Ewan Ramsay (Tourism Management) – Reflects on his placement in London

Who are they?

Original Travel is a luxury travel operator, based in Battersea,

London. They specialise in luxury tailor-made holidays to all

corners of the globe, and have won 16 National Awards - including

UK’s Best Tour Operator. They have also featured in Vanity Fair,

Conde Nast Traveller and were the tour operators chosen by the

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for their honeymoon!

The Job

Looking back I have to say that I was extremely lucky to get my placement with such an amazing company that

is growing everyday. I started out helping the sales team making itineraries, creating final documents to send

to clients and doing background work on the website, such as, search engine optimisation - I increased my

knowledge on the way a successful business is run and improved my skills. I then started working with the

Marketing team, which I loved! I was able to be creative, and was in charge of own roles and responsibilities. I

was in control of running all the social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Youtube, Instagram)

which was very interesting. I had to keep up-to-date with what was trending in the travel industry, interact

with customers, and take part in social media conferences with other companies and bloggers around the

world! I also got the chance to represent the company at different events – Hyper Japan, Polo in the Park,

Royal Henley Regatta and work with Crew Clothing and Thomas Pink in setting up a partnership with monthly

competitions. The other employees were all very welcoming, like-minded, and at no point did I feel I was

another intern sat in the corner doing work which wasn’t valued.

London Life

London is highly regarded as one of the best cities in the world and living

there was no exception. It features an impressive list of the world’s top

museums, amazing food, theatre, music, art, parks, architecture, history,

fashion and lots of bars and clubs – sadly didn’t quite get to them all! It is

also in close proximity to other European cities, which I travelled to for long

weekends.

Would I do it again?

Yes, 100%. It gave me a great insight into the travel industry and the way a

successful business is run. While it may be hard work for a full year, it is

great fun, an awesome experience, I have made useful contacts in the

industry and it looks fantastic on your CV.

Ewan Ramsay - Tourism Management