involves a little bit of risk. For example, the destination country might be going through political instability that could affect the client’s plans.
An effective luxury travel advisor must keep track of these risks by checking industry reports and local news each day. That way, the advisor can keep their clients well-informed at all times.
#5 Building And Maintaining Industry Relationships
Luxury travel advisors are only as good as the industry relationships they keep. That includes having contacts in the airlines, hotels, top restaurants, and so much more.
Those relationships are built over time, so a part of the day might be spent on networking lunches or attending luxury travel conferences.
#6 Solving Problems For Traveling Clients
The job of a luxury travel advisor never ends. Once the client has departed on their travels, the advisor must be on standby to address any problems they might face.
For example, bookings might get lost or become unavailable, or the client might run into a medical emergency. The travel advisor must solve those problems so clients can continue the trip or get them home quickly and safely.
Process For Becoming A Luxury Travel Advisor
The path towards becoming a luxury travel advisor isn’t fixed or the same for everybody. However, the good thing about this career path is that it welcomes people from all backgrounds.
Still, no matter what the process might look like, here are some of the steps involved:
Find A Mentor
An essential step in the process of becoming a luxury travel advisor is to find a mentor. This person can be a current or former travel advisor who can help you understand the business’ ins and outs.
Having a mentor means learning from someone else’s experience instead of learning everything the hard way. That can save you precious time and reduce the obstacles you might face.
Decide What Education Or Training You Need
Becoming a luxury travel advisor does not necessarily require formal education in tourism or hospitality. Still, it can be a beneficial asset for some people. So, your next step is to decide what education or training you want to get.
Here are two possible routes you could take when it comes to education and training:
- Formal Education: There are plenty of colleges and universities that offer tourism courses. Again, this is not compulsory to become a luxury travel advisor. However, it’s an excellent way to learn about the travel and hospitality industry as a whole while building connections with your classmates.
- Training For Travel Advisors: Another possible route would be to find training courses offered by travel agencies. This approach will help you get started in the business much quicker with all the essential knowledge and skills you will need.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with combining both approaches. Many luxury travel advisors have spent their college years studying the industry before getting specialized training to become luxury travel advisors.
Others have gained success with minimal training, focusing on gaining real-world experience instead.
Remember: when it comes to being a luxury travel advisor, book smarts and street smarts both have their place.
Join A Travel Agency or Network
Luxury travel advisors work independently and one-on-one with their clients. However, they do not work alone in the industry. That’s why to become one, you will want to join an organization of travel advisors that helps each other out.
These organizations can take many forms. The most common example is to join a travel agency that provides you with administrative and other support. Or, you could join a network or consortium of luxury travel advisors that support each other.
Build An Online Presence
These days, it’s crucial for a luxury travel advisor to have an online presence. You can use a well-built website and social media pages to showcase your services. Plus, it will allow potential clients and industry partners to connect with you much quicker.
Not all social media platforms are the same. For instance, a luxury travel advisor will want to find clients who have the means and the need for luxury travel.
An excellent social media platform to find such people would be Linkedin. There, it’s much easier to find and contact people like business leaders. These prospective clients often travel for business reasons, and they have means for luxury leisure travel as well.
Continue To Learn And Grow
The process of becoming a luxury travel advisor never ends. Even when you have become established with a list of clients, you must continue learning and growing.
As a travel advisor, that means you must travel! Doing that will help you understand the experience and create better ones for your clients.
Mastering languages and learning about foreign cultures also helps with this step. Lastly, always remember that the travel industry continually changes. So, a good luxury travel advisor must always stay on top of these changes.
Are You Suited for a Luxury Travel Advisor Career? Skills, Credentials, Tools & Technology
Personality & Skills
Passion for Travel
According to Forbes magazine, one of the top traits of a luxury travel advisor is to have a passion for travel. With that passion, you’ll have no problems understanding the ins and outs of the business and catering to your clients.
Emotional Intelligence
Overall, the job of a luxury travel advisor is to create lifelong memories for their clients. To do that, you’ll need a high level of emotional intelligence to understand their needs and wants.
Relationship-Building Skills
The business of a luxury travel advisor is all about relationships, both with clients and industry partners. Clients want a travel advisor they can rely on.
Plus, industry partners like those in airlines and hotels will be more willing to go above and beyond for your client if they have a strong relationship with you, the travel advisor.
Organizational Skills
As a luxury travel advisor, you’ll be coordinating many moving pieces. That includes transportation schedules, hotel bookings, and so much more. Juggling all of those items will require strong organizational skills on your part.
Problem Solving Skills
Few things go perfectly according to plan. So, you will also need strong problem-solving skills to resolve any issues as they happen. On top of that, you will likely be solving problems from a distance while your clients are at their travel destination.
Credentials & Proficiencies
‘Seller of Travel’ License
In the United States of America, some states have Seller of Travel rules and regulations. California, Florida, Hawaii and Washington, for example, require travel agents and advisors to have a Seller of Travel license.
These rules can change over time, so be sure to check with your state’s local authority.
Foreign Language
In the world of international luxury travel, you will get far with the more foreign languages you can master. Yes, most people in the travel industry do speak English. But knowing even a little bit of the local language will help you provide a better experience for your clients.
How Does A Luxury Travel Advisor Find Work?
A luxury travel advisor can find work in two ways: working for themselves as an independent luxury travel advisor or working for an agency.
- Independent Luxury Travel Advisor: For this, all that’s needed is a client who wants an advisor to plan their luxury travels on their behalf. The advisor will propose an itinerary and then make the necessary arrangements for transport, accommodations, and activities. The independent luxury travel advisor handles the administrative tasks by themselves.
- Luxury Travel Advisor With An Agency: Another option is to work for a luxury travel agency as an advisor. This route is excellent for establishing yourself in the industry quicker. Plus, the agency will assist you with administrative tasks like accounting, taxes, and so on.
What Is The Average Salary Of A Luxury Travel Advisor?
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median salary for those providing travel arrangements and reservation services is $42,180 per year. The highest average salary for this role is $62,040 and the lowest is $24,940.
The BLS also highlights that the top five states with the best average earnings for the same role are:
- Washington ($62,040 per year average)
- Arizona ($54,550 per year average)
- District of Columbia ($54,570 per year average)
- California ($53,700 per year average)
- Massachusetts ($52,050 per year average)
Being located in those top five states will increase your chances of earning a higher salary. However, it’s also important to build a strong network with luxury travelers and with industry partners.
Through those connections, you’ll be able to serve higher-paying clients with more memorable travel experiences.
Luxury Travel Advisor Job Outlook
Overall, the job outlook for luxury travel advisors is very positive.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the travel industry negatively since 2020.
However, research by Accenture highlights that the vaccine rollout worldwide will speed up the recovery of the leisure travel industry and drive its growth.
Top 3 Most Popular Job Paths
Luxury Travel Advisor
A luxury travel advisor works closely with clients to tailor-make the perfect holiday experience. They will make the necessary reservations and solve any problems that arise.
The advisor could work independently or as part of a travel agency.
Corporate Travel Advisor
A corporate travel advisor focuses on organizing travel for a company’s leadership team. This job would include booking flights for business meetings locally and abroad.
Specialist Travel Advisor
As a luxury travel advisor, you can also choose to specialise in different regions of the world. For example, the American Society of Travel Advisors lists travel agents specialising in organizing travel to Asia, Europe, and other regions worldwide.
Professional Associations
American Society of Travel Advisors
International Association of Travel Agents Network
International Air Transport Association (IATA)
Top Colleges & Universities
University of Nevada – Las Vegas