Travel Agent Schools and Programs California

Travel agents perform a variety of services for people planning to travel for leisure or for professional reasons. They assist travelers by researching and arranging travel packages, such as hotel and airfare reservations, rental cars, and planning activities such as sightseeing tours.

California Travel Agent Schools

There are a number of different routes to becoming a travel agent, but typically you must have a high school diploma or GED to enter either a certification program or a degree program in travel and tourism. Here are a few examples of schools in California that offer travel agent and tourism programs:

• Empire College School of Business: This school offers certification as well as an associate degree in tourism and hospitality, with a focus on wine country.
  
  
• Foothill College: This school offers both certificate and degree programs and accepts dual credit and offers distance learning.
  
  
• West Los Angeles College: This school offers an Associate of the Arts (AA) degree in travel. Graduates leave prepared for a career in the travel industry, including event planning, destination promotion, and travel agent.
  
  
• Saddleback College: This college provides students both degree and certification programs in travel and tourism. Coursework prepare students for work as a travel consultant, event planner, or sales representative in the travel industry.
  
  
• Columbia College: This school offers students the choice between an AA degree and certification in hospitality management.

What to Expect from California Travel Agent Programs

Tourism and hospitality students learn the basic skills necessary to build a career in the tourism and hospitality industry. Some programs focus on a particular type of travel, or possibly on a certain destination. For example, in Northern California, this may include training to work in the wine industry.

Depending on the program, students take a variety of courses. For example, a certificate in travel marketing may include the following:

• Introductory Travel
• Sales and Marketing for Travel
• Travel Concepts - Advanced Level
• Vacation Plan Customization
• Destination Specialist

California Travel Agent License

The state of California requires anyone who "sells, provides, furnishes, contracts for, arranges, or advertises" him- or herself as someone able to provide arrangements for air or sea travel to register as a Seller of Travel (SOT).

Complete and submit your application as an SOT at least 10 days prior to doing business in California. In addition to the registration application, you must pay a yearly registration fee for each business office. If you do not pay your registration fee at the time of application submittal, it will be rejected.

You must also pay late fees, calculated daily. You will not receive a Seller of Travel number until all fees are paid.

In addition, you must comply with the Travel Consumer Restitution Corporation (TCRC), which is a nonprofit organization separate from the Attorney General. You must also participate in the Travel Consumer Restitution Fund (TCRF), designed to reimburse travelers who contracted travel services with a provider who then declared bankruptcy or ceased operations.

TCRC makes determinations on claims, and TCRF funds ensure claimants receive reimbursement.

Resources for Travel Agents in California

Potential travel agents have a wide variety of online sources available, including state agencies and industry-specific organizations.

• The American Society of Travel Agents is the top spot for all things related to the travel industry.
• The California Attorney General's FAQ on Seller of Travel answers license questions.
• Travel Consumer Restitution Corporation explains the claim process.