EcoColors Tours

Placement organization

Name of organization: EcoColors Tours
Town/city: Cancún
Country: Mexico
Website: http://ecotravelmexico.com

Name of student: Laura Wientjes

Specialist area: MT
Placement period: 2014-2015

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Touroperator
Organization’s activities: Trips in and around the Yucatan Peninsula and tours around Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and Cuba. Based on nature, culture and adventure.
Target group of the organization: Culture, nature and adventure travelers
Company culture: The company culture is really well-going. Every one works on their own departments, but you can ask them anything you want to know. Everyone is very friendly and openminded.
Number of employees: 10-15
Dress code: uniform
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? Yes

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working? Ecommerce/(online)marketing
Brief description of your daily activities: Contact with other companies, searching for new companies to work with, posting of social media posts, SEO research, website optimalization, helping Kenneth with new clients, new tours, making itineraries and more small things.
Brief description of your company assignment: Research about educational tourism.
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: Kenneth Johnson, also the manager of the company, is a really friendly men and he can help you with a lot of things. When you need something you can ask him, but you can also ask your other colleagues, they are all willing to help you.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? Sociable, independent, flexible
Additional company requirements for this placement? MS Office, writing skills, Photoshop, SEO
English: Intermediate
Spanish: Basic
French:
German:
Italian:
Other languages:

The trip

Mode of transport to reach your destination: Airplane

Accommodation

How did you arrange your accommodation? Internet first accommodation, second friends
How did you go to work every day? By foot or by car (colleague)

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? No
Do you need a work permit? No
How did you arrange the necessary documents:
How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents?
Did you need certain vaccinations? Yes
How long in advance? 2 months before

Language course

Did you take a language course before you started your placement? No
Would you recommend to have a language course prior to this placement? Spanish lessons, yes.

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € 750
Accommodation (monthly): € Depends on yourself. My first 2 months I pad 260, my second home was with a friend for 100.
Local transport (monthly): € -/+ 20
General costs of living (monthly): € Depends on yourself. Around 200
Costs of visa: €
Costs of work permit: €
What did the company pay for/to you? 1300MXN (pesos) each two weeks. Monthly 150 euros

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
Internet and travelmagazines/travelbooks
Did the culture of the country influence your performance during the placement in any way? No

Future students on placement

Future students are free to contact me for further information: Yes
My e-mail address: laura_hw94@hotmail.com

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: Cancún is a very safe place. You can travel yourself wherever you want, by taxi or bus (ADO busses, collectivos).
Discover a lot of places and you will find beautiful parts of Mexico. In hotel zone you will find also some very nice beaches, but also Cancún downtown has its own nice places.

On Monday go to McCartney´s, chickenwings are for really cheap. Also try a salad or pizza at ‘el tigre o el torro’. On thursday night you have ladiesnight in the Irishpub above little karaoke bar ´el Capital´. For sure you will have a fun night.

When you take a taxi, make sure you pay only 25MXN and not more!

Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: Enjoy all moments when you are in Cancún. Go to a lot of places such as Playa del Carmen, Holbox, Isla Mujeres, Mérida, Tulum, etc. See a lot of new places and meet a lot of new people! Make sure it will be a once in a lifetime experience. It is a great country with a lot of beautiful places and great people.

Media

Youtube link Youtube placement video link