What inspired you to work for Global Work & Travel?
Global offers a variety of different travel experiences that help youth travelers on working holidays, volunteers giving back to communities and animal conservation, teachers abroad helping kids in Thailand learn English, and so much more! The diversity to help so many people move their lives overseas or help people in less fortunate countries is very rewarding.
Met this little guy visiting one of our animal conservation partners in Costa Rica. He broke his leg falling out of a high tree and was admitted into the clinic where we send volunteers to nurse them back to full health!
Describe a typical day at work.
I work in the Melbourne office where we have a very vibrant, fun, energetic workplace. After all, we get to talk about traveling every day and help people turn their travel dreams into a reality. We receive new bookings every single day which I manage our trip coordination team to help get customers pre departure prepared as well as visas and any other documents required for the program.
Why do you do what you do?
I have always wanted to work for a company that I would feel proud to be a part of and feel like my job means something by helping people achieve their own travel goals. Being able to see that your company directors are all animal conservation conscious also makes me feel very proud to be a part of a business like this.
What is your favorite part of your job?
Getting to talk about traveling everyday! Nothing beats talking about some personal stories I have experienced on my trips overseas but also hearing about other people's experiences to fuel my own travel goals! Again seeing people achieve their own travel bucket lists and coming into positive reviews is amazing!
What challenges do you often face and how do you overcome them?
I think educating customers on how easy these trips can be and how achievable we make them, is the most challenging part of the job. People think moving their whole life overseas is super expensive and really hard but in reality going through us makes it so easy and you have a real opportunity to get out of your home country and explore more of the world!
On my first big international trip to the USA, I spent four weeks traveling both the east & west coasts. This is the trip that inspired the travel bug!
What are some current projects you are working on?
We are currently in the middle of releasing some new trips including Teach Cambodia and Working Holiday South Korea. We also have a variety of different volunteer and study trips in the works across the world helping communities and animal conservation plus language courses! All should be released in the next 6 months.
What advice would you tell your pre-travel self?
Don't worry about money, it comes and goes, invest your time and skills into learning more about cultures, languages and using this knowledge to help grow your awareness and how lucky you are to grow up in a developed country like Australia. Then pass this knowledge on to help others go traveling abroad!
Why should someone choose Global Work & Travel over competitors?
We provide a very in depth and detailed planning process to make sure your travel journey is seamless, we employ a lot of well trained coordinators all of whom have done some traveling themselves and know what it takes to get you overseas. We also provide 24/7 emergency services and have multiple locations across the world to ensure you feel supported.
What hopes do you have for the future for Global Work & Travel?
That we continue to grow and help more people get overseas and travel the world! Adding in more options into our division to provide an even bigger range of products as well. We are looking into expanding our remote and internship divisions making these trips more accessible to digital nomads and students.
On a Quad Bike Tour exploring through Costa Rica while working remotely abroad.
What is the Global Work & Travel's mission and how do you continue to work toward it?
To help make travel more accessible and achievable to more people, after all our company's motto is “travel made easy!” We strive to be able to use our tech team to connect travelers while overseas and use it as a marketplace helping other projects and travel agencies grow through our advertising platform.
What do you hope participants take away from your programs?
To become more educated and culturally aware, the world has so much to offer and just doing a short trip abroad can help you learn more about yourself than any online class will teach you. The ability to be able to work and live wherever you want is something that is unique and something everyone should do once in their lifetime before committing to a career.
Why is it important for people to travel abroad and experience new cultures?
As said above I think it's important to further your education and become more aware of what you personally are passionate about which traveling helps you learn more about you. I personally didn't have much knowledge about animal conservation but since I started at Global and participated at one of our volunteer locations, I personally have become more motivated to protect animals.
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
Meaningful travel is all about immersing oneself in a new culture, engaging with local communities, and experiencing new perspectives. It's about stepping out of your comfort zone and exploring new surroundings with an open mind and a willingness to learn.
Ultimately, meaningful travel is a highly personal experience that can lead to personal growth, cultural understanding, and a deeper appreciation for the world around us. It's about forging connections with people and places that enrich our lives and broaden our horizons.
