Fancy Working Abroad? 7 Tips On Breaking Into The Travel Industry

Are you feeling a bit restless with your daily routine? Maybe it's time to mix things up and try a career in travel. Here's how you can get paid to go on holiday (sort of)...

Who wouldn't want to work in the travel industry? It's a job that allows you to explore the globe, see fantastic scenery and meet people from different cultures. All in all, it's a dream. Understandable, these perks make the travel industry an incredibly hard one to break into.

Don't let that put you off, though. We've picked the brains of Laura Riley, who is a contracting manager at holiday company Eurocamp, to see how the rest of us can land a dream overseas job in the travel industry.

1. Do your research. Holiday brands vary hugely in terms of the locations they cover, the type of holidays they offer and company culture. By effectively researching which holiday companies would suit your skills and interests, you’ll have a much better chance of success. If you really get your kicks from art and culture, a ski company is definitely going to be the wrong fit for you.

2. Speak the language. Speaking the local language is essential to performing the role to the best of your ability. But, don't panic, language skills don’t necessarily need to be academic qualifications, evening courses and a year abroad can be equally useful for honing your communication skills so that you can chat with the locals.

3. Be willing to start again. Directly contact those companies you’d like to work with and put yourself forward for work experience, it really shows initiative and a commitment to working within the sector. Any opportunities secured also gives you a fantastic chance to impress a potential employer. It may seem a daunting prospect, but it'll be worth it in the long run.

4. Be social. Learn more about the holiday brands you want to work for by following their accounts on social networks. Checking out how they interact on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest will really give you an insight into what the company offers, and a better feel for the culture and customer base.

5. Skills, skills, skills. A love of travel is essential (obviously), but in addition to this you need to have the right skills and character traits. Working abroad is an integral part of the role, so you need to be an independent worker, with strong communication skills to build a rapport with people in foreign countries. Ideally you should be university educated as well as having a strong commercial awareness. Take a look back over your career so far and zone in on the appropriate skills you've aquired so far.

6. Industry-specific job sites. Keep an eye on job postings, and set up alerts so that you hear about the roles as soon as they are advertised. Get in there as quick as you can. 7. Network. Careers fairs are a great way to learn more about the travel industry, and most universities organise these for students. If your university days are well behind you, travel trade shows such as the World Travel Market also offer the opportunity to meet and network with holiday brands.

 If you fancy joining Eurocamp's overseas team, visit holidaybreakjobs.com for more information.