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Personal Philosophy on the Hospitality and Tourism Industry

I've made it to the home stretch! I am quite happy that I took this course, I have learned about so many careers and behind the scenes of tourism.

Let me begin with the first blog - Human Trafficking. I am so glad Professor Tuma began with this topic to make sure we understand that everything in this industry is not rainbows and happiness, there are some things that happen behind the scenes that are dangerous and illegal. I think this also helped a lot of people realize how easy it can be to fall into these traps, and to move throughout this industry with caution.

The agencies in HTM, especially the US embassy were something I was very ignorant of. The US embassy does its best to help US citizens traveling, but I was surprised that they can only help to a certain extent with medical emergencies or evacuating their citizens in cases of emergencies. I would think they can do much more when it comes to those two things. I am not surprised that they can not help much with legal troubles, especially if you are guilty, other countries have different laws, jurisdictions, and punishments, which is why it is also OUR job to make smart choices and do some research.

The impacts of HTM on the economy of other countries were surprising to learn about, not only are we making money and stimulating our economy, we're stimulating other country's economies! There are many risk factors; sometimes some industries cannot reach their goal and barely make any profit, but it is part of many jobs!

Spiritual pilgrimage and monetizing the industry go hand in hand. becoming a digital nomad and adventuring off on the coastline of Central America to end up in my final destination goal of Honduras for spiritual reasons sounds like a DREAM! I really hope that someday I can have the time and money to do some traveling and fulfill these dreams. I think they can go hand in hand really well, and I would hope that I can make some money by being a digital nomad (maybe at least 50k) to sustain my lifestyle and spiritual journey!

In the air and on the ocean... The aviation industry absolutely astonished me. The benefits that you can receive by being a flight attendant were almost too good to hear! I have seen many videos about the lives of flight attendants, and the many opportunities they get to travel and enjoy their time while working! I would definitely be interested in this if I could, but as a 4'10 woman, I do not think I could pass all of the final tests that have to be done! I heard about a woman who was turned away because she was too short, I have a feeling that would be a similar case for me... BUT! There is no height requirement to work on a cruise. The strict schedule of getting the ships prepared in between guests seems so stressful, but I think I would enjoy working on a ship for a year. The long hours of the workers seem worth it when they have some time off to enjoy their workplace.

The hotel industry also had some amazing benefits, to be able to have connections to the same hotel branch throughout the country can be super beneficial. I loved watching the movie about the Marigold Hotel, I actually rewatched it with my parents and they also enjoyed it! The hotel industry does not interest me much, but regardless I can tell it takes a lot of commitment to solve problems, meet needs, train employees, and also be an active part of the community.

The pandemic changed the meetings and events industry completely. I learned about the social media marketing aspect, and this really interested me. I like that it takes a creative to be able to advertise and make people want to attend your event. I think that many companies have realized that going virtual can be much easier, but others could not wait to go back to in-person because it provides a better connection or experience.

Food, I am EXTREMELY food motivated. I would absolutely love to try a lot more food box companies, they seem to have a very good variety that caters to whatever diet. It was astonishing to learn that the food industry was not really doing its best, to begin with, to provide its customers with healthier options, but it changed with COVID, like many other things.

The franchise industry is really what caught my attention. Being able to work a deal with an operating corporation or company while also being a mini businesswoman sounds so appealing to me. I think with the proper research and the money to invest, this industry can be open to anyone! I loved hearing about Professor Tuma's experience and how she had to make tough decisions which ended up working out, quite the business gal!

Finishing off with Courtney Stanley's amazing advice really motivated me to confide in myself. Almost every job you can go into will have people who think you do not know your worth, but if you are confident in your work and have a sense of self-empowerment you can achieve whatever you set your mind to. Her advice can really create young hustlers and hearing how she once was on the same level as me was comforting because she has done amazing things at such a young age, and I hope I can do the same.

I had a blast learning about the careers in HTM, there are so many diverse paths you can go down, and so many ladders you can climb. I think that there are many people who are okay with not being at the top, but if you want to progress HTM is an amazing industry to do just that!

Overall, even though I did not make a major or minor switch, I definitely learned about the many other options I can pick from. Who knows, perhaps I will go back and get a degree in HTM! It seems like an industry where you can never really get bored of what you do!

