Published on : 03 July 20204 min reading time
You want to go on holiday but you don’t have the budget for? Becoming a paid travel tester may be the solution for you!
Who has never dreamt of going on holiday to dream destinations, in a luxury hotel and all for free? Even getting paid for it? By becoming a paid travel tester, your dream can come true!
What does it mean to be a paid travel tester?
Mystery shopper, travel tester and even dream tester… So many names to designate people who test products or trips on behalf of specialized agencies. The travel tester will have to pretend to be an ordinary customer in order to test, then draw up an evaluation report concerning a hotel, an organized trip… Everything will have to be taken into account: reception, cleanliness, service, food…
At the end of your stay, you must submit a detailed report, with supporting photos. Being a tester therefore requires observation skills, a critical mind but also very good writing skills. Another criterion is flexibility. You will have to make yourself readily available.
How to become a paid travel tester?
You become a paid travel tester when, in addition to offering you the trip, the organization or agency decides to pay you for your evaluation service. Even though you will usually find more free travel test offers, be aware that the possibility of being paid is not a mirage. Especially if you are asked during your trip to test binding activities or if the duration of the trip has to be extended.
Want to become a tester? Nothing could be simpler. First of all, make a list of the different organizations that recruit mystery shoppers and contact them to find out the conditions of participation, whether or not they pay the people in addition to offering the trip. You can target travel agencies, tour operators, survey organizations or even boxes, such as Wonderbox.
Afterwards, you will usually be asked to fill in a questionnaire. Take the time to fill in all the information, it will be used to establish your profile and to propose test offers that correspond to you.
Please note that family trips are also possible, so don’t hesitate to fill in the number of children in your household.
If your profile matches, you will then be contacted by the company to conduct your investigation. The company will contact you depending on your profile and the availability of assignments.
Be careful, however, as the remuneration offered is not sufficient to constitute a full-time job, as the organisations consider that the trip itself is part of the remuneration. This being the case, it still allows you to go out in the sun for free!
Travel tester via social networks
More and more travel companies are offering to become a travel tester or travel ambassador on social networks. On the Internet, you will find these offers under the name of “dream job”.
In this case, the selection process is different: very often you will be asked to showcase your skills in a video that will be submitted to a vote afterwards, and then to relate your entire adventure on social networks if you are chosen, the goal being to create buzz.
In return, the tester’s job is very often a dream job and the remuneration is attractive!
Namely: there are other travel sectors looking for travel testers such as campsites, hotels or tourist organizations. You can also test products, answer paid surveys, etc…
What is the profile you are looking for?
There is no standard profile required to become a travel tester. However, certain criteria are required by all travel operators:
- to be able to speak English. If you speak more than one, it is a plus.
- to be available
- think critically
- be a good writer