There are many career options available to you, as a Carlson Travel Academy graduate, within this huge industry. Most graduates start their career in a retail travel agency. You'll find over 33,000 travel agencies in the United States, ranging in size from one or two employees to those with hundreds of employees. You'll also find a wide range of specialties available. Some agencies specialize in vacation travel, others in business travel arrangements. There are agencies that provide services for group and incentive travel as well.

Other employment opportunities within the industry include working for airlines, hotels, car rental companies, tour companies, cruise lines, or as a home-based independent contractor.

Benefits for those in the travel industry may include free or reduced rates on travel, hotel and resort accommodations, cruises, car rentals and other related services.

In a travel agency setting there may also be opportunities for qualified personnel to take part in familiarization trips to destinations around the world. These trips are offered by a variety of travel suppliers for educational purposes, in order to help you talk more knowledgeably about a particular destination.

Is this for you? Choosing a career in the travel industry means an opportunity for great personal growth. It also presents an opportunity for individual success, based on your own desire and commitment. It is a fast paced and exciting service industry - people helping people.

But a career in the travel industry is not for everyone. It is for people who possess characteristics such as a service oriented attitude, strong self-esteem and a high level of maturity, good communication skills and a sense of flexibility.

If you are this person, Carlson Travel Academy - and many travel employers - are looking for you. We'll go out of our way to help you succeed. With those characteristics and our training, you can begin a challenging and rewarding career in this exciting industry.

Carlson Travel Academies' goals are simple and straight forward: Our first objective is to meet the needs of those desiring a new career in the travel industry. Through our unique approach, students who successfully complete the Travel Career Development Program take with them a high level of self-confidence and the skills necessary for an entry level position within the travel industry.

Our second objective is to help fulfill the need for more qualified personnel in the travel industry. This need has grown dramatically in recent years. The emphasis of the Travel Career Development Program centers on the current and future demand of the industry for more travel agents. This means that graduates of Carlson Travel Academy can quickly build upon a solid foundation for success in the travel industry.

Carlson Travel Academy has earned the respect of many travel professionals as being one of the best travel education programs available. Here are a few of the reasons why:

Extensive computer training - Carlson Travel Academy takes a unique approach in its method of instruction. Instead of the traditional classroom style arrangement, each student has an individual work station equipped with a PC providing on-line access to one of the major airline computer reservation systems, SABRE, APOLLO or Worldspan.

By using a live on-line system, as opposed to a simulated system some schools use, we provide an atmosphere as close to a travel agency operation as possible, which greatly enhances the learning process. On-site printers interface with the reservation system to provide experience in issuing tickets, itineraries and boarding passes.

The computer reservation system is one of the most important tools to the travel agent, since over 95% of all travel agencies have some form of reservation automation. Once trained on one system, the transition to another one is relatively easy.

Limited class size - Carlson Travel Academy believes that training is most effective with a small student-to-instructor ratio, which enhances an already superior learning environment.

Highly skilled personnel - Students receive the highest degree of education through an experienced and caring staff. With over 50 years of travel industry experience, they are acknowledged leaders - professionals to whom students can look for guidance with confidence.

Emphasis on placement - After receiving an unparalleled educational experience, the emphasis shifts to placement. The placement coordinator maintains contact with hundreds of travel employers and works with each student individually to assist them with career opportunities.

Historic growth - Carlson Travel Academies are a part of the Carlson Travel Group which includes over 4,100 Carlson Wagonlit Travel agencies worldwide. With locations in 125 countries, Carlson Wagonlit Travel is one of the largest and oldest travel companies in the world. It is comprised of the Minneapolis-based Carlson Travel Network and the Paris-based Wagonlit Travel. Carlson Travel Group is a wholly owned subsidiary of Carlson Companies, Inc. Headquartered in Minneapolis, it is one of the largest privately held corporations in the country with revenues in excess of $13 billion.

Access to other resources - Other operations of Carlson Companies include Radisson Hotels International, Radisson Seven Seas Cruises, Country Lodging, T.G.I. Friday's and Country Kitchen restaurants and other marketing and service companies. Having access to the vast resources of the Carlson Travel Group assures that Carlson Travel Academies will continue to be a leader in providing quality travel training.