A Day in the Life of a Travel Agent

hello497050
Jul 23
2 min read

Updated: Jul 24

(Spoiler: It’s Not All Beach Chairs and Margaritas)

People love to imagine that my job is one big vacation—jetting off to tropical islands, sipping cocktails on familiar beaches, and squeezing in “work” between spa treatments and sunset dinners.

I don’t blame them—it does sound amazing. But the real day-to-day? It’s a lot less glamorous… and a lot more interesting.

Recently, a few clients asked—half-joking, half-curious—what my days actually look like. So here it is: a peek behind the curtain into a pretty typical workday in my world.

Buckle up.

Morning: Coffee & Catch-Up

“Morning routine: emails, edits, and espresso.”

My day usually starts around 8:45 AM with a quick review of the work my assistant, Ysa, completed overnight. She works the 4 PM to 1 AM shift and helps keep things running smoothly while I sleep.

Each morning, I go through the emails she’s drafted on my behalf, make edits as needed, and send them off.

It’s like tag-teaming the world, one inbox at a time.

Booking a Flight… or Fighting with a Bank

“Three hours deep into one flight booking.”

Right now, I’m trying to book first-class flights to New Zealand for one of my favorite clients.

Sounds simple, right?

Except… she doesn’t use email—or any tech at all—so everything is done by phone.

Add in a few generous price tags and a very cautious bank, and we’ve got ourselves a saga. Her card keeps getting flagged for fraud, even after multiple calls to raise her limit and clear the charge.

I’m three hours deep into this single round-trip ticket and still crossing my fingers for takeoff.

Group Travel: Big Ideas, No Guarantees

Next, I took a call with a company planning an annual retreat for about 200 people.

We talked through potential destinations and trip styles, and now we'll work to draft a proposal outlining three different options

Keep in mind, I only get paid if the client books and travels.

So if they decide not to move forward, all that brainstorming and research goes unpaid.

Planning these kinds of trips is a mix of creativity, logistics, and a little bit of risk.

The Midday Shuffle: Payments, Reminders, and the Inbox

After that, it’s time to:

Process payments
Send out balance reminders
And answer all kinds of emails like:

“Do I need water shoes for Jamaica?” “What’s the best toddler-friendly snorkeling spot in Hawaii?”