Meet Mikki – our fearless solo traveller. The ultimate way to mix business with pleasure, Mikki incorporated our Work Canada Ultimate program into her wider gap year. Here’s her story of earning money, skiing every day and making lifelong friendships.

Why Canada?

When I finished my A-levels, I was always planning to go on a gap year to travel and experience all the countries I’ve always wanted to go to. I knew at the end of my gap year I wanted to do a ski season and I’ve always wanted to go to Canada to ski, so this was the perfect opportunity!

I knew I wouldn’t be able to afford to spend a whole ski season in Canada without working as it was expensive, so I decided the best way to do this was to get a job out there.

Why Whistler?

There were a few options in terms of ski resorts to go in Canada, so I did my research and Whistler looked amazing! BUNAC helped me with the rest and I was set to go. What job did you do? I worked as a Guest Room Attendant at the Four Seasons Resort in Whistler. I knew it would be a demanding job, but totally worth it. One thing I remember was meeting the hotel dog, Maola, for the first time! Having a furry friend greet you every morning on shift was definitely a good reason to drag yourself out of bed.

Did you travel alone?

For the entirety of my gap year, I solo travelled. I must admit, as a fresh out of school 18-year-old this was pretty daunting! After I had finished the travelling section of my gap year I hopped on a plane to Canada and soon arrived at my accommodation where I met everyone who I was living with. This can be quite a nerve-racking experience, meeting people from all over the world and being put into a room of eight girls you’ve never met before. But it only took me about half an hour to settle in and after that the rest was history. I spent the rest of my season with some of the loveliest girls I’ve ever met, and they truly are lifelong friends.

Did you meet lots of people?

There were so many amazing people I met on my trip to Canada. I met one of my now best friend Liv on the first day I got to Canada. We both knew from day one we were going to get on well. Even though Liv lives in Australia, we still speak every day and plan to travel around Europe together.

Liv and I went skiing together almost every day and we worked together too; even through the toughest shifts she was able to make me laugh. It’s hard to believe that you can meet such a lifelong friend on a ski season, but trust me you do meet some truly amazing people.

Would you do another season?

Without a doubt I would 100% do another ski season. My ski season was my absolute favourite part of my gap year, not only because, of course, I love skiing, but because of the amazing things I was able to experience and the incredible people I met. Vancouver was not too far from Whistler and the coach to get there was pretty cheap so that allowed me to branch out to visit other places. I’m already planning on going back to Canada after I’ve finished university with Liv to do another season so that should say something!

 

Inspired by Mikki’s ski season? The Ultimate Canada includes visa assistance to secure that all important visa, two years of job support, arrival accommodation, a pre-arranged ski season job and more. Book now with a deposit, start planning your trip and interviewing for jobs.