Travel

Every employer is different so there are no definitive lists here.  These are meant as a guide and should be considered in addition to fully exploring role requirements outlined in person specification, job description and advert for each role you consider applying for. 

• Adaptability and problem-solving - the industry often requires quick responses to unexpected changes.
• Business acumen and commercial awareness - keeping customers happy is important, but you’ll also need to be aware of how your employer fits into the wider travel industry and what its’ competitors are doing differently. As well as following industry news, consider how developments in the wider world will affect travel.
• Communication - getting a message across clearly and checking that the other person has understood you is an essential part of most travel and tourism jobs.
• Cultural awareness and language proficiency - an advantage in an increasingly globalised industry.
• Leadership and responsibility - you’re unlikely to be leading a team of colleagues as a fresh graduate, but at any stage in your career or work experience you can take opportunities to make decisions, use your initiative and motivate other people in your team. 
• Organisational and time-management - for efficiently handling bookings, itineraries, and logistical details.
• Sales and persuasion - many roles involve promoting and selling travel packages or services.
• Teamwork - working efficiently as part of a group will keep things running smoothly for customers. 

All experiences ranging from volunteering, active involvement in clubs/societies can help you to build relevant and transferable skills. You may wish to consider involvement in the following: 

Clubs and Societies (Exeter campuses) 

• Adventure Society - an inclusive student-led group that provides opportunities for exciting activities and outdoor exploration in Devon to the UK at large.
• Expedition Society – A group for adventurers and hikers taking you to some of the United Kingdom's most breath-taking areas. Thrill-seekers and nature enthusiasts welcome. 

Clubs and Societies (Cornwall campuses) 

• Expedition Society - Run weekly hikes throughout the year to stunning locations, accommodating any level of walker. 

Volunteering 

• Freelance or Volunteer in Travel Writing or Social Media.
• Teach English or vocational skills (e.g., hospitality, tourism) in under-resourced communities that rely on tourism.
• Volunteer at international events like cultural festivals, film festivals, or sporting events that attract travellers.  There are useful links to these activities in the Heritage and Culture sector pages.
• Create an online blog or social media account to document your experiences of travel.
• Workaway - A community for cultural exchange, working holidays, volunteering and house sitting in 170 countries.
• WWOOF (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms) – A global network that connects volunteers with organic farmers and growers. In exchange for helping out on the farm, volunteers receive free food, accommodation, and hands-on learning about sustainable farming, organic agriculture, and rural life.
• GoAbroad - An online search engine for international travel programmes. 

University of Exeter Employability Schemes 

• Grand Challenges - Grand Challenges is a project week in which you work in interdisciplinary groups with other like-minded students to design innovative solutions to real world challenges. 
• Green Consultants - Green Consultants is an award-winning programme designed to provide students with additional skills and experience required to work in the highly competitive environmental and sustainability sector.
• Career Zone Internship schemes - Internships can be extremely useful, so try and get relevant vacation work or placements.
• The Global Leaders Experience is a unique opportunity to develop your intercultural skills as part of a short, outbound mobility experience. 

Speculative applications and where to find opportunities 

Undertaking relevant work experience will also allow you to develop new skills and gain a valuable insight into the sector. As jobs and opportunities are not always advertised, it can be useful to develop your networking skills and apply speculatively. Before visiting the sites below, you may find it useful to read our Researching employers page. 

• ABTA – The Travel Association – Represents 1,200 travel agents and tour operators
• AITO (The Specialist Travel Association) - Focusses on independent and specialist tour operators
• Ezilon.co.uk (UK section) - offers listings for travel and tourism companies like Expedia UK, Audley Travel, Scott Dunn, Titan Travel, Barrhead Travel, Travel Counsellors, Explore Worldwide, Lastminute.com, Abercrombie & Kent, On The Beach, etc
• Stader Directory - lists hundreds of UK travel agencies with free access
• Goindex - provides profiles of travel agents and holiday operators, especially useful for online-based agencies
• Kompass UK - A B2B database listing ~9,300 travel agents and tour operators in the UK. 

Finding part time work  

You could also have a look at Handshake, our vacancy database with employers who are targeting University of Exeter students. 

