Why travel agents are overwhelmed & 5 things that can help, including choosing suppliers

Shot of a stressed out businesswoman surrounded by colleagues needing help
Sofia Geraghty
By Sofia Geraghty


Spend some time with a travel agent and you’ll notice a common complaint: They’re overwhelmed.

Initially attracted to the industry by the appeal of freedom and seeing more of the world, many agents find themselves burnt out and stressed.

So, what is leading to the overwhelm and, more importantly, what can travel agents do to feel better again?

One of the biggest reasons for being overwhelmed is that suppliers are less able to help agents out, Susan Barton a Mobile Travel Agency owner and MTA and NLP mindset coach to travel agents told Travel Weekly.

“We’ve come out of Covid, we’ve rebuilt, and we’ve had to do it in a big hurry,” she said.

The conceptual image or collage about many of crumpled papers on the desk of stressed male workplace

What agents are finding, however, is that since the pandemic, they are not getting the same level of support from some suppliers, she added.

“You’ve got airlines that might have one person who is looking after the entire country. Their hands are tied and there’s not much they can do for you.”

This is difficult for agents when clients – particularly luxury clients – are expecting the same service they received before the pandemic. “Their expectations are still right up there.”

Airlines are one supplier who are difficult to work with, Barton went on.

An image of Susan Barton smiling in a white shirt

Susan Barton.

Not only do airlines not pay agents, but increasingly they are shortening ticket time limits (TTLs) which puts agents under pressure. “You could be booking a flight that looks empty and departing in six months, but they want you to book and ticket in same day.”

Newly hired staff working for the suppliers (due to Covid shortages) can also put agents under pressure. “A lot of them are not yet educated around their own product,” she says.

The dilution of the market – such as Qantas’ recent buying of TripADeal – can also be concerning for agents, Barton said.

Before you find yourself jumping out the nearest window, the good news is that there are things you can do to help yourself. As Barton lists:

Work with suppliers that want your business

“My tip would be to work with suppliers that are hungry for your business. Look for suppliers who match the pattern/ interests of your customer base and build working connections with them,” she says.

“Instead of trying to be all things to everybody, try to specialise and figure out what you do really well, now align yourself with suppliers providing that service.”

Carve out time for self-care and commit to it

“Deadlines are the nature of our business, but we all have the same 24 hours in a day. It’s a matter of us carving out some self-care time and committing to it because we’re worth it.

“Create a time slot in your daily calendar, for your own personal time and make it consistent.”

Maybe it’s one o’clock and you’ve decided that having a walk for half an hour is going to reboot, re-energise you, and help your mindset. Set a time to do it and build a new self-care habit.”

Connection

Travel Weekly’s Women in Travel awards.

“Many people out there are feeling quite disconnected,” says Barton. “If you work from home, you haven’t got your workmates around you. You haven’t got people you feel like you can bounce off. A tip would be to seek out mentors and colleagues in your community and engage with them regularly.

“And I think it’s a good idea to be vulnerable about whatever challenges you’re going through. Because when you ask for advice, it encourages connection and not competition.”

Work on people-pleasing and set boundaries

“People who are in the travel industry can be people-pleasers. And generally, service is very important to them even to their own detriment,” she says. “I don’t mean people pleasing as a negative thing, but what are we actually doing to ourselves when we don’t say no?

“We need to set boundaries because boundaries are the road map to teach other people how to treat you. When we set a boundary and establish a boundary, we’re protecting our time and space. It is teaching people how we want to be treated.

“An example of this could be, train your clients on how you work, by not answering their emails at midnight or on the weekend, but letting it wait until your normal working hours,” she says.

Listen to something nourishing

“When you’re working and feeling overwhelmed – whether it be data entry, booking flights, etc, change your state by putting on a podcast in the background. Find a podcast related to something you’re interested in – maybe its self-development, a hobby or something nourishing for you. Because we have a lot of time to listen and absorb while we’re working.”

Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

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