(Newswire.net — January 9, 2015) — The next time you’re on vacation, look around. You may have something in common with the man operating your ski lift, the waiter who brings you your food, and the maid who cleans your hotel room. All four of you are on vacation – but you’re the only one not getting paid.
It’s called a working holiday – and it’s exploding in growth and popularity, especially in the Generation Y (under 30) crowd.
A young person who is seeking some valuable job experience, or simply a change of pace can fill out the proper paperwork, secure the right permissions, and find work, often in a vacation resort, ski hill or hotel. Many countries have a special visa classification for young workers under 30. Those young travelers are not only traveling the world while getting paid, but also filling an important niche in the economy.
The global industry body, the World Youth Student and Educational Travel Confederation, says demand for working holidays has increased by over one-third internationally, especially since the global financial crisis. It’s a claim backed up by
Jürgen Himmelmann, the co-owner and CEO of one of the worlds largest firms dedicated to youth travelers, The Global Work & Travel Co. Himmelmann says his company has found it challenging to keep up with the demand.
“We’ve easily seen 30% annual growth, if not more,” says Himmelmann. “Young people are realizing it’s a global economy, and if they can’t enjoy what they’re doing in their own home town, there’s no reason they can’t see the world and get paid at the same time.”
Himmelmann says the most common destination for Australians tends to be the ski resort areas of British Columbia and Alberta, Canada. “We have clients who are ski lift operators, snow removal operators, wait staff, bartenders, cleaning crew, you name it.” Conversely, Canadians tend to find the sunny beaches of Australia attractive, and many end up working in one of the many hotel operations dotting the Gold Coast.
While a working holiday sounds attractive, it can be intimidating to go through the logistical hassle, especially if you’re a younger traveler with limited international experience.
“It’s not as simple as booking a ticket and going. You need to secure the proper visa. That’s a process which you CAN do by yourself, but most people choose to have us help them with it,” says Himmelmann. “Navigating the paperwork and the bureaucracy can be confusing.”
“We also have arrangements with most of the ski and resort operators in Canada, the UK, and Australia. We know when the jobs are available, and where the best places to go for things like inexpensive accommodation. Especially if you’ve never traveled before, trying to line up a job, navigating government paperwork and finding a place to stay can be overwhelming.”
Himmelmann says the working holiday trend is showing no signs of slowing down. “Word has gotten out – you can get out, you can see the world, you can do all the things you’ve always dreamed of doing, and you don’t need to go bankrupt to do it.”
The Global Work & Travel Co. started as a boutique travel firm with a single office in Australia. Today, they serve 6,000 clients with over 80 staff in three countries.
“We just opened an office in London, England. We’ve also had an office in Vancouver, Canada for 6 years now. If growth continues like it has, we’re likely going to have to open a fourth, in addition to expanding our existing operations.”
“When we first started, a lot of the existing industry players didn’t really understand what a ‘working holiday’ was. Airlines had heard about traditional backpackers or migrant workers, but the ‘working holiday’ term has really taken off in the last three years or so.”
Himmelmann pointed to a special rate Global was able to recently negotiate with a major airline. “We’ve developed special partnerships with existing ‘traditional’ travel companies because they’re starting to realize just how big an opportunity is out there.”