Working Abroad: A Day in the Life of a Hotel Courier

The promise of working abroad is a pull for most people, especially those young enough to wear short shorts and not much else. Yet the thought of the beach and the sunshine can often deter from the realities of working abroad. Long shifts await those who wish to follow this career path, but the rewards can often times be worth it.

I managed to contact my friend, currently out in Barcelona for the rundown on what it is like working as a Camp Courier for a Spanish resort.  


 

Days will start off reporting to reception at quarter to nine in the morning, this easily means you can wake up at 8am. The heat will often prevent you from wanting to put on any make-up girls, and staying on resort means you’re relatively close to all facilities.

Daily Life of a Hotel Courier

Now of course there are various types of hotel representative available, but for the sake of this article, we’ll focus on just the role of a courier. The chores following the check in at reception include preparing the accommodation for customers, making sure all bookings are accounted for and tidying the rooms in question.
This could take anywhere from a few hours to all day – so it’s best to be prepared for a potentially long shift.

Following this, you’ll have basic reception duties, showing guests in and dealing with paperwork.

Some resorts will even require long night shifts on bars etc so a lot of energy is necessary in this line of work.

While interviewing my friend, the one prevailing tip she could give me is to be fit and healthy before applying. 

The resorts are often huge and somewhat hilly – walking up and down and around these sites can be exhausting, especially in 40 degree heat. Above all, patience with customers is key, tensions can rise in situations and it goes without saying that making sure customers are happy with their holiday is the number one priority.

 

 One day off a week is usually the norm for these resorts, and it’s not just the local beach that deserves a look. The resorts are located close to main cities and tourist destinations for obvious purposes, so planning each day in advance can mean you make the most of your day off.

Dithering about deciding what to do wastes precious holiday hours! Thanks to the level of staff needed during peak times, any time you go out to work there will be peak summer times, so random events like random festivals and concerts will often be occurring during your stay.

The contract can be cut short any time you wish to leave, and usually last for any length of time over the summer. There are a tonne of choices out there for you to choose from and the job is paid – so if you want to truly work for a holiday out in a stunningly sunny country, have a look out for next year’s vacancies!

A travel blog post by Eva. I'm a Polish born traveler, travel photographer, writer and runner living in Montreal Canada. In the 10-plus years that I've been travelling, living and exploring various travel destinations, I've explored much of the America’s, Europe and the Caribbean Islands.