A great travel agent has a way of understanding their customer’s needs and translating them into a vacation that will be a fantastic experience for all. There are so many variables in the travel industry, so it genuinely is a matter of holiday matchmaking.
When looking for a new position, the travel agent cover letter has to convey every aspect of their customer-first ethos. How do they solve problems, organize itineraries and gauge personalities? What is their manner when dealing with a customer who has a complaint? Where are their areas of expertise and how proactive have they been in their personal development?
The travel agent cover letter needs to focus on the personal touch that a more factual resume can only touch upon. Customers come into a travel agency for that extra bit of service with a smile. The holiday experience starts when they are considering the options with someone who is as excited about the possibilities for their vacation as they are. You can’t get that when booking through an online platform.
So, what goes into a travel agent cover letter? We will consider:
According to Zippia, there are currently 34,166 job openings for travel agents in the United States. The pandemic caused a decrease in openings, but pent up wanderlust since then has resulted in a surge in this field.
Just as customer tours need to be meticulously planned, the structure and format of a cover letter can be organized to best frame a career story. There is no need to reinvent the wheel as most hiring managers will be expecting to find the same sorts of things. The trick lies in the specifics and relevance of the content that you wish to share:
This is the standard format of a travel agent cover letter:
This cover letter sample shares some tips with a slant toward travel-related professions, but there are many more tips that you may also find useful. You never know what might cause that job search light bulb to flash. The comprehensive cover letter example gives an overview of some additional aspects of writing a cover letter.
This travel agent cover letter example might spark a few thoughts:
Dear Ms. Hinton,
The role at FarAway Travel would be an ideal continuation of my travel agency career. I have split the last twelve years between in-country Africa travel representative work and United States based client-facing roles. Seeing both sides brings a unique perspective.
I helped to run the Safari Experience agency alongside two partners, focusing on offering our clients safari experiences in Botswana, Tanzania and South Africa. We targeted the luxury end of the market (mirroring your customer base) and worked with only the best local providers of accommodation, transport and big game experiences. These relationships have been cultivated over a decade in the market and will help FarAway Travel to develop their share of the premium end of the market.
I focused on growing the Tanzania market and agreed to a number of exclusive deals that allowed us to double our participation from 25% to 55%. Our clients enjoyed unprecedented access behind the scenes of the conservation industry – we started a new brand of eco-tourism that focused on animal welfare and sustainable reserve management.
I am an organized thinker and relentless negotiator – when I have an idea, I will do everything in my power to get others on board and will always explore every avenue to make it happen. Your entry into Africa travel will require someone who has experienced both sides of the market and I look forward to the chance to share my ideas as to how you might achieve your goals.
I have a 96% client satisfaction rating over the course of my career, and I would love to bring my African passion to your client base.
Sincerely,
Simon Gant
If this travel agent cover letter guide was of use, some of our other hospitality cover letter examples may offer inspiration:
The cover letter header should contain your full name (in bold and maybe a larger font), your contact email and your phone number with the national dialing code attached. This might not be required normally, but it shows that you are used to international communication and is one of those small things that could make all the difference.
See the cover letter sample above for more ideas on how to format your header.
Goal of the cover letter header: Share your contact details at the top – the hiring manager will make a mental note that all is in order and will move swiftly on to your main messages.
There are few professions that understand the importance of getting the small details correct. When addressing the hiring manager or HR contact at the start of the letter, make sure that you get the greeting and spelling of their surname correct.
“Dear Mr / Mrs / Ms.” is a formal way to start any letter or customer correspondence and there is no reason why you should diverge from this format. If you do not know the name of the addressee, you might want to consider doing a little research. A quick phone call to inquire could well be an opportunity to ask any other questions that you might have, and it is a great way of demonstrating your proactive and friendly nature.
If you don’t know the addressee, avoid “to whom it may concern” like the plague. “Dear Company team” is a far warmer way of introducing your travel agent cover letter. See our cover letter example below.
Goal of letter greeting: Get the greeting right and check the spelling with the job description and any emails you may have. Email headers will always have the right spelling.