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Monetizing the Industry

If I had to ditch the traditional 9-5, I absolutely would. I really wish more jobs were more freeing, I always feel bad about people that have 9-5 office jobs and feel miserable. I think it is unfortunate that some people do not have the privilege to leave their jobs and do something they love because they need to keep up financially!

Digital nomads can make anywhere from 50,000 to 99,000+ a year! I am very surprised to hear this number, I believe I would be content with even just 50k a year! It seems like the lifestyle is well worth it.

I hope my adventures would take me along the coastline of Central America. It has some beautiful cultures, people, views, and varying environments. I absolutely love the concept that the channel Sailing Zatara uses in their videos! Sailing seems like it would work with the adventure I want to experience! Them being able to catch their own food would save a lot of money for me, and of course they live a minimalistic lifestyle, only having a certain amount of belongings to keep the lifestyle sustainable.

I would also enjoy bringing my puppies along! I think the number one thing I would need to do in order to keep this lifestyle sustainable is budget, budget, budget, many countries that I would pass through have economies where the US dollar is at a higher value than their currency, so if I plan smart it would be quite easy!

#digitalnomad #nomad #digital

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Meetings & Events

The meetings and events industry takes a lot of effort and organization. If things cannot go to plan it can make everything after that difficult to follow through with as well! The transformation of events since 2020 is quite different than before. Many places have found that virtual events are also just as effective as events online, especially corporate events where it may be difficult to get everyone at one event.

Some events such as Color Runs and recreational events have found it more difficult to organize, but have had to take careful precautions with the pandemic.

After reading this article, I feel inspired to be an event social media coordinator, I did not realize that the events and meetings industry had so many people taking part. I think I could really enjoy being in charge of promoting the event and creating creative and fun posts to make people want to attend the event. I do not think I would mind what kind of event I would have to promote, but if I had to choose I would choose recreational events! Something that the public can enjoy and many people finds appeal in.

I hope to someday take a dip in this industry, I think it is something that everyone can do!

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HTM & Agencies

I had not had much knowledge about international crime, but it was surprising to know how much human trafficking happens very close and very far from us. I feel that the U.S embassy takes many steps to ensure the safety of Americans, but only to a certain extent. After doing some additional research I found that they can only help in certain emergencies and with certain health emergencies, which I found odd considering it would be in their budget to do so.

TSA has gotten a lot stricter since 9/11, I do think they play their role, it can be very difficult to ensure that every single thing has been looked at closely. I absolutely feel that tourists have a responsibility when traveling, especially in today's age we have a lot more resources to ensure that we are traveling smartly and safely. The films we watched showed what it is like to be behind bars in a different country and the difficulties you will face.

The woman who got 4 years for drug trafficking in Bangladesh was hoping the US embassy could save her, but in reality, when committing crimes in another country it makes sense because she is in a separate jurisdiction and had to face the consequences. It was unfortunate to hear that she felt so negatively, but she did get lucky with only 4 years. The Americans who said "they have a right to an attorney" while in Thailand were a bit ignorant of the difference in law as well. Again, I hate to victim-blame but we must be smarter about who we trust, and traveling to a different country because a stranger offered to take you it not that!

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Speaker Series Reflection

After listening to Courtney Stanley speak about her career, my biggest takeaway that I got was that it is important to put yourself and your authenticity first. Stanley's story about deciding to leave an old job because her boss was taking advantage of her and what she brung to the table reminded me much of my first job and how your strengths will be taken advantage of in most careers but not rewarded. You have to stick up for what you believe what you deserve, and have confidence in always being to progress further than where you are.

Stanley also mentions that there are people who are okay with not progressing further, and that is okay as well. I will fail, you will, everyone will, and even though it may feel like a setback, it will open other doors for you. I found her tips very helpful, these are not things that school will teach you.

Women in many industries face sexism, as did Stanley, but despite this she persevered, she had many highs and lows. She emphasizes self-empowerment which is very important. I thought her activity of aligning some of our favorite songs and movies to what we enjoy and want to achieve in life was super interesting and scarily accurate!

