- Name: Andrea Bertossi
- Age: 27
- Current location: Hobart, Australia
- Home town: Toronto, Canada
- Education: BSc Biology
- Current position: Trip Manager, Contiki Holidays
- Organization description: Contiki Holidays specializes in group travel for 18-35 year-olds.
- Bio: Andrea may have biology degree, but she’s never worked in a lab, instead she’s defined her career by working outdoors. After graduation, she travelled across the country to take a job as a boat cruise tour guide in Jasper National Park. When Andrea realized she could do this type of work abroad, she was hooked. She currently works as a Trip Manager for Contiki, specializing in Europe.
- Countries I've worked in: Canada, UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Greece, Japan, Australia
- Sector / subsectors: Travel and tourism
- Areas of expertise: British and Irish history, Italian culture, food markets
- Country: Australia, Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, UK
- Region: Europe, Oceania
- Sector: Tourism & hospitality
- Degree subject: Sciences
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Tell us about the organization you work for and your role there.
Meet Andrea Bertossi, trip manager with Contiki Holidays.
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Describe a day or week in your working life.
Andrea’s job is all about thinking 5 steps ahead, from restaurant reservations, to creating the perfect playlist for a long bus ride. Having a plan is the only way to manage the chaos.
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Tell us about your career trajectory, what skills and experience contributed to the attainment of your current role.
Despite no formal educational background in hospitality or tourism, Andrea has excelled at her job. She may not use her biology skills on the road, but she tells us about the skills that set her apart.
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Tell us about some of the things you enjoy most abut working in an international setting, both personally and professionally.
If you love meeting people from around the world, there’s no better job.
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Describe any professional challenges that you've encountered while working cross-culturally.
There’s no such thing as “me time”, when you’re leading a 37-day trip across Europe.
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What abilities and qualities does it take to be able to succeed in this kind of work specifically and international work in general?
Leading tours, no two days are ever alike. Andrea tells us what she thinks is vital to succeeding in this field.
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What kinds of jobs are out there at the moment in your field? Where do you see openings developing either for people starting out in their careers or those with more experience.
The travel and tourism sector is always evolving to meet changing tastes and sell new experiences. Andrea tells us about the travel trends she sees popping up.
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What are some possible entry points to working as a tour guide?
You may not consider “obsessive” to be positive trait, but Andrea explains why she thinks it is.
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For people who are either just starting out in their careers or looking to move into this kind of work, what's your best advice?
The learning never stops. Andrea explains how she’s always on the hunt for interesting facts and history, to make her destinations come to life.
