Editor’s note: 9 to 5 features a different occupation each week. If you have a suggestion, call Denise Massie at (574) 732-5151.



By DENISE MASSIE

Pharos-Tribune staff writer

Six months ago, Angie Miles took a position as a travel agent because she wanted to help others find unique and enjoyable vacation destinations.

But the job also fulfills her own love of travel.

Miles, who works at Unique Travel, Miles has found that one of the job’s perks are the trips available only to travel agents.

Miles said she will take her first bus trip soon to Nashville, Ind. She said a cruise line in Florida also offers travel agents a chance to take a four- to five-day trip to try out different cruise ships.

“I’m waiting on one of those to open up,” she said.

She hopes to travel more so she can come back and make suggestions for other travelers. In fact, when she first started, Miles said she glanced at the brochures for places she would like to go.

While finding unique destinations is one of the highlights of Miles’ position, most of her time is spent in the office.

Miles spends most of her day on the phone and computer. While some travel seekers opt to stop by the agency, Miles said she helps at least half of her customers over the phone. Most of her clients are looking for flights.

Whenever someone contacts her, Miles gives prices for different trips, makes suggestions to customers unsure of where they would like to travel and collects payments.

When not helping a customer, Miles said she must get fliers together for group trips offered. She must also type up prices and itineraries for the different packages offered throughout the year.

The travel agent said the amount of time spent helping customers varies, depending on the person.

“If someone comes in and knows exactly what they want, it could take a day,” she said. “I worked with another customer, who didn’t know what he wanted, for two weeks.”

She said a lot of people stop by and say they are looking for somewhere warm with a nice beach.

Since many people book vacations in advance, Miles also spends time making minor updates on trips.

The busiest times are during the summer months, spring break and around Christmas, said Miles. She said family vacations slowed down once school started, but other customers are keeping her busy with group trips.

“I stay busy most of the time,” she said.

There is not a typical person who uses a travel agent, Miles said. She sells a lot of trips to Florida, Cancun, Jamaica and the Caribbean.

The most unique trip was for a vacation package consisting of a 35-day cruise to three locations.

As a travel agent, she also handles phone calls about lost baggage. Customers call in and ask if the agency can do anything, which it cannot. She has also had customers who have purchased trips through the Internet and put in the wrong date or spelled something wrong and ask her to fix it.

Miles said the advantage of a travel agent over the Internet is that there are not any hidden costs. Travel agents offer a price with taxes added on immediately, she said.

Helping others book vacations was something that just came easy for Miles. She became familiar with the job through her family’s dealings with a travel agent for planning vacations during the past five years.

Miles said people skills are a requirement of her position. She added that she needs to brush up on her geography skills as well.

Miles enjoys her job and plans on staying with it for awhile. She said seeing others happy is the most rewarding aspect of the job.

“When I sell a vacation package to a person and they come back and tell me they enjoy it,” she said is the best thing about her job.

Denise Massie can be reached at (574) 732-5151 or via e-mail at denise.massie@pharostribune.com