>I'd appreciate any advice you can give
I have a friend who's worked as a full-time travel agent for about a decade now. She gets some good deals for herself, but that's because she's a working agent pushing product. For example, if she sells a lot of Tour Packages from Company X then Company X will reciprocate in kind if she contacts them and says she's going on vacation and she's looking for a deal - They reward her for sending business their way. Ditto some of the charter airlines. She also gets "fam trips" but only after she's proven she's a 'real' agent.
Cheers,
Geoff Glave
Vancouver, Canada