My World of Experiences

Placement organization

Name of organization: My World of Experiences
Town/city: Arinsal – La Massana
Country: Andorra
Website: https://www.my-woe.com

Student

Name of student: Sunny Escoda Meeuwissen
Specialist area: Tourism Management (EN)
Placement period: 2020-2021

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Travel Agency
Organization’s activities: My World of Experiences seeks to be an original destination management company. Since 2011, they have not stopped looking for hidden gems, secrets and adventures in and around Andorra, which they share with their clients. A small but active company, located in the mountainous town of Arinsal in Andorra, the heart of the Pyrenees. My World of Experiences, team is made from experts with more than 30 years experience in the field. They offer services and their knowledge, to anyone interested in Andorra and its neighbors. Help their clients organize group travel to Andorra, Spain and France, special programs and offers for both Leisure and corporate travel.
Target group of the organization: B2B travel organizers and B2C (French, Residents of Andorra and Spanish markets)
Company culture: The company has a small and simple structure that requires great communication among its participants. An informal culture, were all employees contribute to its success. Sharing ideas is possible as long as there is a plan to develop it further, including step by step processes.
Number of employees: 3 – 20
Dress code: casual
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? Definitely, they are strict on that

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working?

All of them, as I assist the managers. But, primarly sales, promotion and marketing online and offline, and product creation.

Brief description of your daily activities: Work in a travel agency is quite dynamic. My day to day activities differ according to the necessities of the business. I do not execute all of them at the same time. Some of my tasks are:
– Call/email/answer clients and providers concerning products/services, promotion and follow-up.

· Send or re-send any extra information or notes via the internal mail to facilitate the internal flow (for easy access and knowledge of all).

· Fill CRM’s, Excel’s, Word, Pwp, PDF and other documents the company uses, with new information provided by clients or providers, or other, for an easy internal flow.

· Update and improve the existing data base (CRM) with new data from clients, suppliers, intermediaries, and providers, making a distinction between professional (B2B) and direct (B2C).

· Organize virtual and personal visits with providers and clients.

· Help to create attractive offers to seduce existing and new clients.

· Work as a guide, whenever it is needed (compensated financially).

· Help with any other administrative tasks from the first contact with the prospect until closure, after-sales & follow-up.

In marketing:

· Help promote the company to prospects, maintain contact with clients and assist at travel fair (s) (only if possible).

· Improve both websites: my-woe.com (B2B for international tour operators and groups) & myworldofexperiences.com (B2C for residents, neighbors & friends).

· Work on content & strategy

· Improve usability & conversion of the websites

· Improve web positioning through SEO, Google Analytics, SSL and cross-media.
Brief description of your company assignment: My company assignment is to analyze, plan and provide with a well thought website. The aim is to create a proposal describing the findings, explaining how to use the findings to adapt the strategy and tactics, and help improve elements that can impact the customer experience.
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: Both the company management and me, regularly check progress and provide with ideas for possible updates. Also, we constantly provide feedback to each other and work to fix an issues that may arise, learning from mistakes and growing.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? Languages, Initiative, curiosity and creativity
Additional company requirements for this placement? Any online tool knowledge is very useful (many those that go with website building and positioning as well as social media skills)
English: Advanced
Spanish: Mother tongue
French: Advanced
German: Basic
Italian: Basic
Other languages: Dutch, Catalan, Scandinavian

The trip

Mode of transport to reach your destination: Car, Bus, Taxi, Motorbike (I use car)

Accommodation

How did you arrange your accommodation? I stayed at my family’s house, but rent here goes from 500 to 800 for a good normal sized apartment.
How did you go to work every day? Car and by foot

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? –
Do you need a work permit? Yes, any outsider does (I was born here so I did not). This is easily obtainable when a job is granted.
How did you arrange the necessary documents: I already had most of it, but normally when calling the embassy, consulate or government, all info is provided on where and how to get everything
How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents? Normally it might take up to 3 months
Did you need certain vaccinations? No
How long in advance? Maybe, Covid

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? Yes, If possible Catalan, Spanish, English, German and/or French

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € Gas is quite cheap ( 45€ a full deposit), bus might cost around 2€ every ride), taxi (around 50€ max from one border to the other), transport to BCN or Toulouse (50-70€)
Accommodation (monthly): € 500-800 (for me 0€)
Local transport (monthly): € Depending on the use (a tarnsport card might be a smart purchase). I believe 70€ would be more than enough.
General costs of living (monthly): € 200€
Costs of visa: –
Costs of work permit: € No idea
What did the company pay for/to you? Due to covid they only paid for some of the promotional activities, I advised them on. But, they were willing to pay guiding service if ever needed. When doing familiarization trips or visits, they paid for the costs.

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
Andorra is rather complicated. People are open to meet new people but the majority does not speak English, so learning Catalan, Spanish or French does help a lot. The culture is quite dynamic: many events, great spots to have some tapas and drinks, breathtaking view points were you can chill with some acquired friendships, etc.
Did the culture of the country influence your performance during the placement in any way? Definitely, the more you know the better you can sell the location. So, if you do not get involved in culture during free times it might be hard to sell those hidden gems.

Future students on placement

Future students are free to contact me for further information: Yes
My e-mail address: 170798@buas.nl

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: – Have good self-management skills

– If any doubts/problems arise talk with the management about it so it can be fixed

– Have a professional attitude at all times
Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: – Get a Caldea membership – enjoy spa time, gym and sunbathing in its terraces

– Go to language exchanges (there are many) or get acquainted with the expat group (usually they have pretty good tips on where to go).

Media

Youtube link Youtube placement video link