Travel

Five Jobs In Travel You Wish Your Career Advisors Told You About

As Results Day approaches and ‘decision-time’ is imminent, why not consider these jobs in travel which combine global jet setting… and a pay cheque!

Thursday, July 20, 2017 - 18:45

Finished your exams? Love to travel? But don’t have the funds to book a round-the-world trip?

Why not pursue a career path which involves jetting off to exotic and distant places! Youth travel expert for 18-35 year olds Contiki is here to help, listing five jobs in travel which your careers advisor might not have told you about.

Who knew work could actually be cool and fun?

Trip Manager

Does a job introducing groups of young travellers to exciting destinations sound too good to be true? Well it’s not! The role of a Trip Manager for a travel company is a great way to meet new people, explore the world, boost your historical knowledge and expand your cultural awareness. On average, Contiki Trip Managers lead between 10-15 trips a year, with some lasting for nearly two months – so there’s ample opportunity to explore the world!

Sounds pretty incredible right? A Trip Manager needs to be a natural problem solver, super organised, , willing to learn, confident and professional, whilst still being fun. The overall goal is to ensure every traveller has the best and most memorable travel experience possible.

Buyer

Tasked with hand-picking the products that appear on the shelves of clothing stores across the UK, Buyers are the tastemakers of the UK’s fashion trends. Travel plays a huge part in a Buyer’s role, regularly jetting off to find new products in destinations like Asia, Europe and the USA. Researching what’s going to be ‘hot’ for the year ahead, and trend forecasting is essential to knowing ‘what the people want’.

Perfect for those confident in negotiating deals, researching and number-crunching, this is an exciting role which also requires fantastic time management skills to ensure tight deadlines are met. For those with a passion for fashion and long-haul travel, this is the ultimate career path.

Travel PR

Can you paint a picture with words? Public Relations professionals working in the travel field have the fantastic opportunity to explore the destinations they’re writing and talking about on a daily basis. Whether they’re working for a hotel chain, a travel PR agency or a global travel company, experiencing the product is part and parcel of truly understanding the brand they’re promoting.

For those that consider themselves something of a wordsmith, PR is a great route to explore. It’s the perfect career if you’re a bit of a social butterfly, as attending networking events and hosting journalists on press trips are integral parts of the role. Confidence is key, as is time management, working to tight deadlines and getting a little creative too.

Holiday Company Product Manager

A Product Manager at a holiday company is responsible for designing unforgettable holiday itineraries for its travellers. Day-to-day tasks can vary from negotiating exclusive behind-the-scenes experiences, to scoping out the best restaurants, and most comfortable and conveniently located accommodation. Essentially, a Product Manager will often need to ‘try before they buy’ to ensure the holiday experience is of the highest standard for its travellers – not a bad perk, huh!?

With an abundance of research required to sniff out the latest travel trends and cool new destinations, persistence and a passion for travel are key traits for this position. If you can bargain hard and you’re creatively minded then this could be the perfect job you never knew you wanted.

Travel Agent

Far more than just planning other people’s dream holidays, this is a challenging role which requires excellent organisation and strong sales skills. But the job comes with some great perks too! Travel agents often have the opportunity to sample the holiday products they’re selling. This includes ‘familiarisation’ trips to get to grips with different destinations, hotels and holiday itineraries, which travel agents can then recommend to their customers – with the edge of first-hand knowledge.

If you have excellent customer service skills and top geographical knowledge , then this could be the job for you. Day-to-day travel agents interact with holiday-hungry customers, and even recount stories of their own recent travels to inspire wanderlust!

Weird And Wonderful Swimming Pools From Around The World

St Regis Gold Energy pool, Tibet You know how they say never eat yellow snow? Well this isn’t like that, because the Gold Energy pool’s colour actually comes from snazzy golden tiles - the water itself is crystal clear.

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Chongwe River House pool, Zambia: For those who like a side of wildlife with their dip, the Chongwe River House features a pool overlooking a watering hole, where elephants and hippos regularly stop by to splash about. Uh-mazing.

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Homestead Crater, Utah: A local hotel in Midway, Utah have made the most of this natural crater, formed by the erosion of limestone rock over thousands of years. They now use the geothermal spring as their actual swimming pool.

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The Red Pool, Thailand: Ummmmmm. Yeah. The Library Hotel on Koh Samui definitely stands out from the crowd with this blood red swimming pool, created using coloured mosaic tiles.

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Hanging Gardens of Bali, Bali: Just look at the Hanging Gardens’ pool of dreams. Split across two glorious levels and surrounding by lush vegetation, we feel relaxed just looking at it.

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Nemo 33, Belgium: Nemo 33 has nothing to do with a clown fish (sadface), but you CAN just keep swimming, swimming, swimming: it’s more than 100 feet deep, contains 2.5 million litres of water, and it also features windows that look out onto a restaurant.

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Golden Nugget Pools, Las Vegas: Golden Nugget certainly fits the ‘weird and wonderful’ criteria. The unique design includes a shark tank at its centre, with an (enclosed!) see-through slide running through it. Gulp.

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Badeschiff of Berlin, Germany: In 2004 the Germans turned an old shipping container into a swimming pool, and it’s been a huge success ever since. The Spree River it sits just above is polluted and cannot be swum in, so this was a pretty great alternative

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Bondi Icebergs, Australia: Now one of Sydney’s most photographed attractions along with the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, The Bondi Icebergs Club outdoor saltwater pool is an extension of the ocean itself, with icy waves spilling over during high tide.

[Instagram - bondiicebergsclub]

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San Alfonso del Mar, Chile: Officially the largest swimming pool in the world, this hotel’s mammoth saltwater lagoon is over 3000 feet long and contains 250 million litres of water. It’s so big that you can actually go sailing, kayaking and wakeboarding.

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LeCrans Hotel and Spa, Switzerland: If you’ve got some serious $$, check in to the LeCrans Hotel for a swim in their outdoor pool, surrounded by snow and overlooking the Valais mountains. Serenity at its finest (don’t worry, the water’s heated, obviously)

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Domus Civita, Italy: Available to rent on Airbnb, this restored 14th century villa has its own cavern pool, enclosed by ancient stone walls, and featuring a jacuzzi. Heaven.

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