Lily Herbison

Travel Consultant, MountainWatch Travel, Queenstown
Bachelor of International Tourism Management in Sustainable Tourism Management & Travel Management

When she finished school, she wasn’t sure what the future would hold, says Lily Herbison whose love for travel has since inspired her to complete a tourism degree and build an enviable career.

“I finished high school in 2018 with no clue about my future pathway or career, and took a gap year where I worked in a summer camp in Ontario, Canada, took a solo trip to Iceland and moved to Whistler in Canada for the winter season. Fast forward to March 2020, after an incredible 10 months travelling, COVID-19 hit and I was forced to return home. Although my time travelling was cut short, I left eager to continue to work in the tourism industry. Hearing about my friends’ various tertiary experiences only solidified this decision for me.”

Taking up a tourism degree in the middle of a pandemic was seen as a crazy move by many, she admits, but for it turned out to be the best decision she could have made.

“I loved the sense of community, environment and culture that exists at AUT. My lecturers were the best support throughout my degree; I couldn’t have done it without them. My degree began in a lockdown and continued to be affected by the pandemic, however my lecturers did their best to continue the same level of teaching and create the best digital learning environment they possibly could for us students. Whether through a laptop screen or in person, you could feel their genuine passion for the industry and their enthusiasm for teaching the future of tourism.

“The workplace experience in my degree was a major influence in my current career and life path, especially as I was able to secure a position with the organisation I did my placement with. I was determined to complete my placement outside of Auckland, and put in the hard work to do so, but my mentors at AUT were so helpful and a great force of encouragement for me.”

Between Queenstown and Japan
Now mainly based on Queenstown, Lily loves sharing her passion for travel with her customers at MountainWatch Travel.

“MountainWatch Travel specialises in ski and snow trips to Japan, North America and New Zealand. In my opinion, there’s nothing better than being in the mountains, and this position enables me to curate the same experience for our customers.

“My job includes developing personalised packages for customers that consider their travel needs and requests. Understanding the ski resorts and products we sell is a core part of the position, as we’re often the first stop for questions and concerns. Customer service roles have always been the jobs I enjoy the most, and there’s great satisfaction from this job as it enables me to develop trips that involve a passion of my own.”

Another great bonus of her role is the opportunity to work in Japan during the New Zealand summer.

“During the Japanese winter we have an office in Hakuba, a ski town in Japan. This is our most popular destination, and was the starting point for the company 17 years ago. Being based in Hakuba gives our customers in-resort support, peace of mind and security in a foreign country. Most of our Queenstown staff travel north for the Japanese winter. Doing a full winter in Japan was not only an amazing experience for me, but has majorly advanced my knowledge of the resorts, which helps me curate customer trips. I also got to spend many days at the ski resorts, which was a great bonus!”

Advice for other students
Lily – who graduated from AUT at the end of 2023 and is proud of the A grade average she maintained throughout her degree – has some great advice for other students who are only at the start of their university journey.

“Your tertiary experience is yours and you’ll gain immensely from it; whether you’re fresh out of high school, or have taken a gap year or even ten! Not everyone is going to have the same experience, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Deciding to study tourism was the best decision for me, and AUT was undoubtedly the best place to do so.”

Studying has really opened up her perspective on travel, she adds.

“When I began my degree, I just had a passion to travel. Now I have a passion for travel and everything that lies behind it.”