Staffer: Rachel Watson

http://www.i-to-i.com/campfire/Rachel

My first memory of i-to-i is talking to my friend Angela about her volunteer trip to Uganda, which she’d absolutely loved. I remember thinking “hmmm, that sounds like something I’d enjoy…” It wasn’t until 18 months later that I took the plunge and booked a trip to volunteer with special needs children in Vietnam.

That trip was in May 2009 and the month I spent volunteering with the children, exploring Vietnam and meeting new people opened my eyes to a different way to see the world, and I was a convert! I came back from my trip and logged straight onto Campfire to talk about my experiences with other people on the same wavelength as me (my friends and family had already got bored of my tales!) and was a regular visitor to the site. It was during this time that I stumbled upon the Ultimate Blog competition, which i-to-i was running at the time. Entrants blogged on Campfire about their idea of an Ultimate Trip and other members voted for the best blog, with the six highest going through to the final to battle it out for the most votes to win an Ultimate Adventure! I had my eye on the Ultimate Tanzania trip on offer (check out why I was so desperate to win here: www.i-to-i.com/volunteer-projects/ultimate-tanzania.html) and submitted my entry (you can still find it in my journals on Campfire if you look back far enough!)

I spent the next few weeks madly canvassing for votes and made the final six entrants. Although I didn’t quite manage to win the competition, during my time online I’d spotted an advert for a Customer Support Intern in the Leeds office of i-to-i and once again my mind started thinking, “hmmm, that sounds like something I’d enjoy…” I sent of my application and during my phone interview, was asked, “are you the Ultimate Blog Rachel from Campfire?” and had to sheepishly admit that yes, I was the girl who had spent the best part of the last month solid on the i-to-i social network! It turns out that was no bad thing, as I got the job!

Less than a fortnight later I had packed my things and moved to Leeds, and into the appropriately named Intern House with the other i-to-i interns. My role was just a 3 month contract, but towards the end of my internship I applied for a vacancy in the Travel Advisor Team and was over the moon when I was offered the job! I spent 3 months talking to people about their travel plans and helping them decide which trips they wanted to book, before a permanent position became available in the Customer Support Team and I jumped at the chance to move back to where my i-to-i staffer journey had begun.

That move back to Support was a year ago now, and I’m happily working alongside some fantastic people. Together we help you prepare for your volunteer adventures and make sure everything runs smoothly for you when you’re overseas. I’ve even managed to fit in another project since my return from Vietnam - to India this time, working with special needs children once again. You can read about my adventures in my previous journal posts. I love my job, and am passionate about volunteer travel and the opportunities we at i-to-i provide to people hoping to get involved, as well as the valuable work and real difference our volunteers make in the communities we work in.

Bringing the story full circle, I recently found out that my friend Angela – she who recommended i-to-i to me in the first place - was in Uganda alongside my now manager and friend Katie, who sits next to me here at i-to-i towers! Perhaps this was just meant to be…