Home Based Travel Agency

Knowledge is power. The training your receive through the Home Study Course and our semi-annual workshops will give you the power to succeed.

The home study course has been developed over a period of five years to teach you the fundamentals of the travel business. The course is included in the Resource Center of this web site and in training material we send you. Each section includes material for you to study to help you gain the confidence you need to be a competent travel professional.

• Introduction. Your role as a travel professional - Travel products and sources of information - Relationships between you and Certified Travel, travel regulators and travel vendors - Getting your business started.

• Air Travel. Introduction - Types of trips - Types of fares - Classes of service - Fares - Pricing the air ticket - The reservations process - Miscellaneous travel documents.

• The Sabre System Now, you can learn Sabre in one day with the new Sabre Training Manual. This self-study manual takes you through the booking of air, cars and hotel rooms in easily understood step-by-step instructions. All the mystery of Sabre formats is taken away! You make the actual entries at your computer following the instructions in the manual. Screen shots of each of the Sabre responses are included in the manual so you can compare the response you get from Sabre with the screen shot.

• Booking Travel Direct. Non-computer air booking - Reservations made by your client - Charter flights - Consolidators.

• Hotel Reservations. Introduction - Customer information required - SABRE™ hotel system - The Hotel and Travel Index - The Vacation.com Hotel Directory - Making the reservation.

• Car Reservations. Introduction - Rental car industry standards - Rental car companies - Customer information you need - SABRE™ car system - Making the reservation.

• Tours. Introduction - Qualifying the customer - Research - Brochures - The Vacation Worksheet - Planning a custom tour - Presenting your findings to your customer - Booking the tour.

• Cruises. Introduction - All about cruises - Qualifying your customer - Research - Interpreting the cruise brochure - Cruise ship classifications.

• Marketing. Sources of business - Prospecting - Managing your prospecting - What to say and how to say it - Advertising - Selling travel.

In addition to the above, you will be provided with a complete home study course that will teach you the use of this powerful reservations system. This training includes a manual showing you how to make all of the computer entries and a quick reference guide for use while operating the system. A comprehensive, CD rom based interactive training program is also available for an additional cost of $160.

Now, you can learn Sabre in one day with the new Sabre Tutorial Manual. This self-study manual, included in your start-up package, takes you through the booking of air, cars and hotel rooms - and Amtrak! - in easily understood step-by-step instructions. In addition to learning how to book travel using Sabre, you will learn how to set up and move Stars and how to use Sabre's new Format Finder system! All the mystery of Sabre formats is taken away! You make the actual entries at your computer following the instructions in the manual. Screen shots of each of the Sabre responses are included in the manual so you can compare the response you get from Sabre with the screen shot in the manual.

The Sabre Tutorial Manual was developed and written by the travel agents of Certified Travel Services in Oklahoma City to train home-based agents affiliated with Certified Travel. The manual has been thoroughly tested and used by dozens of Certified's agents.

You also get a two-page Quick Reference Guide that you can keep at your computer after completing the course. This "cheat sheet" reminds you of all of the formats as you go about booking travel for your clients.

The Sabre Training Manual is about 90 pages long and includes the following lessons:

1	Air Travel
2	City Pair Availability
3	Selling Air Segments
4	Pricing Air Reservations
5	Building the Passenger Name Record
6	Web Site Reservations
7	AmTrak Reservations
8	Hotel Reservations
9	Car Reservations
10	Stars
11	Format Finder

We collaborate with Carnival Cruiselines to provide three-day workshops in Miami, New Orleans or Los Angeles twice a year. A portion of the cost of these workshops is underwritten by Certified Travel and Carnival . Training sessions on the SABRE™ reservations system and selling cruises are included as well as visits to several of the Carnival ships. As a Certified Travel Associate you will be eligible to participate at minimal cost to your company.

The Associates Procedures Manual covers the day-to-day operation of your agency and the forms and information flow between you and headquarters. This manual will be available to you in the Resource Center of our web site.