Do you enjoy travelling and holidaying in exotic locales? If the answer is yes then a career as Holiday consultant is right for you because holiday consultancy is a career that is set to boom in a big way in coming years.

Holiday consulting as business or profession is very popular in the West, and now it is catching up in India as well. As a holiday consultant, while you can soak up the sun on a beach in California so that you can sell the experience to your clients, there are several other activities that you must be proficient with to become a successful holiday consultant.

Academically speaking, to be a holiday consultant you should ideally hold an MTA (Master's in Tourism Administration) or, must have gained enough experience in the travel and tourism sector. The client who comes to a holiday consultant is someone who wants to go for a holiday for a specific number of days, but doesn't know where to begin. He/she needs advice as to where to go, what to do, whom to approach, and so on.

The job profile or basic duty of a holiday consultant is to guide clients with domestic or international holiday destinations, informing them about the best rates and mode of transportation and accommodation, along with advising him/her about the dos and don'ts to be followed in certain countries.

According to Mr. Rakesh of Jagdish Travels, "The consultant must help clients to choose the right package depending on the number of days they can take off, the number of people travelling, and of course, the client's budget." Needles to say, that for a successful career as a holiday consultant you need to have excellent communication skills, and an interdisciplinary background. This will give you the knowledge of history, geography, culture, finance, foreign exchange and conversion rates. According to travel trade experts the basic difference between a travel agent and a holiday consultant is that a travel agent may be able to tell a tourist to visit the London museum, but a holiday consultant should be able to tell all details such as its historical importance, what is the best way to get there and so on…

As a holiday consultant, you can start off on your own, without having to invest too much. Earnings begin from Rs 20,000 a month. As a holiday consultant you can work from home, but you must build your credibility. Also, constantly updating yourself on the latest developments about new destinations is a big plus point in becoming a successful holiday consultant.

Holiday consultants, thus, need to network with hotels, airlines and service apartments. A holiday consultant can also specialize, for example in cruise holidays. In short, consultants are like service providers, and apart from entrepreneurship, lucrative jobs are also available with big travel agencies.