The introduction of the cover letter should get as specific as possible about your relevant experience for the role in question. If there is a geographical focus, make sure that you mention it. If there is a particular type of holiday or customer profile that will dominate your future work, make sure that you give enough examples from your past experience.
Try to go beyond simply parroting the job description. The hiring manager understands the scope of the role – they want to hear your story. What obstacles have you come across in your work and how have you solved them? Tell them about a month when you smashed your sales targets and how you sought to replicate that success. Talk about how you work in a team and how you manage to make customers your No. 1 priority when you have a list of 50 other things to do.
The introduction should also be unequivocal about why you think that you are a fit for this specific role. Mention your future employer by name if you feel that it is appropriate and give them a sense that this letter could only be written for them. Check out our cover letter sample below for more insights.
Goal of the cover letter intro: Include relevant achievements in those first few lines and grab their attention by making it all about them. Let your passion shine through.
Dear Ms. Hinton,
The role at FarAway Travel would be an ideal continuation of my travel agency career. I have split the last twelve years between in-country Africa travel representative work and United States based client-facing roles. Seeing both sides brings a unique perspective.
The middle part of a travel agent cover letter is tricky. Your job will involve so many small interactions and customer journeys that it is impossible to detail all of them, so the idea is to give a flavor of how you work with someone who walks through the travel agency door.
Share any details of customer satisfaction surveys, sales statistics or marketing campaigns that you have worked on. Your future employer will want to see that you are a driven individual, and it is important to demonstrate that you value measuring your impact. It is hard to improve what you can’t measure.
Include your education and any industry qualifications. The bigger travel agents will want to see these and although they will be in your resume, it does not take up too much space and can add an extra sense of credibility to your travel agent cover letter, as seen on our cover letter sample.
Goal of the body of your cover letter: Only the very best stories, most relevant training and quantifiable examples of sales success should be included in these paragraphs. You will have had a hugely varied career and you no doubt have a resume packed with amazing feats, but what you choose to include in your cover letter dictates how employers see you.
I helped to run the Safari Experience agency alongside two partners, focusing on offering our clients safari experiences in Botswana, Tanzania and South Africa. We targeted the luxury end of the market (mirroring your customer base) and worked with only the best local providers of accommodation, transport and big game experiences. These relationships have been cultivated over a decade in the market and will help FarAway Travel to develop their share of the premium end of the market.
I focused on growing the Tanzania market and agreed to a number of exclusive deals that allowed us to double our participation from 25% to 55%. Our clients enjoyed unprecedented access behind the scenes of the conservation industry – we started a new brand of eco-tourism that focused on animal welfare and sustainable reserve management.
I am an organized thinker and relentless negotiator – when I have an idea, I will do everything in my power to get others on board and will always explore every avenue to make it happen. Your entry into Africa travel will require someone who has experienced both sides of the market and I look forward to the chance to share my ideas as to how you might achieve your goals.
The closing lines of a cover letter need to mention the customer experience one last time. People return time and again to the best travel agents as they entrust their holiday dreams to them. Give one more example of truly spectacular customer service.
Lastly, don’t be afraid to ask for the opportunity of meeting for an interview. Every candidate who knows their worth has a right to be keen to meet up and find out more about the role. Tell them why you would love to work for them and show curiosity about how you might fit in.
Goal of the closing: Finish with a focus on the customer and a desire to find out more.
I have a 96% client satisfaction rating over the course of my career, and I would love to bring my African passion to your client base.
Sincerely,
Simon Gant
As with getting the cover letter header correct, it is vitally important to avoid any mistakes in your travel agent cover letter. One slight mis-keying in a holiday booking and it might not go through. An error in noting the wrong date or getting the finances muddled can result in significant customer dissatisfaction. Any mistake in such an important piece of writing as a cover letter can serve as an indication of future woes. Avoid these basic errors:
There are a plethora of pre-built layouts available for both cover letters and resumes. Make sure that your travel agent cover letter matches with the resume template and pick one that is on the formal side. Using our professional cover letter templates is a solid choice.