Backpackers World Travel

Placement organization

Name of organization: Backpackers World Travel
Town/city: Byron Bay
Country: Australië
Website: https://backpackersworld.com/

Student

Name of student: Michelle van der Wens

Specialist area: Associate degree
Placement period: 2018-2019

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Travel agency
Organization’s activities: Backpackers World are a team of international travel experts and are here to make sure you enjoy your trip of a lifetime through Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and South East Asia. With stores Australia-wide and a growing global network our well-travelled, experienced and passionate staff are there every step of the way – we speak your language, be part of our world.
Target group of the organization: Backpackers
Company culture: Informal
Number of employees: around 50
Dress code: casual
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? Yes

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working?

Online department (reservations and customer service)

Brief description of your daily activities:
– Answering phone calls/e-mails/live chat
– Making bookings (TDMS, by email/phone)
– Checking availability
– Website checks

Brief description of your company assignment: Online competitor analysis
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: My company supervisor was Kay, she is really nice, friendly and always wants to help you!

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? Independent, sociable, flexible, teamplayer, stress-proof
Additional company requirements for this placement? Word, Excel, writing skills
English: Advanced

The trip

Mode of transport to reach your destination: Airplane

Accommodation

How did you arrange your accommodation? Facebook group
How did you go to work every day? Foot/bicycle

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? Yes, working holiday visa
Do you need a work permit? No
How did you arrange the necessary documents: Government of Australia (website)
How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents? 30 minutes
Did you need certain vaccinations? No
How long in advance? –

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? No

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € 1200
Accommodation (monthly): € 550
Local transport (monthly): € 0
General costs of living (monthly): € 500
Costs of visa: € 300
Costs of work permit: € 0
What did the company pay for/to you? $100 (€60) per week towards cost of living expences
Free (or discounted) tours/activities

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
I didn’t, the culture is similar to Europe’s culture
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: 163660@buas.nl

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: I would really recommend doing your internship at Backpackers World Travel. You will learn a lot from your time at the company and the people are amazing too! Also, try to arrive early or stay after your internship, so you have some time to travel Australia. You have some time on the weekends to travel, but you won’t be able to see everything on the weekends.
Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place:
– Surf lessons
– Whale watching
– Dolphin kayaking
– Snorkelling
– Nimbin

Media

Youtube link Youtube placement video link