Ellis van Buul
“I’ve loved travelling for as long as I can remember. My ultimate dream was to become a flight attendant, so after secondary school I studied Travel & Hospitality at vocational level and completed internships in Curaçao and Tenerife. Those experiences abroad taught me a lot about myself. I went on to complete my flight attendant training, but after six months I realised the job wasn’t quite right for me. I wanted more challenge and depth. That’s when I discovered the Associate Degree Tourism Management.”
Discover my entrepreneurial side
“What I loved about the AD was how practical it was. I gained experience quickly and got the opportunity to do an internship abroad. I joined a Dutch company in Valencia, where I discovered how much I enjoyed marketing. I even took an additional marketing course because I wanted to learn more about understanding target audiences and creating strong sales concepts. In Valencia, I realised that I’m not only passionate about travel, but also interested in entrepreneurship. After graduating, I worked as a holiday representative in Gran Canaria. It was demanding, but I learnt a lot from welcoming guests, organising excursions and solving problems.”
Learning about myself along the way
“After a few months in Gran Canaria, I felt the urge to travel again. At the beginning of January, I left for Bali and started a six-month journey through Asia. I travelled through Lombok, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and the Philippines. I stayed in hostels, made plans based on tips from other travellers and met people from different backgrounds. Most importantly, I got to know myself better. Travelling puts you in situations where you have to rely on yourself, and every trip teaches you life lessons you won’t find in a book. A desk job can always wait. Right now, I want to explore the world.”
Where could your journey take you?
Want to find out if the Associate Degree (AD) Tourism Management could be your next step? Explore the programme and discover where it could take you.