Travel Jobs in the United States

Travel Jobs Overview

When you think about travel, you may imagine big airlines and cruise ships, learning about other cultures, and visiting new and exciting locations. While some travel jobs are like that, others are bit more local. Working in travel puts you in the middle of an industry vital to the U.S. economy. In fact, according to the U.S. Travel Association, travel is the largest economic supporter of small businesses in the U.S. Travel is also the seventh-largest civilian employer in the American economy, accounting for 9 million jobs.

Travel jobs can bring you close to home or far away to distant destinations. You can work at a travel agency helping people plan trips to exotic locations and visit those locations, so you are familiar with all they have to offer. Cruise ship jobs include everything from entertainers to ship captains. Tour guides get to know popular vacation spots so they can show people all the sights. You can find these and so many more jobs in the travel industry that fit your skills and interests.

You can start your search on Monster for jobs in the travel industry by looking at the broad category of service jobs. You can then get more specific by looking at:

• cruise line jobs
• hotel jobs
• travel consultant jobs

Travel Job Training and Skills

There's a place for people from various backgrounds and levels of education in travel. A pilot, of course, will need years of flight training. Hotel employees and travel agents can get college degrees in hotel and hospitality management or start with part-time front desk jobs. Flight attendants receive on-the-job training from airlines. Airport personnel and cruise ship entertainers can start their careers with a high school diploma. Not sure what you want to be yet? Take a look at this article from Monster for a list of travel jobs.

All employees in travel industry jobs need to have the same essential characteristics as any service sector employee: patience, flexibility, interpersonal skills, cultural sensitivity, and awareness of people from other countries and cultures.

Update Your Travel Job Resume

To make the best impression, you should submit a resume along with filling out an employer's application. If you need a resume or have one that could use a refresh, take a look at these resume templates you can follow and read through these articles that answer all your burning resume questions. You may also need a cover letter—and we're ready to help with cover letter samples and cover letter writing tips available on Monster.

Interviewing for a Travel Job

An interview for one travel job—say, at an airport—will be very different from another one at a hotel or cruise line. However, there are some universal questions interviewers tend to ask. Prepare for those tough questions by reading through our information about interviews.

How Much Do Travel Jobs Pay?

Salaries in the travel industry are as varied as the industry itself. For example, the median salary for a hotel manager is $47,144 a year. For a travel agent, it's $41,109, while a pilot makes a median salary of $65,255. Check out Monster's Salary Tools to find out what you can expect to make for your position in your area. The page also has information about related jobs and links to the latest job listings.

Want to Learn More About a Company You're Interested In?

Before you send that resume or go into that interview, learn more about the company you're applying to. Researching in advance will give you a wealth of knowledge to draw from when you're writing your cover letter or answering interview questions. It can also help you figure out if you'll be a good fit for the company's culture. Our company profiles can clue you in on things like:

• Company size.
• Mission statement.
• Photos of employees or facilities.

We Can Help Your Travel Career Get Off the Ground

Do you know what occupation you'd like the best, or are you still weighing the options? Take a look at the travel jobs on this page for inspiration. Then, put together your profile on Monster so you can get job alerts tailored to your interests and get noticed by recruiters.