Travel agents
SOC Code: 41-3041
Travel agents carries a 41% AI exposure score (High automation risk), with a median annual wage of $48,450 and +2.2% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 65,700 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 41% AI exposure, Travel agents sits 4 points above the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 71% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
36/100
Travel agents, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage F $48,450
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth D +2.2%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) F 41% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Travel agents in the High band.
Credential × growth standing
Open entry with non-declining BLS pace
Travel agents keeps an HS / some college bar (333 of 832) and sits in Average (378 of 832). Lower formal gates with a non-shrinking employment line - skill and AI desks matter more than credentials here.
Where Travel agents sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Travel agents sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
41% Around the middle lower than 29% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Travel agents vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Travel agents is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Travel agents's High automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score in the 40–70% range indicates meaningful automation pressure on specific task categories, but the role as a whole still requires human judgment for coordination, exception handling, or client interaction.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 41-3041) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Travel agents be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Travel agents. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Collect payment for transportation and accommodations from customer.
- 2. Plan, describe, arrange, and sell itinerary tour packages and promotional travel incentives offered by various travel carriers.
- 3. Converse with customer to determine destination, mode of transportation, travel dates, financial considerations, and accommodations required.
- 4. Compute cost of travel and accommodations, using calculator, computer, carrier tariff books, and hotel rate books, or quote package tour's costs.
- 5. Record and maintain information on clients, vendors, and travel packages.
- 6. Book transportation and hotel reservations, using computer or telephone.
- 7. Print or request transportation carrier tickets, using computer printer system or system link to travel carrier.
- 8. Provide customer with brochures and publications containing travel information, such as local customs, points of interest, or foreign country regulations.
Key Skills Required
- Active Listening
- Service Orientation
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Social Perceptiveness
- Persuasion
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
- Active Learning
Knowledge Areas
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Sales and Marketing
- Geography
- Computers and Electronics
- Administrative
- Telecommunications
- Transportation
- Administration and Management
- Communications and Media
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Travel agents?
Travel agents has an AI exposure score of 41%, indicating a high level of automation risk. Some tasks in this role can be augmented or partially automated by AI, but core responsibilities require human judgment.
What is the job outlook for Travel agents?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Travel agents is projected to grow by 2.2% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 65,700 workers.
What skills are needed for Travel agents?
Key skills for Travel agents include Active Listening, Service Orientation, Reading Comprehension, and others. Typical entry-level education is High school diploma or equivalent.
How much do Travel agents earn?
The median annual wage for Travel agents is $48,450, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Travel agents?
The typical entry-level education for Travel agents is High school diploma or equivalent. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves Moderate-term on-the-job training. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Travel agents?
Travel agents roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
High automation risk based on 8 analyzed tasks. A moderate share of tasks may be augmented by AI tools.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Travel agents: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (41% here).
- Computer and information research scientists · AI exposure 41%
- Cooks, fast food · AI exposure 41%
- Cooks, institution and cafeteria · AI exposure 41%
- Cooks, restaurant · AI exposure 41%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (+2.2% here).
- Chemistry teachers, postsecondary · growth +2.2%
- Law teachers, postsecondary · growth +2.2%
- Slaughterers and meat packers · growth +2.2%
- Stationary engineers and boiler operators · growth +2.2%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 12 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Travel agents' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Travel agents side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).