Why Work in the Travel & Tourism Industry?
The attraction to working in the travel and tourism industry, particularly as a tour director, is not difficult to see. The core experience, of course, is travel, sometimes to exotic locations, always to interesting places. Along with travel come perks, discounts when purchasing, accommodations in first-class hotels and restaurants. With the right employer, a TD can travel the world, by plane, bus, ship, bicycle, helicopter, the options are numerous. It’s possible to create a year-round career of directing tours.
Once you begin to build your resume as a tour director, your opportunities expand. Some tour operators will not hire a TD with fewer than 5 years’ experience, and once past that threshold, options grow more numerous.
Being a TD can also be a steppingstone to more stationary jobs in travel and tourism. Tour operators value the real-life experience of a TD, and can put it to good use. One can transition from being in the field all the time to having an office-based job, which itself can have a large component of traveling, this time to scout out new locations and vendors.
A travel career can take many forms. The pay is good, depending on the job, and the experience of travel is priceless.
The goal is to place the camel’s nose, as it were, under the tent, to get a start in the travel and tourism industry, to form the basis for an interesting and fulfilling career. Being a tour guide for a while, as you build your network and learn about possibilities, is a great way to get into this field.