General Recruitment Agencies 

• Adecco - A large, well-known agency with experience in placing candidates in part-time roles across many industries.
• Reed - A large online job board with recruitment services, including temporary and part-time positions.  

Specialised Travel Agencies 

• Excellent Recruitment - focuses on the cruise industry and related travel roles.
• Urban Berry - specialises in business travel and travel technology recruitment and other travel roles.
• Aviation Recruitment Network Ltd - focuses on recruitment within the aviation sector.
• C&M Travel Recruitment - focus specifically on travel, leisure, and tourism, often handling part-time positions alongside permanent roles.
• Platinum Travel Recruitment - has a dedicated team for various travel industry sectors and offers permanent, temporary, and contract positions.
• Ambitions Travel Recruitment - focuses on leisure travel and hospitality recruitment.

Competition can be strong, especially for entry-level positions. Use the following resources to find advertised vacancies and research employers.  

Graduate roles 

• Hosco - Offers graduate jobs, internships, and trainee programmes in hospitality, tourism, and events.
• CatererGlobal - UK-focused with graduate hospitality roles at hotels, restaurants, and travel brands.
• TUI Careers - Europe’s largest travel company offers graduate schemes and internships in travel operations, business, and technology.
• Travel Weekly Jobs – Industry specific UK job board; look for graduate and trainee travel agent roles.
• All Cruise Jobs - Entry-level and graduate-friendly jobs with cruise lines (e.g., assistant purser, hospitality intern).
• Yell.com - UK business directory. Search using ‘recruitment consultancy’ as a keyword to find agencies in a particular location. 

Internships & Placements 

If you are interested in finding out more about work placements, you can also access the Work Placements SharePoint via Single Sign-On. This resource covers all aspects of credit-bearing work experiences as part of your degree, including what a placement is, how to apply for them, and bespoke information for international students or those interested in working abroad. 

• Audley Travel Work Placements — Hands-on travel industry placements at a bespoke travel operator, offering insight into operations, bespoke tours, and teamwork.
• British Airways – Future Leaders Programme - A 3-year rotational scheme offering hands-on experience in various business functions, including operations, commercial, and customer service. Based at London Heathrow, it provides a salary of £33,000.
• E4S (Employment4Students) — Focuses on paid travel and tourism internships in fast-paced environments. Offers a mix of opportunities with both independent companies and multinational tour operators.
• Go Abroad/Go Overseas - Offers tourism and hospitality internships worldwide—great for cultural immersion.
• Handshake link to placements collection.
• Prospects - Covers travel, tourism, leisure, and event management placements.
• RateMyPlacement - Searchable by industry — travel and tourism placements are often listed for second-year sandwich degrees.
• RateMyPlacement (Travel & Tourism section) — Curated listings of travel and hospitality internships, placements, insight schemes, and graduate jobs with leading UK employers like TUI, Expedia, Travelport and Hilton.
• TARGETJobs - Offers a tourism and hospitality category with access to placement years, internships, and grad schemes.
• Travelport UK Internship Program — Structured internships in data analytics, finance, marketing, HR, and more at their HQ in Langley, Berkshire. Typically, open for applications in November for summer starts.
• Workaway / Worldpackers - Offers hands-on experience in hostels, eco-lodges, guesthouses, and community tourism projects in exchange for food/accommodation. 

For general information about finding graduate opportunities, please visit our Graduate Jobs page. 

Graduate schemes  

• British Airways - Provides graduate opportunities in areas such as commercial business, data science, and operations planning, aiming to nurture talent for leadership roles.
• easyJet – Runway Graduate Programme – For those interested in leadership positions. The scheme begins with a four-week induction, followed by two years (three in finance) spent working through a series of placements in different departments. You’ll also receive mentoring, coaching and training workshops, alongside the chance to work across teams with senior stakeholders.
• Expedia - Expedia Group offers various graduate schemes aimed at developing future leaders in the travel technology industry.
• Gradcracker is STEMoriented, it features opportunities in transport and travel businesses, including graduate schemes at major UK organisations such as TfL (Transport for London) and NATS (National Air Traffic Service).
• Hays Travel - Provides a three-year Business Graduate Programme covering Retail, Finance, Commercial, Marketing, HR, and Learning & Development, along with a two -year Retail Management Graduate Programme focusing on fast-tracking management careers.
• Leonardo Hotels - Offers a two-year Management Development Programme consisting of two 12-month placements, providing exposure to various hotel operations and leadership development.
• Travel Weekly Jobs - The Travel Weekly Job Board is an online platform that lists career opportunities across the travel and tourism industry, primarily in the UK. It is part of Travel Weekly, a leading publication for travel professionals.
• TUI Group - Offers graduate programmes in Data & Analytics, Finance, and Technology, providing hands-on experience and exposure to various business functions.  

