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The differences between travel agents and agents can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an agent has an average salary of $37,864, which is higher than the $33,128 average annual salary of a travel agent.
The top three skills for a travel agent include reservations, booking and AAA. The most important skills for an agent are insurance products, customer service, and life insurance.
| Travel Agent | Agent | |
| Yearly salary | $33,128 | $37,864 |
| Hourly rate | $15.93 | $18.20 |
| Growth rate | 20% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 34,166 | 184,325 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 2 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Average age | 51 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 2 | - |
Travel agents help plan, choose, and organize travel schedules. Generally, they ensure that clients can efficiently process their travel plans and get the best travel experience possible. Primarily, they assist individuals, groups, and business travelers in booking their flights and hotel accommodations, buying tickets to events, and arranging their transport from one place to the other. They also provide recommendations for itineraries and offer travel packages from different airlines, hotels, or cruise lines. Travel agents can work as freelancers or mostly be employed by travel agencies.
Agents are individuals who are employed by their clients to represent them in various dealings. Agents are usually employed by people in the show business industry, such as actors, writers, or directors. They meet people who are interested in dealing with their clients. They listen to the plans and vision for the project and assess if the project fits their clients' interests or public image. In the case of agents whose clients are actors, they send their clients to auditions upon review of the project details. Agents are also responsible for negotiating terms on behalf of their clients, such as salary, royalties, and set benefits, among others. They also inform the project leaders of their clients' demands on set. Agents are expected to be business-savvy and good negotiators.
Travel agents and agents have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Travel Agent | Agent | |
| Average salary | $33,128 | $37,864 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $41,000 | Between $19,000 And $72,000 |
| Highest paying City | Madison, WI | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Wisconsin | New York |
| Best paying company | Perkins Coie | Latham & Watkins |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a travel agent and an agent in terms of educational background:
| Travel Agent | Agent | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between travel agents' and agents' demographics:
| Travel Agent | Agent | |
| Average age | 51 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 21.9% Female, 78.1% | Male, 50.5% Female, 49.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 8.7% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 4.9% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 17% | 7% |