The World is your Oyster!

Experiences are king in the world of graduate recruitment; they are viewed as the best mediums for learning, and can open doors in unimaginable ways. We spoke with Celia Pronto, Marketing Director with STA Travel, to find out how STA are encouraging students, graduates and young people throughout the country to explore, engage and educate their minds abroad.

STA has made a name and reputation for itself within the student market; what aspects of the way STA work has helped to bring this about?

STA Travel has an established network of branches in some universities across the world, so it has always been synonymous with student travel. However it’s a common misconception that STA Travel is just for students. It caters for all young people looking for amazing experiences abroad and has great value fares and adventures for everyone aged 18-35. Today, most students spend a lot of time online and STA Travel’s focus is as much on social media as it is on more traditional media to ensure we’re communicating to this market effectively.

How do you identify what the student market want, and how do you tailor your services to cater for these needs?

The student market of today is looking for value as well as an amazing experience. We offer a huge range of great deals for students and under 26’s, combined with inspirational ideas for their travels or gap year. We also have other travel essentials that are really useful for the budget conscious student market. For example, the STA Travel MasterCard helps students avoid travel debt. It’s accepted pretty much everywhere but is not a credit card so you can only spend the funds you load onto it. You also don’t pay any interest on purchases - so if you buy a £30 suit in Vietnam, all you will pay is £30. It can also be used as an ATM card to withdraw local currency.

How has STA dealt with the recent ‘Volcanic Ash’ situation, and has this effected the deals and services provided?

The volcanic ash situation was unprecedented and we were entirely focused on helping our customers change their travel arrangements as easily as possible. We waived any STA Travel administration costs for itinerary changes during this period to help minimize the impact on our customers. Despite the ash cloud we still have some great deals available but we advise our customers to book early to take advantage of the most competitive fares.

As well as holiday packages, what does STA do to encourage student travelling experiences and packages?

There are several things STA Travel does in order to encourage young people to travel. Firstly, STA Travel offers extremely competitive prices for everyone. In addition, we have exclusive agreements with some of the world’s largest airlines, which enables us to offer students and those under 26 even lower fares – making it even more affordable for them to travel. We also offer a vast range of trips, experiences and tours at different prices and lengths of time, as well as volunteering programmes, language courses and Working Holiday Visas to places like Australia and New Zealand.

We truly offer something to suit all personalities and all aspirations, whether it’s chilling out on a beach and island hopping around the Greek Islands for a month, travelling the four corners of the globe for two years or volunteering abroad looking after lion cubs, helping to conserve the Galapagos Islands or teaching underprivileged children in Vietnam. Additionally, we are dedicated to providing our customers with the best possible service, so visiting a branch and speaking to our consultants is sure to be a positive, inspiring experience, and with sound, expert guidance, catering to the unique needs of each individual and encouraging each traveller to be the boss of their own adventures. .

What are the benefits of the World Traveller Internship, and how do you feel this can add to the experiences and skills-set of the modern graduate or student?

There is no doubt that travelling increases employability. Not only does it broaden horizons and encourage people to be more open-minded and accepting of the world, it also challenges people to get along with each other, to learn to compromise and to be confident when dealing with unfamiliar people and cultures. The STA Travel World Traveller Intern Programme really fosters these skills by taking two interns around the world on a three month trip to unearth the very latest “must sees” and “hidden gems” across the globe. We’ve just sent two interns off on the programme, who have never previously met. They have real responsibilities and must behave in a professional and organised manner, feeding back their learnings to STA Travel and reporting what they’ve found in an articulate and engaging manner through a host of social media channels. It really is an ideal addition to any CV.

Finally, what can you advise students who are looking to make the most of their gap years or holidays, and what can this add in terms of skills and experiences for their career and for their lives?

More importantly than anything else, follow your dreams and not be held back by fear of the unknown! Travel to places you’ve dreamt about visiting and make the most of the time you have at each destination. Make an effort to get to know the local culture and traditions, the local way of life and its people. This will help to broaden your mind and create a more accepting mind-set, which is infinitively important in the world of work, where it’s essential to be able to see the points of view of others.

However there are certain things you can do to make sure you get the best out of your time away, in the safest possible way. It’s important to plan ahead; this doesn’t mean following a regimented itinerary, as spontaneity can yield amazing experiences. It is good to do some research on the destinations you’re going to. Have an idea of a few key things you want to see and do, find out the logistics of getting to certain places and how much activities you are interested in are going to cost. STA Travel can help you plan your trip and advise on experiences and tours to suit individual requirements and budgets. Planning will help you ensure you stick to your budget, and get the best out of your time.

STA Travel recommends volunteer work, for those who want to go on a meaningful trip. Giving something back to the world can have a very inspiring effect and spur you on to pursue goals that you feel passionate about, such as tackling poverty and helping to protect the environment. Volunteer work also has a very positive effect on employability. It demonstrates a strong work ethic, a passion and the ability to work well with new people as a team.

But regardless of your reasons to go travelling, what you will learn, intentionally or otherwise, will last with you for a lifetime, and that to me seems a good a reason as any!