Another important point I liked was about imposter syndrome, I think that we are often our own critics. Stanley said that we reach a milestone or succeed sometimes we can feel that we do not deserve it or are qualified, and I completely agree. It is important to keep a strong mindset, if we were not deserving we would not be in that position in the first place.

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Careers in HTM

I have learned about so many unique aspects of the Hospitality and Tourism industry. There have been careers where I thought oh no I could never do that, while other careers interested me!

My top pick would be getting into franchising! This industry interested me the most because you have so many different options and ways you can go about starting a franchise. I am a criminal justice major, but I currently am a manager in retail, and the business aspect of things has always interested me despite being different from the career I ultimately want to pursue. I really loved hearing about everyone else's ideas as well, from food franchises to cleaning franchises, seeing the way people would operate their franchises gave me many new perspectives!

The most entertaining industry for me to learn about was the Cruise industry. It has so many different parts, the food, the entertainment, the cleaning, and much more. It definitely is not for me, I think I would be too overwhelmed but I salute anyone and everyone that has ever participated in this industry, it takes a lot of commitment! I learned so much from the documentaries, I loved that they partner with the natives of whatever country they are stopping in for guests to find something to do, and I am glad they can stimulate the economy in these countries as well.

After listening to Jeremy Nichols' talk about careers in HTM, I think it would be very important for me to have an accountability buddy. Honestly, I think anyone in any career should have an accountability buddy, we all have goals, and having someone to hold us to what we need to do would be useful.

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The Franchise Industry

If I could start any franchise, I would choose a cleaning franchise. I feel that the cleaning industry is constantly thriving, and even during COVID, it was not an industry that was losing money, in actuality they were making more money.

To begin a cleaning franchise depends on the company you are partnering with. I could invest anywhere from $1,000 to $50,000+. The more you invest the higher in management you will be. I would at most invest about $5k, especially for my first franchise. I would contract with Stratus. I think I am pretty firm with this decision if I had to choose. I think I would try to aim to help those with mental illnesses and aim to encourage them to reach out if needed and be comfortable, but of course we would clean for anyone and everyone!

Training is available, and the contract consists of regulations over ownership and the profit share. There would also be standards to maintain the company's reliability. With Stratus, I only found one negative review on Google! The person claimed that the company did not train and was silent, to which the owner replied that they were ill and could not respond and encouraged them to reach out again. Every other review was 5 stars, which was surprising! There were no in-the-middle reviews. Many people thought it was a great company for entry into the franchise world.

I do not think franchising is for me currently, but if I do have the financial capability to invest in something I definitely will, because it does not take a lot to invest in a franchise and begin the process!

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Food & Beverage

I believe that the changes happening in the food and beverage industry are very important. Although I wish that we had been continually trying to improve this industry and not waiting for a pandemic in order for us to do better as a country, I appreciate the steps moving forward. Ensuring that people are eating healthier is vital for how our bodies will age. Yes, I love unhealthy food, who does not love burgers and pizza? I think it is just fine to indulge sometimes, but the food and beverage industry should always be encouraging healthier alternatives.

Out of all the restaurants I have ever had, my favorite of them is a small business called Fruition. They serve smoothies, acai bowls, and other healthy snacks. I think their food is delicious, and it being healthy as well is a plus! It is pricey, but I think it is well worth it. I have never visited a food trailer, but I would love to in the future! I think the concept of knowing where your food is coming from and eating sustainably is very important for the future.

I have only used a food box company once. I did absolutely love it, it was delicious and healthy, and it informed me about the ingredients and the benefits of eating each. It made me feel better about that meal that I had, and I do hope to subscribe to one myself in the future!

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HOTEL INDUSTRY WEEK 8: February 27 to March 3 HOTEL INDUSTRY

I believe owning a hotel and the hotel industry is full of opportunities, especially for expanding and meeting tons of different people. I do not find the hotel industry appealing, I do think that it is something that requires a busy schedule and investing a lot of time and money, especially in the beginning. I do find it appealing to possibly work at an existing hotel chain versus owning or operating one myself because there are benefits such as having discounts at ones that exist all over the world.

If I had all the resources in the world, I would make a dog hotel! I absolutely love the concept of dogs staying at a luxurious hotel while their owners are away on a vacation, and it would be even more of a dream to make it completely affordable.

