Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between travel agents and corporate travel counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a travel agent and a corporate travel counselor. Additionally, a corporate travel counselor has an average salary of $58,285, 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 a corporate travel counselor are reservations, travel industry, and corporate clients.
| Travel Agent | Corporate Travel Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $33,128 | $58,285 |
| Hourly rate | $15.93 | $28.02 |
| Growth rate | 20% | 20% |
| Number of jobs | 34,166 | 40,927 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 36% |
| Average age | 51 | 51 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 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.
A Corporate Travel Counselor prepares ground travel, hotel, rail travel, and air transport arrangements for customers. They keep accessible online materials to ensure conformity with the client's travel policy. Besides interacting with travel managers, travelers, and travel arrangers, corporate travel counselors also read, master, and expound international pricing procedures and rules. Other duties performed by corporate travel counselors include recommending travelers of various international travel requirements such as immunizations, visas, passports, and more. Also, these professionals deal with different client issues and handle technical issues.
Travel agents and corporate travel counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Travel Agent | Corporate Travel Counselor | |
| Average salary | $33,128 | $58,285 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $41,000 | Between $38,000 And $87,000 |
| Highest paying City | Madison, WI | - |
| Highest paying state | Wisconsin | - |
| Best paying company | Perkins Coie | - |
| Best paying industry | Technology | - |
There are a few differences between a travel agent and a corporate travel counselor in terms of educational background:
| Travel Agent | Corporate Travel Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 39% | Bachelor's Degree, 36% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between travel agents' and corporate travel counselors' demographics:
| Travel Agent | Corporate Travel Counselor | |
| Average age | 51 | 51 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 21.9% Female, 78.1% | Male, 19.1% Female, 80.9% |
| 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, 7.5% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 13.5% Asian, 8.2% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 17% | 17% |