How did a 21-year-old college senior end up with a four-year summer internship at the world’s best cycling vacation company on her résumé? At 17-years-old I was a washed up soccer player, bored summer lifeguard, outdoor enthusiast and recent high school graduate. Over the years multiple broken legs have forced me take up a low-impact fitness alternative and as a decent athlete native to the cycling industry mecca of Madison, WI, cycling was the easy choice. I quickly took to the bicycle and after a few hours in the mailroom each week I had found my place at Trek Travel as well. The people, the mission, the product—it was all such a perfect fit. I was hooked.
Let’s start with the people. At Trek Travel we like to use the word ‘rock star’…a lot. But after many years of working alongside best in class employees I can honestly say that every person on the Trek Travel team is truly a rock star. That first summer I asked hundreds of questions each day. To be honest, I probably still do. Maybe I’d broken the postage machine, jammed the printer, or couldn’t navigate the online database. Pretty small problems in the grand scheme of things, but no matter what I threw their way it was always met with unwavering patience and a true desire to help.
Over time I’ve watched as this same attitude is applied day in and day out with guests. Four summers in a small office has given me opportunities I could not have imagined, the most unique of which is the ability to work with many different departments. Not ironically, this same benefit extends to guests as well. Each and every employee, from sales and customer service consultants to trip design and logistics specialists, work together seamlessly to provide guests with solutions to all their problems and answers to all their questions. Always with unwavering patience and a deep desire to help make yours the best vacation possible. There really is no better way to describe everyone who works at Trek Travel than ‘rock stars’, and there is no better place that I could have worked during the ‘best years of my life’.