The first chapter that I read was an introduction to the travel industry. I can relate to this information because I received my diploma in Travel and Tourism back in 1993. The beginning of this course felt like a refresher course to what I learned so many years ago.
Back in 1992 I had just graduated from High School. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life or what it had in store for me in the years to come. I tried to get into college but my SAT scores were low and I did not want to retake them. Travel and Tourism at York Technical Institute sounded very interesting. I signed up and took the placement tests. I loved it from the beginning. Every class was fascinating to me. I ended up graduating with a 3.5 GPA. I was the only one who earned and completed my internship prior to even graduating.
Some of the things that I learned while in Travel Schoolwere about the different Airlines, Airport codes and GDS systems. We were trained on SABRE. There was a geography course, Marketing and Advertising Course and a Public Speaking Course. I especially did not like the Public Speaking. I had trouble talking in front of groups of people. Little did I know that 10 years down the road I would be working at a popular destination and greeting and speaking to thousands of buses for a period of 7 years. What an accomplishment that was for me everyday to be able to face my fears.
So to conclude, I have been in the Tourism Industry for Seventeen years. Even though my original training is far behind me, it stays with me each and every day. Reading this book has been a great reminder of what I started out as and what I have become. There is much to learn but the basics will always be the fundamentals. I look forward to reading further.
Jen Millheim