Visitors in Scotland, one of Holiday Vacations' many destinations.

Who doesn’t love a vacation? And we’re not just talkin’ hopping on a flight across the pond or carpooling on a road trip to the coast, either. Holiday Vacations, a longtime local business and home-grown success story, is opening its ranks for passionate folks to join in on the travel biz – no matter what career background you come from.

Holiday Vacations got its start thanks to a kid in a UW-Eau Claire dorm room with a dream, and 50 years later, that business and dream continues to thrive. But while Holiday Vacations has been around for decades, there is still an air of mystery around it: what exactly does Holiday Vacations do?

Holiday Vacations offers guided group travel across the world for individuals and groups. Every finite detail is thoughtfully crafted by folks who live and work right here in the Valley. Someone in the Eau Claire building is creating each tour, day by day, personally ensuring every guest receives an experience of a lifetime.

Life is short and bucket lists are long, something folks were especially reminded of over the last handful of years. The beauty of working in the travel industry is directly related to that sentiment: making people’s wildest dreams a reality. Want to adventure out to an African Safari trip or spend your nights exploring the island life of the Bay of Naples?  Holiday Vacations curates vacations for that. Dreaming of a week-long cruise in the sparkling Aegean Sea or experiencing The Last Frontier of Alaska? They’ve got that too.

“We want to bring people who have always wanted to get into travel but didn’t really know how to,” Renee explained. “We look for people who have amazing personalities and people skills. We bring people of all backgrounds into this industry, and we set them up to thrive.”

“We look for people who have amazing personalities and people skills. We bring people of all backgrounds into this industry, and we set them up to thrive.”

Egypt.

Holiday Vacations President Jerre Fuqua said there is one common trait among their talented team: experience in customer service. From a previous trainer at Chipotle to rockstar baristas at Starbucks, folks who are organized and passionate about amazing service have what it takes to shine in travel.

“There are these innate traits that can make somebody spectacular, things you really can’t teach,” Renee said. “We figure, people with passion and strong people skills can thrive here, regardless of what career they were in before.”

Even Renee, who joined the team less than six years ago, came from a career in health insurance – a totally different ballgame, but one that offered that common trait. “That’s the best thing that we can do in this community, is provide an opportunity to people who didn’t even think (the travel industry) was an option for them,” Renee said. “We want to say, ‘It absolutely is an option,’ and we would love to have you here to grow with us.”

“The repeat-client rates are so robust with us, and when people travel with us, they almost feel like they’re a shareholder,” Jerre said.

“That was one of the things that, when I first started here, just amazed me – there were no conversations about ‘number blank-blank is traveling…’ but it was always, ‘Mr. and Mrs. Stephens are wanting to …; Everyone was recognized by name and there’s this familiarity,” Renee said. “It’s not about faceless numbers but it’s first and foremost always about the guest experience.”

Alaska.

And people certainly do come home from Holiday Vacations excursions with an abundance of memories to share. There’s even a Facebook group for previous Holiday Vacations travelers, sharing their memories via word or photo, and even Jerre keeps a stack of hundreds of group photos from trips the business personally hand-crafted. Plus, staff members are also part of the travel getaways – after all, how can you deliver a trip of a lifetime, if you haven’t been on a trip like that yourself?

“The one secret I’ve learned over my whole career in travel is, no matter where you go, folks come home a better person. I know I always do,” Jerre said. “You come home appreciative of something new you’ve learned or a new way of thinking that you hadn’t thought of before; it’s so powerful. Because of that, we can create incredible leaders starting the day they walk through the door.”

As for the people behind each curated trip, they’re from all walks of life, and Holiday Vacations is eager to bring passionate locals into the fold and  provide quality training and resources so they can reach their best potential.

“Because I think sometimes that’s all you need; You need somebody to help open that door for you, and then you fly. That’s what we want to do.”

Holiday Vacations has a mentor program for new hires so that regardless of the career path, they come into the organization with someone who can personally show them the ropes and secure their confidence.

“Lots of places are hiring for jobs; we’re hiring for careers,” Jerre said. “If you get into travel, chances are you’re going to fall in love with it and this business right here in Eau Claire. We have the opportunity to create rewarding and fulfilling careers. There are few things that you can do and say, ‘I helped someone reach their dream.’ That’s fun.”

“And that’s the place we are in, to be able to say, ’Let’s open doors for you; Where do you want to be?’” Renee added. “Because I think sometimes that’s all you need; You need somebody to help open that door for you, and then you fly. That’s what we want to do.”

Visit holidayvacations.com to learn more.

Holiday Vacations

Phone: (888) 867-2190

Address: 2727 Henry Ave., Eau Claire

Online: Holiday Vacations careers

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