Emily Michelin has worked with Hemisphere for just over 12 years, starting as an account executive. As of 1½ years ago, she took on the role of Sales and Operations Supervisor.
What is your favorite part about your job?
As an account executive, I loved helping teachers create awesome experiences for their students. I also loved the customer service aspect of the job and enjoy working for and building relationships with my clients. As a supervisor, I really appreciate watching our employees grow and develop. It is a welcome challenge to find the best way to communicate with each individual and figure out what motivates and drives them to be a positive part of our Hemisphere family. We are truly blessed to have such a wonderful team.
Where is your favorite destination?
This is a tough one for me. I studied abroad in Sydney, Australia—and because I lived there, I really got to know the city and explore it as a local. I loved the laidback culture, the fantastic beaches and meeting some awesome Aussies. On the flip side, I took a three-week tour of Scandinavia, and the landscape there is some of the most beautiful I have ever seen. One night we sat on a cliff and watched the sun barely touch the horizon before heading back into the sky.
What is the best thing you’ve learned while traveling?
I traveled to France with my French Club when I was a junior in high school. For part of the trip, I stayed with a French family on my own. The family didn’t speak much English—and my French was not good enough to fully communicate—but we made it work. It turned out to be a really fun week as we learned how to communicate with each other through extravagant hand gestures and broken language. My French also improved greatly during that week, which was a huge bonus.
What’s your most prized travel souvenir?
My husband proposed on a beach in Zanzibar. He didn’t bring my engagement ring on the trip. Instead he bought a wire ring in the Nairobi airport, unbeknownst to me, and used that ring to propose. It isn’t a traditional travel souvenir, but it will always be very special to me.
If you were stranded in an airport, what three things would you want with you?
A good book.
My phone.
And a Starbucks nearby.
If you could run into anyone famous—fictional or nonfictional, historical or mythical—during travel, whom would you want to run into?
Cher … because she is amazing.
What is your favorite mode of transportation?
I am not a huge fan of flying. But until tele-transportation is a thing, it is my favorite method of travel. I like to maximize my time in a destination, and it’s fun to visit far-from-home places.
What three destinations are on your travel bucket list?
- Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda or Kenya
- Spain
- Colorado
What’s your favorite activity while traveling?
I love exploring a town by visiting off-the-beaten-path sites and eating at tucked-away restaurants. I love sitting in a café for hours with a good book, reading and people watching. I’m also a big fan of taking a guided tour through a city so that I can learn a lot in a concentrated amount of time. I have two small children at home, so I also will never snub my nose at a beach vacation. Sleeping on a beach is amazing.
What do you love about travel?
There are so many things that I love about travel.
Travel gives me a way to both find myself and lose myself, all at the same time. Traveling makes the world we live in feel smaller and more connected. I believe that it is infinitely important for us all to get out of our own backyard and explore the lives and cultures of other people. I love that travel has the ability to break us down—resulting in an overall strengthening of self.
I am so grateful that my parents gave me opportunities to travel as a student. It has led me to passionately want to create these experiences for all of our student groups.
Written by Hemisphere Educational Travel
