Do you love the excitement of travel and the minutiae of spreadsheets? Boutique Explorer is hiring a Full-Time Travel Support Specialist to join our talented remote team.
If you are incredibly organized and detail-oriented, and passionate about deeply customized travel, you may be the perfect fit. You will work closely with Boutique Explorer’s Sales and Operations teams to help plan and execute the unique custom itineraries we put together for our travelers from around the world.
At least 3 to 5 years of professional experience in the travel industry is strictly required for this role. Personal or informal travel-planning experience or expertise does not qualify. For more essential details please see below.
- Who Are We?
- Who Are You?
- Essential Skills and Experience
- Tasks and Responsibilities
- Important Details
- Apply
Know someone that’s perfect for this job? Please share this post with them!
Who Are We?
Boutique Explorer is the sister company of Boutique Japan, an award-winning travel company that specializes in crafting bespoke journeys for travelers from around the world.
Learn more about our team.
Along with the unique experiences we offer, it is our extreme attention to our clients’ interests, priorities, and preferences that helps us ensure each of our travelers has a truly memorable trip. We love what we do, and are passionate about treating every task and interaction with a highly personalized approach.
Who Are You?
You are a highly motivated luxury travel professional seeking an exciting new opportunity alongside a tight-knit group of enthusiastic travel specialists, where you can put your superlative planning and coordination skills to use.
You are passionate about travel, and realize that a huge amount of time and energy goes into planning meticulously arranged itineraries. As an experienced and talented travel industry professional, you’re equally at ease with luxury travelers looking for white-glove service, as with adventurous high-end travelers seeking off-the-beaten-path experiences.
You will take on a challenging role at a dynamic US-based company, work on a remote basis, and live and breathe travel.
Essential Skills and Experience for the Role
This role is not for everyone, and if you don’t already have 3 to 5 years of professional experience in the travel industry, please resist the temptation to apply.
Working on the behind-the-scenes aspects of complex bespoke itineraries is no easy feat, and we are seeking a full-time Travel Support Specialist with a talent for homing in on the smallest of details. This role will impact all aspects of the client experience, with responsibilities distributed about evenly between supporting Boutique Explorer’s Sales and Operations teams.
- At least 3 to 5 years of relevant professional experience in a comparable position in the travel industry (personal travel-planning experience is not applicable)
- A level of attention to detail and conscientiousness that makes others wonder why you care so much, coupled with the ability to step back and see the big picture
- Native-level English fluency
- Outstanding writing and communication skills
- “Unreasonably” excellent proofreading skills
- A steady poise in both calm as well as fast-paced, high-pressure moments
- A facility with numbers for navigating and interpreting complex spreadsheets, budgets, booking terms, etc.
- Familiarity and ease with a wide range of software and apps
- A knack for navigating, organizing, and improving internal online workspaces and databases
- Cross-cultural awareness when working with suppliers from a wide range of countries, and ability to wisely adjust communication style as appropriate
- Exceptional client care skills, and a refined ability to treat each interaction with a personalized approach
- An extraordinary work ethic and desire to improve, with a proven track record of being able to manage yourself (after all, this is a remote position)
- Extensive world travel experience, and a palpable enthusiasm for travel and adventure
- The ability to focus single-mindedly on the task at hand, while simultaneously managing numerous tasks and clients (and the perspective to prioritize wisely)
- The humility and honesty to admit when you don’t know something, and the resourcefulness to help you find solutions to challenging questions and requests
- Exceptional research capabilities
- Openness to feedback and an innate desire to proactively support colleagues in a small-team work environment
- A constant desire to improve yourself, personally and professionally
Tasks and Responsibilities
As a Travel Support Specialist, you will be working on a wide variety of tasks, depending on the evolving needs of Boutique Explorer’s Sales and Operations teams. You may also support the Boutique Japan team at times.
Below is a sampling of the types of tasks you will handle:
- Compile and organize notes from the Sales team based on phone and email communications with travelers
- Make updates to our internal databases
- Perform in-depth online research on a variety of topics
- Communicate with in-country suppliers regarding reservations, availability, pricing, and special client priorities and needs
- Draft on-brand itinerary descriptions by skillfully composing and customizing copy
- Carefully prepare, edit, and proofread complex (and minutely detailed) custom itineraries from proposal to final itinerary, ensuring complete accuracy and appealing trip flow throughout
- Meticulously prepare complex trip budgets involving a multitude of data points
- Assist with client communication, providing warm, human, and exceedingly professional care to our travelers (via email, phone, and video calls)
- Handle various administrative tasks related to sales, trip design, and trip operations
- Collaborate closely with colleagues throughout the sales and operations processes to ensure even seemingly small details are thoroughly attended to and conveyed, and nothing falls through the cracks
- Adhere to assigned internal deadlines using your keen sense of prioritization
- Participate in client emergency support duty rotation (averages to a few weeks a year per employee)
- Compile pre-departure trip documentation using supplier information, research, and resourcefulness
As a member of our small and nimble team, you will also have the chance to play an active role in continually “leveling up” how we do things, and thus help shape the ongoing evolution of our company. This applies to everything from administrative processes, to how we interact with each other as a remote team, and of course our travelers’ experiences!
Important Details
This is a challenging role, but you won’t be working from a cubicle (unless cubicles are your thing) because the position is remote.
Your Location
Boutique Japan and its sister company Boutique Explorer have been US-based distributed companies since we started in 2013, and this is a remote job for a US resident. As a close-knit team we communicate with one another via various tools, and typically hold in-person meetups one to two times a year.
But as appealing as it can be to some people, we won’t sugarcoat it: remote work is not for everyone. Many people prefer the structure and interaction of in-person office positions, and remote work can be lonely. So if you get the feeling that remote work might not be ideal for you, please trust your gut.
We are results-oriented above all, and while we will provide plenty of guidance and support (we want you to thrive), you must have a proven track record of successfully managing yourself.
Your Schedule
This is a full-time job of 36 hours per week, with full days Monday to Thursday (9 am to 5 pm US Central Time) and half-days on Fridays. There will also be times when you need to coordinate your schedule to speak with colleagues, travelers, and vendors located in other US and international time zones, which can require some flexibility on your part.
Compensation, Benefits & Perks
Pay will be commensurate with skills and experience. Provided you excel in the role, you will have the opportunity to increase your level of responsibility and compensation. To complement your pay, we offer the following benefits and perks:
- The opportunity to work remotely
- Health and dental insurance
- 401(k) with up to 4% company match
- Generous paid time off, sick leave, and US national holidays
- The chance to work on a dynamic team, in a company where there is room for you to grow and make a significant impact
- Fun and productive in-person team meetups (past locations have included Japan, Mexico City, Joshua Tree National Park, and more)
- An annual FAM trip beginning in the second year of employment
Know someone that’s perfect for this job? Please share this post with them!
I’m Ready to Apply! What’s the Next Step?
We look forward to your application! Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled, so we encourage you to apply early.
Please note that due to the large number of applications we typically receive, we may not respond to all applicants.