Day in the life of
Travel Coordinator – Rocío Haro
I’m a Travel & Logistics Coordinator at a holiday tour operator in Spain and Cuba.
My Typical Day
A normal day at the office involves starting the day by organizing the staff. It involves meeting with the team and reviewing the tasks that are pending, the ones that need to be completed today, and the ones that need to be considered for the near future.
Once the team has resolved their doubts and is up and running, I review all the emails. I always try to answer them as soon as possible, a premise I have is “don’t leave for tomorrow what you can do today”. Those that I can’t answer because I need a response from another intermediary, I write them down for the next round of answering emails.
I continue with the elaboration of budgets, normally I start by making a list of inclusions of the services that are added in a travel program: restaurants, accommodations, activities, transports, etc… In a spreadsheet, I get the answer of the price that a previously designed and customized program can have based on the number of attendees.
I send this information to the sales department who are the ones who maintain direct contact and negotiation with the client and they are responsible for designing the proposal with the information given and send it to the client.
Apart from the budgets another of the administrative tasks is the compilation of lists of travelers with their passports, supervise their medical requirements or needs on arrival, supervise flights and arrivals, etc.
Once the administrative tasks are finished, I make a round of calls, mainly to suppliers, guides, hotels, lecturers, drivers, etc… I also attend meetings with these suppliers to make payments, finalize details of the service or give the information they need to provide the service.
Finally, I check the next day’s agenda. Some activities need priority or attendance first thing in the morning. I try to leave as organized as possible.
On a client arrival day
On a client arrival day, out of the office, I start by supervising the arrival flight information.
Groups of travelers upon arrival are given a welcome talk with practical information. This involves preparing the presentation and giving a “survival” lecture.
With the group briefed, we leave for a welcome dinner. It is a time to get to know each other and relax after a day of nervousness for everyone.
Farewell dinner in Havana restaurant
On other days
On other days, it is a combination of administrative tasks and attendance to occasional activities.
Other times I travel with the group to other provinces by bus.
Other times there are clients who fall ill and I accompany them to visit the doctor.
It is not a boring job at all.
Excursion day with group
Pros
The positive thing about this job is the fun. The goal is that our clients live unique experiences and this is very nice, especially when what you teach and show is related to your culture. You have to really like what you do to teach it with passion. Another positive aspect is that I don’t get bored, it’s a very entertaining job, not monotonous and allows you to be constantly learning.
I also get to meet many people in the service sector, in restaurants, museums, lecturers, social projects, etc… it is a good fortune to meet so many different people. I also meet clients, you make friends in many places, I keep in touch with many of them and I am pleased to know that they keep an unforgettable memory of their trip.
I like the lack of schedules, sometimes I finish late at night and sometimes I start very early. It can be a disadvantage, but at the same time, it keeps me from falling into a routine job.
Meeting with Rutger University and faculty
Cons
Working when others are resting. Since there are no schedules, it is very common to work when family and friends are resting, and this means that you cannot share much of your free time. It is possible to receive a group at 2 am at the airport and the next morning be at 8 am giving a lecture on local culture or be in the hospital with a client due to gastritis.
Another drawback is dealing with customers who are not very tolerant. It is not always easy to try to satisfy people who are not very flexible. I have encountered difficult cases that you have to know how to deal with and solve.
Also being in the middle between a service provider and the customer. Although you always have reliable suppliers, sometimes they fail and you have to know how to have a plan B and make sure that the client is satisfied.
Customized trips require a lot of commitment, but at the same time, you get a lot of satisfaction from the client.
I must admit that I like my job, so the sacrifices are effortless for me.
Advice to aspiring Travel Coordinators
First of all, you must like emotions. It is not a quiet job, nor is it stable, but you experience a lot of emotions. Keep in mind that you will have to work under pressure, with limited time and with a high level of demand.
You must be a sociable person, with great empathy and emotional control. You work with people and must have great communication and leadership skills.
You should also like challenges, be flexible and problem solver, have many alternatives, and be creative.
You will have to assume a lot of responsibility, you will handle a lot of money and clients will want results. This responsibility will make you make decisions, so you must be self-confident.
But like everything in life, you learn. Skills are acquired and that comes from practice.
You can start doing volunteer work while you finish your studies, there are many events where you can sign up as a volunteer worker. You make contact and get to know the environment. Keep an open mind and be observant to catch opportunities. Study the sector, get to know the companies.
