Daniella is a journalism student from a small town in Essex, with Mauritian and Pakistani roots. She had recently come to the end of her extended diploma in journalism and was pursuing her passion for travel journalism. “TMA Step Up was my first role in the travel industry, which filled me with excitement,” she explained. Over the eight weeks, Daniella worked with the editorial team at Ink Global and learned about PR from the communications experts at Kuoni. “I anticipated not only gaining a comprehensive understanding of the roles and responsibilities within esteemed companies, but also soaking up the experience of the professionals surrounding me.” ink-global.com kuoni.co.uk

As well as working as an aviation reporter at Travel Radar, Jenna has also finished her English Literature degree this year. She’s a lover of city breaks, her favourites so far being Reykjavík, Seville and Paris, and is savvy with digital marketing and social media. “I always make the most of creative opportunities, turning a part-time job at an aquarium into leading their social media!” Jenna, who spent four weeks at The Sun followed by four weeks at Virgin Atlantic, was most excited to learn from and network with industry professionals. “Attending the Travel Media Awards made the TMA Step Up scheme even more exciting, enabling me to continue developing my skills and build meaningful connections.” thesun.co.uk virginatlantic.com

Kinza is a sociology graduate from the University of Bristol. During her degree, she spent a year in Singapore, which was the highlight of her studies, as it developed her appreciation for travel media. “I was excited to gain hands-on experience in travel journalism and PR, and work alongside an established group of professionals,” said Kinza. “TMA Step Up provided me with invaluable exposure to travel journalism and PR, leading to an exciting career in travel media.” During the scheme, she worked with APL Media — publisher of National Geographic Traveller (UK) — and gained hands-on insight into travel PR with the award-winning team at FINN Partners. aplmedia.co.uk finnpartners.com

Lillie-Rose is currently an undergraduate English student at University College London, where she has gained experience as a multimedia journalist and served as the co-editor-in-chief of UnCL magazine. In her spare time, she's presented for Pi Media’s PiTV platform and hosted a radio show at Rare FM. “The TMA Step Up internship gave me the opportunity to break into the exciting world of travel media,” she said. “I looked forward to stepping outside of my comfort zone and developing my editorial, public relations and marketing skills, and building the foundations of a successful media career.” Lillie-Rose travelled abroad for the first time in her life last year, to Antiparos in Greece. This experience was transformative for her, and she looks forward to returning in the future. metro.co.uk easyjet.com/holidays

A PPA-trained magazine journalist, Sophie had already established her own Substack newsletter, The Welsh Adventure, as well as completed work experience at Cedar Communications and The Simple Things. She won the FIPP Awards’ Best New Media Business award 2025 for her master's degree enterprise project and was the Journalism Travel award winner for The Worshipful Livery Company of Wales in 2024. “I’d always known I wanted to work in travel media, but I didn’t yet know what role I most wanted to fill within the industry,” Sophie said. “I hoped that I could narrow this down with the TMA Step Up internship, as well as refine my journalistic skill set.” ttgmedia.com intrepidtravel.com