'You don't need a degree for a successful travel career,' says 30 Under 30 star

Eight years on, Dimond has worked in numerous sectors of the industry, in everything from PR to product. She’s now based at Audley Travel, where she specialises in product for the Indian Ocean and Africa. 

 

Having grown up in a low-income family, Dimond confesses her background is worlds apart from the affluent clientele of her current employer. “My childhood holidays were to local places like Pontins in Devon,” she says, adding that her mother was a single parent and “going abroad was never a priority”. 

 

It wasn’t until she began working for A&K that she discovered the realm of luxury tourism, and with it, a pathway to turn her passion into a profession. She now wants to share her experience, in the hope of inspiring other young people – regardless of their socio-economic status – to pursue a career in travel.  

 

“After my first role with Abercrombie and Kent, I joined another team to cover an employee on maternity leave.” It was this shift that exposed Dimond to an entirely different side of the business – product. 

 

“I never realised you could even make a living out of travel”

 

“The product team sat in the corner mysteriously and it seemed no one knew quite what they did,” she jokes. “But people said they worked directly with hotels and that always sounded interesting to me.” 

 

She was soon offered a permanent role on the product team in South America, Indian subcontinent and Antarctica, where she committed to learning everything she could about the three destinations.  

 

Dimond’s career path, however, hasn’t been all smooth sailing. Her position at A&K was made redundant in early 2020, and shortly after joining travel company Just Go as a product executive, the Covid-19 pandemic began. She was placed on furlough, but the constant job insecurity left her uncertain about this fast-changing field. 

“I wondered, ‘Is this the right industry for me?’” she says. “I thought about leaving briefly. But then I realised I couldn’t. I love it too much.” 

 

Dimond persevered and continued to build her travel resume, joining Finn Partners in 2022. Within three months, she had been promoted to senior account manager, which saw her take on clients such as Iceland’s tourism board, Accor and Intrepid Travel. She always knew her heart was in product, however, and in 2023, she accepted her current position at Audley Travel. 

 

After an extremely busy few years, Dimond has learned some valuable lessons about making it in travel.  

 

“Be prepared to work your way up,” she advises. “You learn so much more by simply working on the job.” She also emphasises that even if you don’t land your dream job in travel straight away, there will always be opportunities to explore other areas. 

 

“If you get your foot in the door at entry level, there are so many avenues from there. It’s all about getting the experience.” 

 

And despite holding a university degree, Dimond believes that third level education is not a prerequisite for a successful travel career. 

 

“I don’t think university has had a huge impact on getting in the door for travel, to be honest,” she says. “My history course wasn’t even that relevant to my first job, and a lot of companies don’t require a degree.” 

 

Dimond emphasises instead that you do need to bring a strong skillset in this industry. 

 

“I don’t think university has had a huge impact on getting in the door for travel, to be honest”

 

“Flexibility is so important,” she says. “Travel changes so quickly so fast; for example, FCO advice is being updated all the time. You need to be quick on your feet and adaptable.” It’s also essential to be a strong communicator, to handle both the inevitable positive and difficult interactions in the profession. 

 

Dimond also emphasises that, contrary to what the public may think, the travel industry offers a wide and diverse range of careers. 

 

“There’s so many misconceptions; people assume you’re either going to be a flight attendant, or be a travel agent, but it’s not the case.

 

“There’s product of course, but there’s also marketing, operations, travel PR, and trade account management.”

 

She adds that sales and PR roles are particularly good routes for people who want to travel, as the roles often require visiting the property or destination in person. 

 

“I’ve learned so much about travel from doing different jobs,” she said. “I’m still growing though, and I’ve learned a lot from my fellow 30 Under 30 cohort. It has been a really good insight into the industry as a whole.” 

 

As for Dimond’s current priorities, she’s keen to continue promoting sustainability at Audley Travel in light of its recent B Corp certification. 

 

“I want to push travel as a force for good,” she says. “I’m also a part of the ESG team at Audley where I help with the environmental objectives. It’s all about finding those opportunities to push issues that I’m passionate about.”