From traveler to staff member: Hannah's EF journey

Hannah discovered EF Education First during her first tour with her mom, who was a group leader. This experience sparked her passion for educational travel and led her to work at EF. Now, with 25 countries under her belt, she helps group leaders like her mom ensure their travels with EF run smoothly. Read on to learn how her love for travel, accessibility, and education led her to where she is today.

How did you find out about EF Education First, and end up working here?

My mom started organizing EF Educational Tours as a Group Leader, and she did that for 10 years. I began traveling with her and fell in love with the education-through-travel process. On our first tour to Italy and Switzerland, I was 14 years old—it was an unforgettable experience. In my final year of high school, on one of our trips, I pestered my Tour Director with questions about their job: How do you get to do what you do? How do you get to travel with students? Do I need to learn three languages to work for EF? Through that, I tailored my college experience toward that career path. I studied History and Global Studies because I wanted to be involved in education through experience in some capacity. I applied to EF and was hired in 2019. It was my first job straight out of college, and I just celebrated my five-year anniversary here.

Can you walk me through a typical day in your role? What does a successful day look like?

As a Tour Preparation Specialist, every day is quite different. We work closely with Tour Directors and Group Leaders to make sure everything is set before they go on tour. We handle a lot of auditing, inbox management, and team calls to discuss various situations. During our busy season, a successful day begins with auditing background checks and ensuring everyone is set to go on tour. I spend the latter part of my morning managing the inbox, attending meetings, and catching up with my team to ensure we’re all on the same page.

In the afternoon, I return to the inbox to address various requests – everything from arranging larger buses for groups to focusing on the accessibility aspects of tours. I check in with people if they have questions and sometimes meet with a Tour Consultant to discuss situations their travelers are experiencing. It’s crucial to understand the context from them, process the information, and then determine how best to address the situation. I provide guidance based on my knowledge and connect them with the appropriate contacts to detail what their experience on tour will look like.

What keeps you passionate about your role?

The number of accessibility requests keeps growing every year: we've doubled the requests year after year, which pushes us to constantly find better ways to streamline the process. We want to make things smoother for travelers and improve our internal tracking as well. We're not perfect yet, but that's part of what excites and drives me: every day, we're figuring out new ways to make things better and improve the experience for everyone involved.

What is a time or story where you've been able to see the impact of the work that you do?

One of the biggest impacts I’ve seen is developing a relationship with one of our Group Leaders, David Anderson. David is a paraplegic and travels with us regularly. He’s done amazing work advocating for people with disabilities, including creating the entire accessibility program for the athletics department at NC State University. We’ve had the chance to chat with him and get direct feedback on his experiences with accessibility on our tours. Having a group leader who’s been on tour and is open and honest about what works and what doesn’t has been incredibly valuable. It’s been huge for us to have these candid conversations, which help us make real improvements to our process.

What has your experience been traveling as a staff member with EF?

I've had the chance to visit over 10 countries with EF. I just got back from Peru on Monday, which was amazing. We got to visit Machu Picchu, which is one of the Seven Wonders of the World—how cool is that? We did a lot of hiking since many of the places are only accessible on foot or by very narrow roads. We also explored some incredible archaeological sites. As a history nerd, I loved learning about these sites and how they impact the locals’ everyday lives, not just their historical background.

Latin America can be tricky when it comes to accommodating travelers, especially with things like dietary needs and wheelchair access. I wanted to see these challenges up close so we can understand what’s really going on and how we might improve. We do our best to make things better, but knowing the specifics helps us give travelers accurate info and make sure they’re well-prepared. Our goal is for everyone to feel safe and ready before their trip, and to understand the challenges so they can make informed decisions.

What was the summary of your findings on this trip from the Accessibility Tour Preparation Consultant perspective?

After experiencing the trip first-hand, I feel better equipped to give travelers accurate information about the challenges they might face, like navigating terrain in a wheelchair. For example, charging a power chair can be tricky because some places don’t have accessible outlets, and many hotels don’t have elevators. Being aware of these issues and being able to pass on this information helps travelers make informed decisions before they go is critical in my role. Overall, I came back with a lot more insights that will help me guide people better.

How did you find the Accessibility @EF affinity group and how did you become a co-captain?

My role in Accessibility @EF and my day job are quite different. When I joined the tour preparation team two years ago, we were still new and sorting out responsibilities. I had some background in accessibility from previous roles, so when I saw it was part of our team’s duties, I jumped at the chance to continue working on it. Our team expanded and we meet frequently to discuss ongoing projects and conduct trainings. During one of these training sessions, someone asked if I was involved with Accessibility @EF, and when I said I wasn’t, but was interested, they encouraged me to join. I attended my first meeting, where they were looking for captains. I shared my story, and afterward our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Coordinator suggested I apply for co-captain.

Do you have any advice for someone who's looking for a position at EF?

If you’re looking for a position at EF, I’d suggest starting with “Who do you know at EF?” We’re a large company, so there’s a good chance you know someone who currently or previously worked here. Once you reach the interview stage, make sure to be yourself. We truly value authenticity and passion. It’s important to show that you care about our mission. If you’re passionate about education, travel, and making a difference even within a corporate setting, EF is the place for you.