Lucia Ruz is a lady who landed her dream job. As a managing editor at Secret Escapes, she’s in charge of all of the tantalising travel content produced in Spanish for the members-only travel website, so it should come as no surprise that Lucia has a passion for travel. However, she's equally enthusiastic about inspiring the world to discover new destinations and making sure her team loves their work as much as she does.

Where does your passion for travel come from?

I've always had it. Since I was little I was lucky enough to be travelling quite a lot, both in Spain, where I’m from, and around the world with my family and friends. I’ve lived in a lot of different countries as well, and I feel I’m very fortunate to live and breathe my love of travel through work.

How did you manage to land your dream job?

I’ve been living in London for eight years and my experience in media is mainly in travel so I’ve always tried to make a living out of it, but really I was just in the right place at the right time. I was a member of Secret Escapes and always looking at the emails, at the offers, and I was just at home browsing the site, saw the job advert and knew I had to apply!

In my previous roles I’ve worked with different types of media, like TV, radio, newspapers and magazines in various countries, so I think that has given me the knowledge to adapt content to engage with many types of audiences and media. I also have experience promoting travel destinations. It all comes in handy when you need to manage a team and reach your audience.

What would you say is the most challenging part of your work?

When I started – just before we launched the Secret Escapes website in Spain. There was a lot of learning from the team. But on a day-to-day basis, I think it would be to keep the content fresh and engaging. Our goal is to produce copy that will inspire people to go abroad, to travel and to enjoy themselves.

In my team, we believe the most powerful tool for doing this is through our words and images. We have a team of experts in-house who research the best hotels for our members, so we can offer amazing deals for our customers – but we're the ones who present the offers to our customers through our newsletters, our website and so on.

How do you keep your team productive?

The people I work with are great editors and they're so excited about what they do. Writing about travelling is something we all enjoy doing, and if you love what you do then coming to work is a pleasure! It’s very important to work with people who challenge you, but also people who are fun to share your time with, because at the end of the day you do spend a lot of time with your colleagues.

But equally the work environment matters. Working in an office that has nice pictures on the walls and big spaces that are stylish and nice views – these things are important for creating a positive atmosphere. You also want to have the right set-up to meet with your team and other people, a place to share ideas and to feel comfortable. Coming to work every morning in an office you like makes a difference.

Do you have a favourite travel destination?

I come from Spain, and I have to say Spain is the best country in the world! But if we’re not talking about my home country, I will say Mexico. I lived there for a while and I love everything about it: the history, the heritage, the culture, the landscapes, the beaches, the food, the people, the markets. Everything about it appeals to me, and if I get the chance to go back I always take it.

Tell us about a magical moment you’ve experienced on your overseas adventures.

I recently went to Indonesia and stayed on the Gili Islands, which are known for being a centre of marine biodiversity. The first day I arrived, I thought I was in paradise! After checking in at the hotel, I grabbed one of the bikes they had available for guests, rented snorkelling gear and went straight to the beach. Literally two or three metres from the shore you see the most amazing fish, giant turtles and coral reefs you can possibly imagine. I felt like a kid who doesn't want to leave the water and spent hours swimming! I think travelling has the power of making you switch off from everything else and really enjoy the setting, atmosphere and nature you’re surrounded by.

Is there anything you’ve learned in your job that’s really surprised you?

I think every day you learn something new. We work with lots of people from all different countries, and you’re always amazed by the culture of every country and the audiences in different regions. I don’t know if this counts as something I’ve learned, but it’s always refreshing to learn what people from other countries like and loads of them like Spain!

Lucia Ruz is Managing Editor of Secret Escapes Spain. She works in our Regus offices at 120 Holborn, London.

 

Top tips from Lucia:

1. Know your audience. In any sort of industry, if you want to send a message out and you want to be there, it's very important to know the people you want to reach.
2. Really know what you’re talking about. Be an expert on the subject you want to communicate.
3. Be passionate about what you do and what you want to share. Make sure that comes across to the people you're engaging.