Career Explorer Sales
Changing shape
Travel agents
Plan and sell transportation and accommodations for customers. Determine destination, modes of transportation, travel dates, costs, and accommodations required. May also describe, plan, and arrange itineraries and sell tour packages. May assist in resolving clients' travel problems.
Among the careers AI is changing fastest: more resilient than 8% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is very high (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it very high), and US jobs are projected to change by +0.2% by 2035, slower than average. The work leans on emotional intelligence.
AI can do many of the tasks, and hiring is expected to grow slower than average or to shrink. The job is likely to change, so build the human parts of it.
- Median pay (2025)
- $50,160
- Job growth to 2035
- +0.2%
- Openings a year
- 5,900
- People doing it (2025)
- 61,500
- Usual route in
- High school diploma, then moderate on-the-job training
Where people already use AI for this work
- Determine values or prices of goods or services
- Prepare documentation for contracts, applications, or permits
- Execute financial transactions
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Collect data about consumer needs or opinions
- Sell products or services
- Maintain operational records
What the work looks like
- Collect payment for transportation and accommodations from customer.
- Plan, describe, arrange, and sell itinerary tour packages and promotional travel incentives offered by various travel carriers.
- Converse with customer to determine destination, mode of transportation, travel dates, financial considerations, and accommodations required.
- Compute cost of travel and accommodations, using calculator, computer, carrier tariff books, and hotel rate books, or quote package tour's costs.
- Record and maintain information on clients, vendors, and travel packages.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
What the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects
- Fewer of these jobs, as consumer use of online booking services reduces the need for travel agents. The increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools will also allow travel agents to perform administrative and marketing tasks more efficiently.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Sales and related workers, all otherChanging shape, Index 12, +1.1%
- Real estate sales agentsChanging shape, Index 16, +1.7%
- Retail salespersonsChanging shape, Index 15, -0.3%
- Real estate brokersChanging shape, Index 10, +0.8%
Also known as: Destination Specialist, Travel Agent, Travel Consultant, Travel Counselor, Auto Travel Counselor, Beach Expert, Corporate Travel Consultant, International Travel Consultant.
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.