Internship abroad: Eva learned to step outside of her comfort zone in Australia
During the Tourism Management programme, students have the opportunity to do an internship abroad. Eva took this opportunity and went to Melbourne, Australia. For seven months, she experienced what it was like to live and work on the other side of the world.
Why did you choose to do your management internship in Australia?
I wanted my management internship to be about more than just professional development. Before Australia and during my studies in Tourism Management, I had already completed my practical internship in Copenhagen. I really enjoyed the experience and learned a lot professionally, but I realised that I hadn’t developed my social life and personal side as much as I would have liked. At the time, I was often described as a perfectionist and even “permanently stressed”. Australia seemed like the perfect opportunity to challenge myself in a completely different environment. I had always heard that Australian culture was very relaxed, social and easy-going, and I wanted to experience that for myself. I also knew that an opportunity like this would probably only come along once in my life. So rather than choosing the easiest or most familiar option, I decided to take the leap.
Where did you do your internship and what was your role?
I completed my internship at Welcome to Travel, a travel and tour operator based in Melbourne. The company offers trips throughout Australia and provides practical support to help travellers settle into the country. A large part of my work involved booking activities, communicating with tourists and suppliers and making sure all the details of upcoming tours were correct. One of my main projects was improving the system we used to keep track of tourist information. I even took an additional spreadsheet course and used what I learned about formulas and automation to make the system more efficient.
Were you able to apply what you learned at Saxion?
Definitely, particularly my organisational skills. My experience with event management was especially useful because events teach you how to organise a lot of different things at the same time and keep an overview when there are many details involved. At the same time, the internship showed me that there are some skills you simply can’t fully learn from theory. For example, I used to find making phone calls quite intimidating. During my internship I became much more comfortable and confident doing so.
How was the working culture in Australia different?
The biggest difference was how laid-back the working culture was. The general attitude was very much: “We’re saving spreadsheets, not lives.” Of course, people took their work seriously and wanted to do a good job, but there wasn’t the same feeling of constantly being stressed or needing everything to be perfect. That was one of the biggest lessons for me personally: work doesn’t always have to feel stressful for you to take it seriously and do it well.
What did you learn from living and working abroad?
I learned how important it is to build a community around you. When you’re living on the other side of the world, far away from your family and the people you normally rely on, you have to build that support system yourself. I also learned that if you want something to happen, you have to take initiative. You have to put yourself out there, say yes to things and sometimes deliberately do things that scare you.
What was the biggest challenge you faced?
One of my biggest challenges was dealing with my own perfectionism and fear of failure. I was given real responsibility, which was exciting, but also quite scary. And then, something did go wrong. I accidentally deleted the entire Excel file containing information about our clients from the previous ten years. It was not my finest moment! Luckily, we were able to retrieve the document, but the experience taught me something important. Being responsible for something doesn’t mean that you should handle everything alone. Asking for help is not a sign that you’ve failed. It’s actually an important professional skill.
Did the internship influence your plans for after graduation?
Absolutely. I completely fell in love with Australia, and I would love to go back after graduation. Professionally, I still see myself leaning more towards the event industry rather than tour operating. After returning to the Netherlands, Welcome to Travel offered me a part-time hybrid job to support them during their summer season. It made me feel like I had genuinely contributed something valuable to the company.
What advice would you give to students considering an internship abroad?
My biggest piece of advice would be: don’t play it safe. An internship abroad is such a unique opportunity because you’re not just travelling to another country; you’re getting the chance to live there, work there and experience everyday life while still having the support of your education. If there is somewhere you’ve always dreamed of going, and it’s financially possible for you, I would seriously consider doing it now. Most importantly, take the risk, step outside your comfort zone and make the most of it. You’re going to learn a lot professionally, but I think you’ll be surprised by how much you learn about yourself too.
