Meet Jessica-originally an intern at Prometour and now the Buyer & Contracts Manager for North America! Officially working for Prometour since May 2015, Jessica began as a group coordinator before assuming her current position. In addition to her role as the Buyer & Contracts Manager, Jessica is also responsible for carefully choosing which tour guide will be assigned to each student group. Get to know more about this important member of the Prometour team below!
Tell us about yourself!
I grew up on the south shore of Montreal. I went to immersion school for both elementary & secondary school, meaning that I did my schooling in both French and English. After high school, I studied Tourism Management at Champlain College in St-Lambert.
What made you apply to Prometour?
I actually started at Prometour as a stagiaire. I was in my last semester of Tourism Management in Cegep and we had to complete an 8-week stage (internship). About 2 weeks before the end of my stage, the Director of Operations offered me a job as a group coordinator. I think he barely had the time to finish his sentence, that I had already accepted the offer!
Jessica on the Hornblower cruise in Niagara Falls, Canada
What is the most satisfying part of your job?
The most satisfying part of my job is reading the comments from participants that loved their trip. When they are utterly amazed and it seems like the trip changed the students' outlook on life, I literally get shivers down my spine! It makes me feel proud of the hard work I put in everyday and it makes it all worth it.
Which Prometour Tour would you travel on?
We have a school that does a four-day trip to Quebec City and Montreal, and then goes to Costa Rica for a few days before returning home. I believe that this is one of the most authentic tours we offer and I don’t know why we don’t have more groups doing it! I would love doing that tour one day.
What’s one thing you wish you could tell educators that want to plan a student trip?
If there is one thing I could tell an educator looking to plan a student trip, it would be not to over-pack their itinerary. I know that for some students/teachers, the tour is the trip of a life-time and that they might not get to travel again anytime soon so they want to do as much as possible. However, this is not how the students will get the best experience. How are you supposed to enjoy a trip when you’re being rushed from one museum to the other, without really registering anything? How can you fully comprehend the culture and the beauty of the country you are in, when you’re barely able to just look around and enjoy the view?
Jessica at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California
What was your first trip?
One of the first trips I ever did was a school trip-we went to New York City for 4 days. I remember being totally amazed by all of the huge buildings and the vibe you get while walking down the streets. I loved my experience so much that since then, I’ve returned to NYC 3 separate times!
Jessica's photo from Lac Chateau Vert in La Tuque, Quebec
-Jessica Lavoie | Achats & Gestionnaire de Contrats / Buyer & Contracts Manager
