Becoming a Disney Travel Agent?

[chickie]

Hey guys,
I wasn't sure where to put this, but I have been thinking seriously about a career change lately....
Anyway, I know travel agents aren't used as much today as in year's past, but it's something I'm interested in - especially Disney travel of course!
Does anyone have any advice to give me? I don't live in Florida, so I don't know if there would be such a thing as a "Disney consultant" outside of an Orlando agency. Do you think someone at Dreams Unlimited might be able to help me out?
Any info would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!

 

[DizzDoll]

Hmmmm....sounds like a kewl career change to me!!

 

[chickie]

Yeah, I think it would be awesome, but I have no idea how to go about it! I don't know any TA's personally, so I can't figure out how to get my foot in the door.
I think about half of us on the Dis would probably make great Dis TA's!

 

[Unregistered]

you could try Small World vacations.
I am using one for my trip next year.
She does everything for me and helps with any planning.
My specific agent lives in Minneapolis MN.
I think they are all over, because when I filled out the email
questionaire, they contacted the closest one to me (I Llve in Fargo ND).
It might be worth a shot, especially if you know alot about Disney

 

[Belle62442]

I have been thinking about doing this exact same thing!! I emailed Sue at Small World Vacations for advice. To be an agent for her, you have to have stayed onsite at WDW in at least 5 different hotels for at least 3 days each. If you want to book DLR or DCL, you have to have experienced them yourself. Unfortunately, Sue doesn't think she will be hiring anymore agents until Spring 2009.

If you find anything else be sure to pass on the info!!!

 

[chickie]

Thanks, Belle62442,
I definitely have THAT experience under my belt! I definitely going to look into this a little more deeply!

 

[Kaler131]

I am also looking into something like that. Right now I am taking 4 college courses in Travel & Tourism.

 

[sorcerer_mickey55]

Good luck! I would love to do this too!!

 

[danielle782001]

Bump

 

[scraplady]

Does Disney have there own travel. If so maybe you can just apply with them.

 

[danceintherain]

I had this idea too... a few weeks ago when I first started researching Disney Extensively, and figured out that there's such a thing as a Disney Travel Agent. I didn't really gather any info about it though, because I figured I should probably finish my current project first. (Bachelor's Degree) After that, who knows...
I think it would be a really fun job!

 

[Dreaming~of~Disney]

I used to be a travel agent, I am a stay at home mom now. I will go back into travel as a Disney Specialist when I return to working(one of my former co-workers and good friends owns her own agency now and has said I will be her Disney Specialist~ YAY!) You need to take classes, like someone else mentioned, on Travel and Tourism, either at a college or a Travel School. Some travel agencies do have Disney Specialists. After you become a Travel Agent you can go through a course online through Disney called the Disney College of Knowlege. Once you pass your test they send you Graduation Mickey ears.

 

[misricsmith]

I used to be a travel agent, I am a stay at home mom now. I will go back into travel as a Disney Specialist when I return to working(one of my former co-workers and good friends owns her own agency now and has said I will be her Disney Specialist~ YAY!) You need to take classes, like someone else mentioned, on Travel and Tourism, either at a college or a Travel School. Some travel agencies do have Disney Specialists. After you become a Travel Agent you can go through a course online through Disney called the Disney College of Knowlege. Once you pass your test they send you Graduation Mickey ears.

where do you find a travel school, are classes on line?
thanks for the info, the hospital i work in is going uner and i need to find a career change too

 

[Dreaming~of~Disney]

where do you find a travel school, are classes on line?
thanks for the info, the hospital i work in is going uner and i need to find a career change too

Good question.....I would check into classes at a local college or search for a Travel school, maybe google Travel Schools? When I went through Travel School in 1994 there happened to be a travel school here locally. They have since closed down.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

Once you pass your test they send you Graduation Mickey ears.

Well, I wondered where my AAA TA got those, they are sooo cute. I too would love to do this as a second job, to earn more money to go to Disney even more often. I am all about Disney 24/7, so why not get paid for it.

