Alana T.
Hospitality & Tourism InternshipAbsolute Internship|Paris
Now studying Hospitality and Tourism management at UPAEP
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Hospitality & Tourism
Mexico
Hospitality and Tourism managementUPAEP
My name is Alana Ayon, I am from Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. I interned in Paris in the 8 week internship with a travel agency which was an awesome industry, thanks to them I got the chance to explore more France regions like Loire Valley, Champagne, and Normandy.
Alana is a former student and verified Absolute Internship ambassador
Why Alana chose this path
“I had already been in a international abroad year so that's why I wanted to learn more experience from a different culture, also personally I think looks it good in the curriculum to have an internship abroad. ”
How I got in
Because for my major there's only 3 options, I decided on Paris because I'd never been to Europe and I wanted to visit France, Switzerland, and London and that's what drew me more for my decision.
Top tips for getting accepted
Always be friendly, don't let people get to you, just be you. There's no need to be super nervous about the language. Check the weather at all times.
Common mistakes to avoid
Explore more of the city, don't leave anything you truly want to do for another day, check for scam websites.
What Alana wishes they knew
Things I wish I knew before starting
About how much the heatwave could rise to in degrees, and how many tourists will be around all times during my stay. Also, that most of the stores close pretty early and open kind of late. And, that during summer it gets dark around 10 pm or so.
The hardest part
Leaving my home, during the plane it got to my feelings if I should do this or not, overall it all went great and then leaving Paris was the hardest part, I had a great time with friends, family and also alone that when it come to an end it can be really upsetting.
The best decision I made
Exploring the city alone, walking or running to all the places I wanted to visit, being outside all day and getting back at night.
What it's actually like
A typical day
Well firstly the company I was in is remote, most of time online. In the morning, I woke up and connected right away, I started doing the task they left me to, sometimes we will have a meeting, I had a lunch break and I made my breakfast. Then, I will take a shower and get ready. I will go downstairs to keep working, and then I will look up something to eat in Google Maps or Tiktok so that I could go by walking. In the afternoon I will take my things and leave and walk around through the city, see new buildings, walking in new streets, see monuments, etc. (I walked over 20k steps a day) Then, I will get to a coffee shop and continue working, I will leave and I will start walking again, by this time it was evening, if I was tired I took the metro if not, walking to the hotel. Got to the hotel and then take a shower, and get ready to go to bed.
Topics Alana can help with
Questions students ask Alana
What does a typical day in your internship actually look like?
How did you land your internship - what did the application process involve?
What skills do you wish you had before starting that you'd tell others to prepare?
Ready to ask Alana a question?