 Regional opportunities within the travel sector 

• Jobs South West - Search for Hospitality jobs & Tourism sector-based jobs in the Southwest. 
• TTW Recruitment - Southwest Hospitality Recruitment Agency.
• Visit West - A resource for finding tourism and hospitality jobs in the West of England region, including Bristol, Bath & Northeast Somerset, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire.
• Visit Devon – the official Destination Management Organisation for Devon, working with tourism businesses to promote the region nationally and internationally; includes Visit North Devon, Exmoor, and Sidmouth partnerships.
• TourAxis – a UK-based travel platform business incubator managing brands like Expat Explore, Group Tour Shop, and PlugPlug; active recruiter in the UK including Devon. 

Further sources of support 

• If you are an international student, visit our international webpages for help finding opportunities both in the UK and globally. 
• To find opportunities outside the UK use GoinGlobal. 
• For help with making speculative applications you may find it useful to read our Researching employers page.

Some individuals decide to undertake further study to build their skills and knowledge of the sector and related occupations. Not all roles or employers will require this, so it is important to research entry requirements and employer preferences before committing to additional training or qualifications. Use the sites below to research your further study options.  

Graduates in travel and tourism can pursue further study through postgraduate courses or professional development programmes to specialise in areas like ecotourism, marketing, or digital tourism. They can also enhance their skills in general business areas like marketing, human resources, or finance.  

Specific areas of further study 

• Find a Masters has a range of travel focused courses.
• If you want to stay at Exeter, you might be interested in our MSc in Sustainable Business Management Tourism.
• Specialised Tourism - Ecotourism, rural development, cultural tourism, sustainable tourism.
• Business-focused - Marketing, digital marketing, human resources, finance, event management, revenue and asset management.
• Management -Tourism management, hospitality management, international tourism management.
• Digital Skills - Digital project management in tourism, social media marketing, data analytics.
• General Business - MBA in Tourism Management.  

Get Certified - Consider beginner travel industry certifications 

• IATA Foundation in Travel and Tourism
• Tourism Management Certificate (Coursera, edX, etc.)
• First Aid, hospitality, or customer service qualifications 

Advice 

If you would like to pursue postgraduate study before entering your chosen sector, please visit our Postgraduate Study page for more information about choosing further study.  

Information and links from professional bodies 

If you have studied a related degree, check if your course is accredited by one of the professional bodies. Being a member of a professional body is voluntary; however, it can be valuable for developing networks, continuing your professional development, and generally keeping up to date with what's happening in the sector.  

Accrediting and Professional Bodies: 

• Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) - One of the UK’s leading travel trade associations, representing travel agents and tour operators committed to high standards of service, reliability, and consumer protection.
• Institute of Travel & Tourism (ITT)  - ITT is a key professional membership body for the UK travel and tourism industry. They offer the "ITT Centre of Excellence" accreditation, recognizing tourism courses that meet their standards. ITT also provides support, guidance, and networking opportunities for its members.
• Tourism Management Institute (TMI) - TMI focuses on destination management, and they recognize tourism courses that equip students with the knowledge and skills needed for this area. TMI membership is for professionals working in tourism destination management.
• Institute of Hospitality (IoH) -The IoH is the professional body for managers and aspiring managers in hospitality, leisure, and tourism. They accredit programmes that meet their standards for professional knowledge, skills, and understanding.  IoH accreditation ensures the relevance and quality of a tourism degree for the industry. 
• United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO.TedQual) - Some tourism programmes are accredited through UNWTO's TedQual program, which focuses on quality in tourism education and training. 
• AITO (The Specialist Travel Association) - AITO (The Specialist Travel Association) represents over 120 independent and specialist UK-based tour operators. It promotes responsible tourism and maintains strict membership criteria to ensure professionalism, financial protection, and customer satisfaction.