Study from home tip: Make contacts in your community

A great way to learn about the tourism industry is to visit local travel and tourism businesses in your town or region.

Welcome to Part 5 of our six-part series ‘Becoming a Successful Distance Learner’. Every week, we share one practical tip to help you excel at your studies. Be sure to check out the other blog posts in the series (see the end of this article for links).

When you study via distance learning, the world is your classroom! You can study where you want, when you want – as long as you hand in your assignments on time and put in the hours, you can enjoy a very flexible lifestyle.

However, one downside to studying from home is that you can’t rely on your tutor to arrange industry visits or famil trips. Instead, we encourage you to take this into your own hands and get out there to experience the tourism industry for yourself.

All you need to do is find some tourism businesses in your region or town. You’d be amazed at how many there are to choose from. Make a list of local contacts and industry employers, such as travel agents, airports, car hire companies, attraction operators, hotels, and visitor information centres – just to name a few.

These businesses will be a great resource for you throughout your studies. Make a point of visiting them during their quiet periods – you can grab a free brochure or simply take a look around.

If approached professionally, most employers will be more than happy to answer some of your questions and be supportive of your studies. Who knows, they might even offer you some work experience in the future?

Another idea is to pretend to be a tourist for a day. Catch a bus or ferry, splash out on an adventure tourism activity, or enjoy a meal at a nearby hotel. You will have some fun and learn a lot along the way.

So what are you waiting for? Get out and about and discover the tourism industry in your backyard.

Check out the other posts in our series ‘Becoming a Successful Distance Learner’.

Part 1: How to Get Organised
Part 2: How to Improve your Reading and Writing Skills
Part 3: How to be a Great Communicator
Part 4: How to Build a Support Network when Studying From Home