One of the most rewarding parts of running a travel business is seeing the industry through fresh eyes. Sometimes that’s a client discovering a destination for the first time. Sometimes it’s a young person stepping into the world of work and beginning to shape what their future might look like.
Recently, we welcomed two students into the business for work experience placements. Daisy joined us for two weeks, and Isla spent just one week with us. Both brought curiosity, energy and a genuine willingness to learn, and both made a meaningful contribution during their time with us.
Daisy’s Travel Work Experience: Confidence, Training and Cruise Learning
Daisy, currently studying a Level 2 Travel and Tourism course, joined us for work experience with a clear goal of exploring a future career in travel and securing a travel apprenticeship.
She already knew us from the client side, having booked holidays with Gilly before, and came to us with a strong interest in becoming a travel agent.
With only three students on her course securing placements out of a class of twenty, Daisy understood just how valuable this opportunity was, and she approached every day with real commitment and openness.
Over her placement so far, Daisy has quickly learned that travel is about far more than destinations and hotels. It is about understanding people properly, listening carefully, and building holidays that genuinely fit someone’s lifestyle, expectations and travel dreams.
During her placement, Daisy has:
- Researched destinations that work particularly well for families with teenagers, including Mauritius, South Africa, Canada and Egypt, all places she has experienced herself;
- Completed specialist destination training on Mauritius to strengthen her knowledge and confidence;
- Completed Scenic River, Ocean and Expedition cruise training, gaining an introduction to different styles of cruising and how they appeal to different travellers;
- Taken part in a role-play client consultation with Gilly to understand how real travel conversations flow;
- Created a practical guide on qualifying clients and asking the right questions to shape better holiday recommendations;
- Supported a customer event with Scenic, helping welcome guests and speaking with both clients and the Scenic representative after completing their training in advance.
Like many people starting something new, Daisy arrived feeling nervous. That quickly changed.
“I was very nervous at the start, but each day my confidence has grown and I now feel much more comfortable speaking with people and learning new skills.”
Daisy has built a strong portfolio of work and evidence of her learning, giving her something tangible to take forward as she moves towards her next steps in the travel industry.
Isla’s Marketing Work Experience: Turning Teen Travel Insights into Action
Isla, a sixth form student studying English Literature, Psychology and Business, joined us for a one-week work experience placement focused on marketing and communications.
Rather than observation alone, Isla was given a real marketing brief designed to encourage fresh thinking around how we connect with family travellers, particularly those travelling with teens, and inspire the next generation.
In the months leading up to her placement, Isla, with the support of her sixth form college, carried out a survey exploring teenage attitudes towards family holidays. This provided her with a valuable set of real-world insights before she even arrived.
During her week with us, her focus was on turning that research into commercial insight and developing a customer-facing campaign based on what teenagers actually want from a family holiday.
Isla’s work included:
- Translating survey data into clear marketing insights;
- Developing a campaign concept aimed at family travellers with teenagers;
- Creating practical recommendations to help shape future customer engagement.
What stood out was how clearly she connected research with real-world application. Her thinking was structured, relevant and grounded in genuine feedback rather than assumption.
Isla also reflected on the wider challenge many students face, with limited access to meaningful work experience opportunities that build real confidence and practical skills.
“This opportunity has allowed me to be more involved in real work and has helped me develop my confidence as well as practical skills.”
Even in a short space of time, it was clear how valuable the experience had been.
Why We Offer Travel Industry Work Experience
We are a small team, and time is always carefully balanced around our clients and their travel plans.
But when we open our doors to a work experience student, we do it properly.
That means giving real context, real involvement and real responsibility where appropriate, not just observation from the sidelines.
Both Daisy and Isla were supported throughout by Gilly and Stephanie, and both approached the experience with professionalism, enthusiasm and curiosity.
A Final Word from Gilly
“To make placements like this work properly, you do need to invest real time and energy with the students, both before they arrive and throughout their time with you. I won’t pretend that doesn’t add pressure to a busy team, especially in a small business where every hour counts. But what we’ve found is that the effort is repaid in different ways. It makes you slow down, explain what you do and why you do it, and it brings a fresh perspective into the business. For us, it has been both interesting and genuinely rewarding, and it’s reminded us how important it is to open doors for the next generation entering the industry.
We would also really encourage other businesses to do the same where they can. Both Isla and Daisy were among only a small number of students in their year groups who were able to secure meaningful placements, which shows just how limited these opportunities can be. If more businesses could offer even a small number of structured experiences, it would make a real difference.”
Opening Doors to Future Travel Careers
Watching Daisy grow in confidence and seeing Isla turn insight into ideas has been a reminder of why work experience in travel matters.
These opportunities do not need to be complicated, but they do need to be intentional. A little time, trust and guidance can have a lasting impact on someone at the start of their journey into the travel industry.