We caught up with British gal and social media queen, Jayne Gorman, who when she’s not busy diving with crocs at Crocosaurus Cove and sleeping in a SWAG under the stars at Uluru, runs Girl Tweets Word.
How long have you been in the industry, what and where was your first job?
I’ve been working in the travel industry as a social media manager and writer for 5 years but begun blogging almost 7 years ago.
My first in-house role was with Flight Centre UK who recruited me (via social media) as their first social media specialist in 2011.
After seeing what I’d achieved with my own blog and social media channels, which I ran in my spare time whilst working as an events manager, Flight Centre hired me to launch their travel blog and create their social media strategy.
It was a risk that paid off.
By the time I left to work on my own blog full time we’d built a team of 6 writers and social media specialists working across multiple channels for a number of the Flight Centre brands.
This in-house experience was also invaluable to me as a travel blogger – I learnt how to measure and track results as well as speak a brand’s language!
What’s your most amazing travel experience (one of them anyway)!
Gosh I think this is one of the most difficult questions for any frequent traveller but coming to mind right now is my recent honeymoon in the Maldives.
My new hubby and I stayed in a private overwater villa at a resort called Coco Bodu Hithi and it was just like you see in the brochures.
Sometimes a destination doesn’t quite live up to the HD images you see in the media but the Maldives was everything we imagined and more.
Jayne Gorman is the founder of Girl Tweets World
What’s the weirdest job you’ve ever done?
This is not so much a weird job as a jammy one but during my time at Flight Centre we ran a competition with Tourism NT and a local radio show to send 10 lucky people to the outback.
I was sent with them as a roving reporter to post on our blog and social media everything that the winners got up to.
This involved diving with crocs at Crocosaurus Cove and sleeping in a SWAG under the stars at Uluru. I’m not much of a camper so this was way out of my comfort zone – a suspected snake bite turned out to be a scratch from the razor I’d packed to shave my legs!
Wishlist of places yet to visit?
I’d like to go back to India as I never made it to the Taj Mahal on my first visit and that seems like a terrible crime.
I’m also obsessed with visiting Japan, especially Kyoto and Tokyo, and would love to visit Bora Bora – someone has to see if it lives up to the Maldives!
Who was your biggest mentor/influence growing up?
I’m British so this may not translate but growing up I wanted to be Judith Chalmers.
Presenting the holiday show Wish You Were Here seemed like the best job ever.
I guess I ended up with my own version of that through blogging.
How has working in travel changed you?
I think it’s made me a more sociable person. I love meeting people on the road and finding out where they’ve been and where they’re going and I also find that working in travel gives you endless fodder for conversations at dinner parties.
Even the hardest people to engage with enjoy picking your brains about travel or have a good story to share about some trip they’ve been on!
What’s your biggest life achievement to date?
In 2011 I won the title of Travel Blogger Of The Year at the British Travel Press Awards.
The awards were created to honor the travel media and 2011 was the first time they added a category for bloggers.
Up until then I still saw what I did as a hobby, not quite confident in my writing skills or the future of blogging, but that award was a turning point for me.
It was the recognition and encouragement I needed to keep going and I haven’t looked back. Plus Judith Chalmers was receiving a lifetime achievement award that night and stopped to congratulate me – I think my life was made in that moment!
What’s one in-flight travel tip?
I never fly anywhere without Berocca Boost – the one with Guarana in it for added oomph.
If I’m knackered from a long haul flight or picked up the sniffles in the air this is the antidote I take at the other end.
What advice would you give to someone starting out in the travel industry?
Focus on companies and brands that you have first hand experience of travelling with.
Lots of people want to work in the travel industry but the best way to stand out is to be a loyal customer and brand ambassador for the company you wish to work for.
It sounds simple but I’ve seen interviewees fall flat because they had no genuine experience of booking with the company they’re applying to work at.
Learn more about Jayne and read about her travel adventures on www.girltweetsworld.com