Destination Specialist/Travel Expert
(Female, Age 28) from Lynnwood, WA
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 28 who works as a Destination Specialist/Travel Expert in Lynnwood, WA. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.
At a Glance
Current Job
Basic data on your current job
| Job Title | Destination Specialist/Travel Expert |
|---|---|
| Salary | $33,000 |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | 40 |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | Lynnwood, WA |
| Years Experience | 3.5 years |
Career Ratings
Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)
| Years in Career | 0 |
|---|---|
| Education | (not answered) |
| Income Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Interest Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Work-Life Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Fulfilment Rating | 0 / 10 |
Current job Q&A
Describe the type of organization you work for.
Travel 4 Real is a tour operator the employs approximately 8 people on a part time or full time basis. This LLC has grown from a basement home business to a large Everett office space business in 3 years. As a seller of travel, they offer international travel to it’s clients.
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
As a Destination Specialist, I provide information to my clients to help them decide on their travel options. The purchase an itinerary I plan, and I book those services for them.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
None
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
I feel I am extremely underpaid for my position
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
I work with other people in the office for accounting purposes and approval of certain services. The company tries to have a ‘team work’ approach but I don’t personally buy into it. I am a better independent worker.
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
Or at least I try really hard. There is an underlying competition from the newer employees that causes me to be uncomfortable. I am not a competitive person. I like to do things for the greater good.
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 1
Benefits: 3
Hours: 2
Co-Workers: 4
Supervisors: 5
Job Title: 8
Level of Responsibility: 6
The Actual Work: 7
A day in the life of…
Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:
| 5am to 6am | |
| 6am to 7am | |
| 7am to 8am | N/A |
| 8am to 9am | N/a |
| 9am to 10am | Work arrival. After the 20 minutes it takes for my computer to boot up, I check my tasks for the day and begin to prioritize them. I use this time to basically prepare my day. |
| 10am to 11am | I begin my tasks. I called all the clients that were supposed to be called today. One in particular needed an update on her itinerary as she had a flight schedule change. This happens often with airlines changing their flights. So, I had to reschedule her private car and driver which was done, and I let her know. |
| 11am to 12pm | Had a scheduled phone appointment with a potential client. She didn’t answer the phone, so I used the time to check and reply to emails. One client sent there deposit in online so I can start working on his itinerary after lunch. |
| 12pm to 1pm | Lunch.. yummy |
| 1pm to 2pm | I finish checking my email and sending any necessary replies to vendors about room confirmations, etc. Once I am done with this, I start my research for my new client’s itinerary. Since he is going to all places I am very familiar with, this only takes me about an hour. I just need to find the hotels that will suit him best with his style of travel. |
| 2pm to 3pm | After finishing the itinerary. I call a couple leads that we received from our website. People send in requests for information about traveling to Italy and then the specialist calls to answer their questions. So, I make the calls, explain the process to the one person that answers and leave messages for the rest. I email the ones I left messages for just to make sure they know I am trying to contact them. |
| 3pm to 4pm | Birthday Cake! It is the owner’s birthday and so we surprise her with cake and ice cream. Then we chat….. |
| 4pm to 5pm | Last email check, and then I send out postcards to potential future clients and past clients that may travel again. I spend most of my last hour trying to print out vouchers which are basically confirmation sheets of services booked for each client. They are in color and our color printer is low on toner so it has to be reset every page it prints. |
| 5pm to 6pm | Finally done with printing, I write down the list of what I need to do tomorrow and who I need to call. Say goodbye to everyone and clock out. |
| 6pm to 7pm | |
| 7pm to 8pm | |
| 8pm to 9pm | |
| 9pm to 10pm | |
| 10pm to 11pm | |
| 11pm to 12am |
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
Craigslist.org post
What was the application process?
I submitted a resume by email
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
Yes, I had one interview and with one owner and then met the other owner at his home. I was basically hired after meeting the 2nd owner.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
Why do you think you would be good for this position?
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
No, my employer had no idea what they were doing either. We all figured it out together.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
Not really. The training was basically get on the phone and call this person who sent in a travel request…. see what they want.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes of course. Education is what prepares us for almost everything we encounter.
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
Not applicable.
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Learn about the destination you want to specialize in and really focus on that and your attention to detail during any correspondence and interview with the travel company.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
A person will need great social and sales skills to pursue this position. As this is ultimately sales, one must have the intelligence to know when it is time to ask for money and the confidence to actually ask for it.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
No, I think you just need the ability and willingness to learn.
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
If you are doing this because you love to talk to people, and love to travel, go for it. If you are doing this for the money, find another career.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
No. My career plan is to work in a company which has work ethic and honesty as it’s highest priority.
What are your current career goals?
My current goals are to thoroughly research and find a career with a company that is concerned about the future of travel and the people it employs.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
This is a great career for someone who has the intelligence and drive to go into business for themselves.
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | Account Manager | 8 months | 30,000/yr | Payroll, Accounts Pay/Rec, new employee hiring and training |
| Prior Job 2 | Service Manager | 2 years | 35000 | Skip tracing, staff management, client relations. |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:4
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
|||
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
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