Thank you for the question.

Your question comes up quite frequently. Getting into any type of travel can be quite challenging. Depending on where you reside, you may want to reach out to your state department of tourism to see if their inbound tour operators and destination management companies have positions available.

In Florida for instance, there are a number of positions available for retirees. Meeting Planning companies are also known to hire retirees for a number of duties. Utilizing such social media tools as LinkedIn can assist you by posting your capabilities in a discussion group that is related to meeting planners & tour operators.

There are some basic courses for “New to Travel” that are given by a host of companies. HotTravelJobs.com has a particular section devoted to this. I would recommend that you register as “new to travel” on the site, post your resume and your aspiration for travel related work. This would give you the visibility to employers that are interested in you.

Good luck and let us know how you progress in your new endeavor 

Happy New Year! I do apologize for not getting back to you sooner. Through the years agencies have added to their virtual agent staff. However, working from home comes with a cost. Agencies consider working from home a luxury and pay you less. They also want you to work later shifts, holidays and weekends.

In order to work from home, you must also have an office set up in a separate room in your home with no distractions from the family. You must be self motivated and be able to work independently. We do on occasion have companies that come to us for work at home staff. Please send me your resume and we will keep it in our file system for future openings. My email address is gayle@ptcptt.com.

Hello Alecia, thank you for your question..... Before I can answer your question, I would need to know a few things. Where do you live? There are certain places in the US that do not seem to be hiring. What does your resume look like? Is it clear and concise? did you jump around a lot? Many employers do not like when they see a resume with a different job every year. Can you get references from the companies that you worked for on your resume? If so, you can send the reference sheet with the names and phone numbers of your past employers.

There are many positions in corporate travel, however, for the most part companies are taking the "best of the best". If you feel that you are one of those people and are still not getting a job, it could be your resume. I would certainly like to look at your resume. Please email gayle@ptcptt.com.

Yes, I can attach your resume to your profile if you have created one. Please refer to the name in the profile and send it to doug@hottraveljobs.com  Please provide

Hello, and thanks for your question. The only companies that currently fit your criteria are Liberty Travel and AAA, both of which have weekend and evening hours. You may also be interested in applying for an internship with your local travel agency.  Keep in mind however, that since you work in a Host Agency, you will be required to sign a non-competition contract. Good Luck and please check on www.hottraveljobs for agencies that are looking for applicants just like you.

Hi Peggy, I do remember you from years ago. Yes, many of the Virtual Travel Counselor positions require recent experience. As you know there is a lot to keep current with and the technology has changed rapidly. We are currently working with Agent Stream (Sabre) to come up some training programs for agents like you. Agent Stream will have a retraining program in June at their TMU conference in Vegas, after which we should have more information, so please keep checking.

Another area that we see a need for training is for Cliqbooks and Concur, with many corporations now hiring staff educated in these programs. I’m working with some companies to come up with a training regimen. Please send me your resume so that it is in my database.  This way if I find a company that fits your needs I can give you a call.

Hello,

I understand your frustration and as you can see by my last response, you’re not alone. Wilma Boyd was a great school, however many travel schools are limited and do not offer GDS.

 A few things you may want to consider; Check out the agencies in Portland and keep in mind a commute may be necessary.  If you are working for a Host Agency, try to take advantage of the opportunities it can offer. The difference of the leisure and corporate world are night and day. Corporate is driven on GDS knowledge and overall travel industry knowledge. 

Since you have not been a GDS for a long time, getting you up to speed would be intense and many companies would like an employee who could just jump right in.

Please let me know how you make out