Cover Letter - I understand Resumes can be quite boring so I hope this story like Cover letter gives you a better idea of my work experience, my character and attitude and my travel experience that makes me qualified for this job.

Dear LuxiClass Travel Team!

My name is Shannah van Geldern. I am 25 years old and I have lived in 4 countries outside of the United States and I have traveled within 18 countries on 4 different continents! My passion for the blessing of modern travel started at a young age and will undoubtedly continue for the rest of my life. My passion for travel started with RV road trips across the United States with my family during my high school years. My family planned an amazing route to geographical wonders and national parks throughout the Country. We always started the day with an intention and meditation. Our moto for the trip was, “high curiosity, no expectations, and endless gratitude”. This attitude really enhanced our travel experiences.

After I graduated high school in 2013 I did a life changing Summer Challenge program in California that presented physical, emotional and goal oriented challenges to us throughout the beautiful state to cultivate bravery, self-belief, confidence, bonds within the team and self-love.

Directly after finishing this program I decided to do the brave thing at 18 years old and take an opportunity to move to Korea to teach English and be a boarding advisor/housemaster at an International boarding school in Seoul. I lived there for 5 months and during my time I provided emotional support and curated experiences for the homesick middle school students and explored Seoul by myself on my free time. I worked at small a Hagwon or after school teaching English to 4-6 often exhausted and annoyed middle school students. My patience was tested in my job positions serving young students and my sense of responsibility and maturity had to grow rapidly. During my time in Korea my perspective of the world was greatly expanded and my personal experiences were so enriching that I was hooked on travel from then on.

After I got home from Korea I was offered an opportunity to represent my high school and recruit students in China with a team of school representatives from all over the United States. I was terrified to go to China because I always heard such awful things in the United States about the country and culture but I decided to go for it, and I’m so glad I did. The trip was very well planned and we got to stay in elegant, elaborate 5 star hotels and dine at round tables at 5 star restaurants every day. We got to see the biggest skyscrapers, travel across the longest bridge, ride the fastest train and experience small rural towns rich in history. We presented at prestigious schools and met starry-eyed Chinese students with self given English names that wanted so badly to come study in America. China was so rich in culture and architecture and cuisine that it really blew all of my expectations out of water and I decided to stay for 2 more weeks on my own after the recruiting trip was finished.

My appreciation for curated experiences really started to grow when I had to plan my own experiences every day in a foreign city that didn’t commonly speak English. It was a great challenge but I somehow managed to see the Great Wall of China, the forbidden city and other gems around Shanghai with some help from other kind travelers.

I then started my studies at Drew University, New Jersey in 2014 and had a series of traveling experiences thanks to the international friend group I made there. Because of the travel experiences I had before university, it was very natural for me to make friends with the students from all over the world. I went to Dominican Republic, Italy, Puerto Rico, Spain, and all over Europe with my friends from school. All of these travel experiences were greatly enriching because of the local families and friends I met and traveled with. They always poured their heart into sharing their food, culture, friends and local travel destinations with me.

My passion for travel drove me to scout out a travel abroad opportunity at Melbourne University in Australia that had never been offered at my University before . Australia was an amazing experience where I worked with travel agencies and an American exchange student program to have experiences all over the country! I saw the Great Ocean Road, the Great Barrier Reef, and beautiful national parks and rainforest reserves along the East, Northeast and Southern coasts of Australia. I also planned a trip to Bali with a friend from the northeast coast of Australia. This trip was absolutely incredible I was again expanded, enriched and more educated as an individual and felt to be more of global citizen. One of my greatest realizations while traveling is that there are truly wonderful people all over the world and everyone values the same things: family, safety, good food and kindness.

During my school years I always managed to work while studying in order to afford my various travels. I mostly worked as a family Nanny but I also had work in School Administration, a daycare service and in a cafe. My love for traveling helped me to save the money I earned to go towards my next adventure.

After graduation I continued to work as a nanny and then later planned a trip to Costa Rica with a friend that was a great adventure full of beaches, volcanoes, rainforests and coffee! While I was on my trip, a friend I met during my travels in Korea reached out to me on social media after seeing my posts in Costa Rica. She invited me to visit her in Guatemala where she had been living for the past 4 years. I decided to ditch my ticket home and bought a one way ticket to Guatemala.

This led me on an absolutely magical and life changing adventure where I lived in Antigua Guatemala and Guatemala City and traveled all over the country for over a year. I learned Spanish and expanded my art portfolio by painting murals and portraits and worked with a producer and musician friend to make a song and put it on Spotify. I made incredible friends with all different skills and passions, discovered a new music and artists, danced my heart out, learned about different plants and foods, worked in ecotourism at the beach, hiked and camped on an Active Volcano, was a tour guide for both of my parents who came to visit me, and saw parts of the world I could have never imagined.

I believe my travel experiences have been so exceptional because of my attitude I have carried with me since my RV road trips with my family, “high curiosity, no expectations and endless gratitude” and because of the local friends and families I travel with or meet up with or make while visiting or living in a foreign country. This is truly the best way to travel in my opinion because it is how you can most authentically and organically experience a country, grow your knowledge of the world and build a global friendship network.

I am so grateful for my richness in global experiences and I hope to share this passion and give opportunities and confidence to others for empowering and expanding travel experiences.

Thank you so much for reading my story,

Shannah van Geldern