I have only stayed in a hotel a few times, I am not much of a traveler, but I do love the ambiance and environment of them. It is calming to stay in hotels, and I always felt very well taken care of, although I wish that the morning breakfasts lasted until 12 P.M because I love sleeping in! I would love to stay at the Marriot Hotels for a week, they are 4 stars and I believe they do an amazing job at making their hotels as luxurious as possible.

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Hospitality & Aviation

What new things did you learn from these materials, and does it change the way you will live out the rest of your life in transit for personal or professional purposes?  

I have looked into finding a career in aviation, definitely not long-term, but I have wanted to experience it. I was looking into being an aircraft marshaller, but thinking about it, many careers in aviation have huge responsibilities because you have many things in your hands. After watching the documentary, I do question how safe the aviation industry is, considering all of the unchecked mail

I think air travel is considerably safe! There are many precautions taken to make sure everything goes well, and if some things do not go wrong everyone is quick to make sure they make emergency landings or whatever is needed to keep everyone safe. Although the industry itself is not profitable, I think working for the industry and traveling for very cheap is definitely worth it in my eyes.

I have learned about the many airlines that have disappeared due to bankruptcy, and the scandals behind lying to union workers. It is not a clean industry, doing everything in its power to cut costs. Still, I would be interested in doing it short-term and just enjoying whatever benefits I could get from working in this industry!

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Cruisin!

The cruise industry was fascinating to learn about. I myself have never been on a cruise and have a HUGE fear of big bodies of water, so I would probably have to really overcome that fear, perhaps a cruise would do just that!

The cruise industry is far more complex than I thought. I thought it was just a few restaurants, a pool, parties on a ship, and people walking freely. There are many components of the boat, and the people are the most important, including the hotel director, cruise director, workers, and more people behind the scenes. The hotel director has to ensure everything is perfect for embarkation day in terms of the cabins and public spaces, while the cruise director is in charge of selling all the activities and opportunities to spend money to the passengers. All of these people have to work extremely hard, especially the workers at restaurants, cleaners, and more. It was hard for me to believe that they work such long days, I do not think I could do it forever, but I am sure I could do it for about a year!

All the different entertainment components, food, casinos, art, and theatres share a cut with the cruise to stay aboard and open to the passengers. I found it extremely interesting to see how the money has to be cut and shared everywhere, even when docking boats in different countries.

The local communities at least get some money put into their economy with cruises. Undoubtedly the natives who perform also get a cut, and the local community also gets money from the passengers wanting to shop on land.

Scary image...but it IS important to consider health and safety precautions. I think cruise ships are definitely lacking in sanitation and health precautions. I am sure they are much more focused on money-making. I do appreciate that the cruise ship in the documentary had so much surveillance because MANY things can go wrong! As a passenger, it would definitely give me peace of mind knowing that there is a team constantly watching everything.

The norovirus and coronavirus are pretty similar and transferrable with contact. They are different in terms of what kind of virus they are and how they affect the human body, norovirus mainly affects the human stomach while coronavirus can also affect the stomach but is more like an intense flu.

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Spiritual Pilgrimage & Adventure Travel

There are many beautiful trails throughout the world. The trail that caught my attention with the provided list was The Great Ocean walk of Austrailia. I have a major fear of deep and open water, so I think this would really challenge me mentally, and I would attempt to see the beauty in the thing I fear most. Personally, if I had to choose any path in the adventure travel industry, I would choose a cultural exchange in my parent's native land of Honduras. I have lost many family members on this land, yet I have never gone there. My mother is from a native tribe and I believe it would help me discover who I am, and heal me spiritually in finding peace with being separated from my family for all of my life.

After watching The Way, I felt strongly connected to the meaning behind this movie. Tom loses his son on a trail in Spain and walks this same trail for many reasons but i believe the biggest reason was to find closure and peace for completing the trail that ultimately was the reason for his son's death. I lost my brother in Honduras, and El Mapache trail would be the adventure I would love to take on to, again, heal.