Suzanne

 

[LoveMyLAP-BAND]

Hi all,

I just wanted to give a bit of insight into becoming a Disney Vacation Planner with an agency. I have talked to several agencies that are Disney specialists and several agents themselves and this what I have learned so far.

One thing that I have learned in my research is that it is a tough job. It is definitely not 9 to 5. You have to be available to check emails every day (including weekends and when you are on vacation). There's lots of paperwork- it's not just book it and you're done. About 6-8 times a year, Disney releases discounts and you have to be on the phone with them at 7am to make sure you get your clients the discounts. Lots of people book and then cancel (I know I've done that just because circumstances change).

I am not saying don't do it, just have a realistic vision of what the job is. I talked to one owner that said a few agents that she has brought on think it's just book the trip and wait for the commission check.

Also, it may take a year or two before you are really earning a decent wage. You have to build up your clients and then you don't get paid until AFTER they have traveled.

I know a few of you mentioned being in the travel industry or taking classes so you probably already know that. If you can add some further insight into the life of an "agent", please chime in. The more info the better.

 

[GottaGetToDisney!]

I'd like to chime in and say that this is a business that I've been in for nearly 7 years and I'm looking to get out of it! Don't get me wrong-booking Disney trips is incredibly fun! I love sharing my knowledge of all things Disney with others. But, I work in a full-service agency and, of course, it's not all Disney all of the time.

The major drawback to the travel biz- the pay. It really, really stinks. Commissions are minimal these days (Disney is one of the worst offenders, sorry to say) and the first part of the cut goes to the overhead. You have to sell, sell, sell, sell, SELL to make a decent commission. There's a reason why travel schools are closing and colleges are discontinuing their travel programs- travel agents aren't needed. The travel industry has taken so many blows since 9/11 that most agencies have been letting agents go, not hiring them. Or agents have been quitting and agencies don't have the moolah to bring in anyone new.

I don't mean to be a Gloomy Gus and deter anyone from their dream! I'd just like to say- be aware of the realities of the business. If anybody has any questions, feel free to ask!

Gotta Get To Disney!

 

[gigi1313]

i will agree w/the two previous posters... although imo it's not so much 9/11 but all the online travel sites have really become the local agent's competition, and it's very hard to compete w/the internet! but disney travel is a specialty niche and if you have a lot of ways to contact people and get the word spread, you stand a much better chance than if you just expect clients to come to you...

if anyone wants more specific questions answered, feel free to pm me

 

[TaraPA]

Please be warned just like the OPs have stated - it's not all fun & games. A friend of mine is a Disney TA for a big travel group. She doesn't rely on this for her income, and has told me that it is very hard to get clients these days, and the pay is terrible. The clients she has had are demanding & she is on the phone & email all hours of the day & night. I was still interested so I asked her for info on becoming a Disney Specialist like she was. I contacted her upline & felt like I was listening to a bad timeshare schpiel. There were A LOT of out of pocket expenses right up front before she would even consider me. Classes, seminars, DVDs, tapes, books, etc. All paid for by YOU of course. It came to thousands just to get the info. I realize it may cost that to go to travel school (our local community college has a 2-year Travel & Tourism AAS degree) but it just seemed almost like a pyramid scheme. I was going to pay pay pay to join her team, then sell sell sell while she sat back & reaped the commissions & perks. My GF, whom I booked my last 2 WDW trips through, said she literally made $35 off of each of my trips as her commission. She also has to pay her own way in full to attend things like Mousefest, in order to "promote" her company's business. I won't say the company name here, it's mentioned a lot on the boards, but PM me if you're interested. It was really discouraging to me, because wouldn't this be a dream job for most of us?! I'm sure not all the TAs work this way, but I was really shocked that I got the impression this company was trying to sell me on being a Disney TA with little or nothing in return.

 

[DJ Disney Kid]

Also think about what happens when someone has a miserable trip or things dont go as perfect as they wanted. Who's going to get blamed? YOU!