Travel Agents build service orientation, social perceptiveness and persuasion skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Customer Service Representatives (87%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Customer Service Representatives | 87% | $44,770 | −11% | None |
| 2 | Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks | 84% | $44,390 | −12% | None |
| 3 | Real Estate Sales Agents | 81% | $52,830 | +5% | None |
| 4 | Customs Brokers | 78% | $80,730Pay for the broader BLS group “Compliance Officers” | Not compared | None |
| 5 | New Accounts Clerks | 77% | $47,670 | −5% | None |
| 6 | Loan Interviewers and Clerks | 77% | $50,020 | 0% | None |
| 7 | Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants | 76% | $76,590 | +53% | None |
| 8 | Brokerage Clerks | 75% | $65,750 | +31% | None |
| 9 | Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs | 75% | $54,210 | +8% | None |
| 10 | Concierges | 75% | $38,950 | −22% | None |
Compared with Travel Agents, median $50,160. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as travel agents (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
87% skill match · $44,770 · −11% pay
Management of Personnel Resources
84% skill match · $44,390 · −12% pay
Quality Control Analysis · Troubleshooting · Operations Monitoring
81% skill match · $52,830 · +5% pay
Troubleshooting · Management of Personnel Resources · Negotiation
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Customer Service Representatives (87% skill match, median $44,770), Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks (84% skill match, median $44,390) and Real Estate Sales Agents (81% skill match, median $52,830), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 11 pay more than travel agents at the median. The biggest increases: Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products (+109%, $104,920), Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants (+53%, $76,590) and Loan Officers (+53%, $76,690).
20 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.