Where do I find the best Travel Industry programs?

January 12, 2009 9:29 PM

I'm looking to go back to school studying the Travel Industry, to be a Travel Agent and I'm a bit lost (pun unintended).

For some background, I'm soon to be in my mid-twenties, with no student loan payments and in the US. I know that Travel Agents (my end goal in this) do not need licensing and can just start out on their own, however, I'd like an edge of education and networking -- as well as the business training -- that comes with going to school.

I've been looking for programs in Hospitality and Travel Management, which is where Travel Agency programs typically reside, and I'm shooting blanks as to where I can go. Because of where I'm situated geographically, I know that Johnson and Wales University has a really good program in the subject. As for anywhere else, I'm a bit clueless and don't even know where to start looking.

I've looked at College Board and have found them to be unhelpful for my needs. I've already looked up professional travel organizations and they just have job listings and current happenings. My google-fu has also been a failure.

Where can I find listings of schools that offer what I'm looking for and, then, how can I find how good those programs are from a reputable source in the field?

posted by Gular to Education (4 answers total)

Do you have any community colleges in your area? My step-sister got a 2-year degree in Travel and Tourism Management from a community college.
posted by amyms at 10:03 PM on January 12, 2009

Tourism education is for people who want to work in the industry as tour operators, hotel managers, and the like. My university teaches courses like tourism sustainability, marketing, management, etc. As amyms mentions this is also taught by community colleges.

You want to search for 'tourism management'.

If you want to be a travel agent, join a company and take their training program.
posted by wingless_angel at 1:16 AM on January 13, 2009

I review hotel and hospitality journals for a library reference book, and from what I've seen over the past few editions, Cornell University has one of the highest regarded hospitality journals out there. Perhaps looking at the board of their research journal would help for ideas?

http://www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/research/chr/pubs/quarterly/board/

Also, there's the journal of hospitality & tourism research - their board might give you some ideas too.

http://www.sagepub.com/journalsProdEditBoards.nav?prodId=Journal200848
posted by librarianamy at 6:05 AM on January 13, 2009

I've said this before on similar AskMe questions, but beyond taking classes, getting a job in the travel industry is less dependent on where you took classes, what you learned, and where you went to school, but whether or not you have actually have any travel experience. I'm not talking about a week here or there, but in-depth travel experience living and working in a foreign country.

As a tour operator, I constantly get resumes from just-graduated students with degrees in the field. However, I pretty much pass them over unless I see the following:

1) Long-term travel and / or experience in the destinations that we specialize in
2) Fluency in another language is a huge, huge advantage
3) Know your geography - if you are applying to my company, you better know that the Galapagos Islands are in Ecuador and that that Antarctica is not a country, but a continent.

I've passed over resumes of people who say they went to top schools and earned great grades in favor of those who have spent time in the Peace Corps, or volunteered and lived in a foreign country helping people, or took a year off to travel around South America or Asia.

However, I say this with the caveat that I'm not a travel agent and have never been one, but I hope the above helps you understand more about the travel industry in general. YMMV in case you want to work as a travel agent, on a cruise ship or at a hotel, of course.
posted by HeyAllie at 11:38 AM on January 13, 2009