I would plan for this firstly by increasing my stamina. I expect to pass by tribal land and experience where my ancestors once lived. I also expect that I will feel a sense of peace after completing it. I believe i will be a changed person because my reasonings for wanting to do it are something that have been on my mind for a while, I have never gone to my native country and I believe I would learn many things on the outside but also about myself, I think it would involve a lot of self reflection. My biggest motivator is doing it for my brother, he always wanted me to visit him but I never got the chance to before he passed so I would love to tribute completing it to him. I actually do plan on going to Honduras during the summer, so I will hopefully set a day aside for this trail.

I hope to gain a sense of belonging, community, knowledge about myself and my native land. I hope to feel empowered to continue learning about my roots.

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Natural Disasters

Going to a different country for vacation is something many people have the luxury of doing. They can go and come back, but it is much more complex than going to a different country and returning home. To begin, I believe the economic impacts of tourism are positive for money stimulation in the economy, it brings about many jobs, tourists, and those tourists spend money on the land. I think that there are many positives, but not enough attention is paid to the exploitation that comes with pumping money from tourism into the economy. I believe the people that work the hardest are paid the least. This surely cannot be accidental, it is for the reason to maintain the status quo. In the film The Impossible, we follow the story of a family who survived the Indian Ocean Tsunami. They stay at a resort when the natural disaster hits, but there many of the tourists are completely unprepared for this. I think that it is important for hotels to advise all of their customers of all of the possibilities, and advise them to either make a plan for their own family or perhaps a general plan of what to do in different scenarios. This may be a more proactive way of preparing because ultimately there is no great way to prevent damage from natural disasters. The role of hoteliers and resorts during a natural disaster should be to attempt to maintain the guest's safety as best they can especially considering there is no way of controlling the disaster. Although, in general, I think that owners of these resorts make enough profit to make some sort of shelter for their customers. People are personally affected by natural disasters because they will lose loved ones and property. I think they are also left to deal with traumatic experiences from Natural Disasters, along with the financial burden of the aftermath. I think that resources for each family are different. If they can afford therapy and find healthy alternatives to cope with emotional loss, there are plenty of resources and things they may do, though even with all of the money in the world it can be difficult to cope with loss. I can imagine how much more difficult it can be for those who cannot afford these types of resources or cannot access them. I think the difference between the personal loss at home versus when engaging in tourism might be the cultural barriers, language barriers, what you are losing, how you will deal with it, and much more. I think personal loss can be equally traumatic, but there may be a greater sense of loss at home since that is where you have settled and established yourself. Though I think that engaging in tourism might be more frightening because you are usually far from home. I think both films we watched this week capture a lot of aspects of what it is like to experience a natural disaster when on vacation, but there are far more stories with different endings. Unfortunately, even on vacation it is important to be prepared for these things and have some sort of plan.

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Human Trafficking

One of the biggest fears that many people face about their most vulnerable loved ones is that they will be kidnapped and trafficked. From the start of our lives, our older guardians warn us about the dangers of interacting with people we do not know, but as seen in the film, sometimes those that betray the victims are people they know very well. When the young Filipina girl's family is going through financial hardships, her father makes a decision to sell her for money to be able to stay above water financially. I believe that the hospitality industry has a responsibility because there are places that tourists fund when traveling to foreign countries that allow for human trafficking to be profitable for the people who run these schemes. For example, the red light district in the Philippines advertises women freely for sex work, and is legal in the country, but behind the scenes, there is illegal activity, younger girls, abuse, drugs, and more. Even places where tourists stay such as hotels and resorts can contribute to the issue because these girls are trafficked and abused here and it continues because there is a profit made and a lot of money going towards the "bosses" of these schemes, and there are surely people behind the hotel industry and tourism establishments that are complacent. I believe that poverty is a big reason that this occurs. This is a big issue that cannot be solved simply, but there must be resources for people to not have to do things like these to get their money. Sometimes victims do it to provide for their families as well, but they are still victims because they are still children. I think that social change can be made by recognizing that anyone can be a victim and perpetrator, including the "clients" who purchase the victims for a period of time. In the film we see the doctor become a client purchasing a young girl when he was going on vacation, and he was recommended the place by a trafficker. Warning people of the signs of what to look for, or warnings are likely to be simpler than cracking down on the traffickers because they have extensive operations that can be difficult for law enforcement to take down completely. Overall, providing more resources for young children and teens to prevent them from becoming victims, whether it be ways to get money to provide for their families, or more education about the subject in countries where it may not be provided.