Question 1

To be a part of our team, you'll need to:

Accepted Answer

Be passionate about travel and Europe – willing to learn and keep on learning.
Be enthusiastic and motivated – we expect you to work hard for our travellers and the brand.
Have great time management skills.
Be responsible and professional, all whilst having fun.
Have the ability to deal with all types of people – our travellers come from all around the globe, speak many languages, and have many different expectations.
Enjoy a challenge – our training trip and the job itself will constantly present you with many different and difficult situations.
Be positive and have the ability to deal with all situations in a calm and mature manner.
Be a problem solver – you’ll assist travellers with lost items, injuries, conflicts of personality… the list goes on.
Work well as part of a team – you’ll collaborate with your Trip Driver, local suppliers, hotels, restaurants, and local guides.Visit our Team page to find out more about what it’s like to work as a Trip Manager with Contiki.

Question 2

What are the requirements?

Accepted Answer

You must be able to work across the European Region. This means being the holder of one of either a European Passport or a working/residency visa in a European country before commencing training in March 2026. Please note we cannot sponsor any applicant for this position. You must have a valid work visa (or residency) for the EU before commencing training.
Although not required, the following will be of benefit to you in your application for this position:

Experience working with and leading groups.
Confidence when speaking in front of a group.
Previous travel in Europe.
Having previously travelled with Contiki or participated in a group tour of some description.

Question 3

What happens next?

Accepted Answer

You can register your interest for 2026 positions now and applications will open later in the year. By registering we can give you the heads up as soon as they open. Once we have reviewed your application you will hear from us via email. We will be using a video interviewing platform as a part of our recruitment process. If we think that you may be suitable for a position, we will invite you to partake in a virtual video interview. This technology will allow us to connect with you quickly and conduct our initial assessment. Video interviewing also gives us the opportunity to learn more about your personality and your work experience.
The next stage will be an invitation to participate in one of our group interviews. For this interview you will be asked to prepare a short talk on a subject - we will choose a topic for you to prepare ahead of time with specific guidelines. On the same day as your group interview with your introduction and topic talk, we will invite you to an individual interview; this individual interview will typically take 20-30mins.
Following a successful individual interview, you will be offered a position on on our 2026 European Training Trip. To secure your place on this training trip you will be required to pay a bond of €300.00. This amount is fully refundable upon the successful completion of your first Contiki trip. Refunds will not be given to those who change their mind about attending, who do not successfully complete the training trip or do not subsequently work as a Trip Manager post training.
On receipt of your bond we will send you your pre-training trip assignment to be completed and submitted by a specified date. This assignment will help you begin learning about Europe's history, geography, politics and current events as well as the Contiki product. All of these aspects of knowledge are vital for becoming a successful Trip Manager.
Training begins in March 2026 and involves 8 weeks travelling in Europe. You will visit most of our major destinations throughout Europe and along the way learn the skills of Trip Managing – the Contiki way. Our training trips are renowned for being intense and very challenging so the more advance preparation you undertake the better off you will be. An offer of contract work will not be made until you have successfully completed the full training trip.
When you work for Contiki you are joining a global brand; your opportunities to further your expertise stretch from the United Kingdom and Scandinavia to Australia, Asia, Africa, America, Canada and New Zealand – if you have the right to work there and the interest in tackling a new region, we want you! Given the reputation of our training program, you will always go far in the fields of travel, tourism and beyond.

Question 4

Can you do your interview by video call or telephone?

Accepted Answer

We are moving with the times, so yes, we can offer some interviews by Microsoft Teams but it is important to say that we find it challenging to assess all the same key criteria for the Trip Managers position in this way compared with the tangible environment of a traditional interview. Interpersonal skills are important, and we can't always figure this out with technology in the way we would like to.
To allow our candidates more accessibility, we will offer many different opportunities for you to attend an interview in person in locations around the world and as a last resort will run some interviews on a virtual platform.

Question 5

Is there any compensation for travel?

Accepted Answer

We do appreciate that many of our applicants travel from near and far for these interviews but we do not offer compensation for this travel - those of you who are successful will have the job of a lifetime with many opportunities to come!

Question 6

When do applications open?

Accepted Answer

Applications for Europe-based Contiki Trip Managers open in August/September each year. By registering your interest, you will be the first to know when we open our applications - so put yourself in in front of the queue for an interview and register now!

Question 7

What kind of passport or visa will I need to work as a Contiki Trip Manager in Europe?

Accepted Answer

You must be able to work across the European Region. This means being the holder of one of either a European Passport or a working/residency visa in a European country before commencing training in March 2026.

Question 8

Is there anything else I should know?

Accepted Answer

Yes - you have to put in an application to give yourself the opportunity! Register your interest now so that you are first to know when applications open!

Question 9

Still not sure?

Accepted Answer

If you require further information email us: ukeujobs@contiki.com

TRIP MANAGER: EUROPE 2026

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