Making the most of it with Emirates – meet the winner of the New Horizons survey prize draw

She never thought that she would win, but the grand prize was too tempting to give up the chance.

Looking back now, 22-year old Aldara Robredo Corta of Spain is glad that she opened that email from AuPairWorld, a member organisation of WYSE Travel Confederation, encouraging her to take part in the only recurring global survey of youth and student travel, New Horizons. She is the lucky survey prize winner of two free flights to anywhere in the world with Emirates.

“I got an email from AuPairWorld informing me about it and when I learned about the prize, I couldn’t resist. I thought I’d never win, but here we are!” she told WYSE Travel Confederation in response to the news that she had won the grand prize of the New Horizons Survey prize draw.

Conducted once every five years since 2002, the aim of New Horizons is to provide a global overview of the youth travel market. Now in its fourth wave, the New Horizons IV Survey offers insights to travel agents, suppliers, destination marketers, policymakers, and other stakeholders of the global travel and tourism industry serving the under-30 travel market.

Aldara was one of the more than 57,000 young travellers from 188 countries that participated in the New Horizons IV Survey this year. Like most young people, travel has helped her to improve her language skills, meet new friends, and develop practical skills. Aldara also sees travel as a way to conquer fears and open the mind. As an au pair in 2015, Aldara developed what is now a deeply cherished relationship with a family in Finland that she describes as ‘perfectly imperfect’.

“I found a fantastic family through AuPairWorld. I had been in touch with many other families and within a week I knew they were perfect for me” she says fondly.

From Vitoria-Gasteiz in the Basque Country of northern Spain, Aldara currently lives in Madrid where she is studying veterinary medicine. Someday she would like to work with small animals in a hospital.

Thailand, Bali and the Seychelles were all destinations that crossed Aldara’s mind when claiming her survey prize with Emirates, but then she thought more in the direction of Down Under. Curious to know which destination Emirates is taking Aldara to? Read on to find out.

What is your most memorable travel experience?

There are many and most of those memories take me back to Finland where I was an au pair and spent time with a fantastic family and with one of my best friends from my hometown staying at the same village. If I had to choose I guess it would be when I visited my former host family last Christmas and got to live the real Finnish winter: almost -40ºC, Northern Lights, and learning about their Christmas traditions.

What attracted you to au pairing?

I was on my first year of university when I first heard the word “au pair”. It was something new to me; I didn’t know anyone who had been an au pair before. From the first moment it seemed like a great idea to me. After all, it’s an affordable way not only to travel, but also to learn about your host country. You get to live with locals and everything is brand new to you, from their cookery, to their music, to the language. I was amazed by Finland and learned so much about Finnish traditions! I was very interested in their language from the beginning and I managed to learn some.

Do you think that young people should travel?

I wish everyone had the chance to travel and learn about different cultures because it opens your mind and changes you completely. Most of my friends don’t need to be told to travel because they already think like me. Of course, there are many people who might not be able to afford long trips to exotic places, but I think there are many tricks to travel with a low budget.

Have you ever flown with Emirates before?

This will be my first time with Emirates and the longest flight in my life for sure. I hope it will be a pleasant and calm flight, as I have to confess, I never really liked planes – hahaha! Funny, isn’t it? The thing is I would never let my fear of flying stop me from visiting new places and travelling.

Do you plan to bring a lucky travel mate with you?

Yes, of course! “Happiness only real when shared.” I’m bringing my flat mate with me because she is one of my best friends and we have always tried to plan a trip together – now is our chance!

When you plan a trip that involves a flight, what is the most important characteristic of the airline that you book with?

To be honest, I usually choose the cheapest airline because I prefer to stretch my budget and spend my money on different things like having a nice dinner out or a drink. When it comes to travelling around Europe I’d choose Ryanair. It may not be the most comfortable or punctual airline, but it has many offers that make it easy for young travellers to visit wonderful cities all over the old continent.

Why do you think airlines like Ryanair can offer such competitive prices?

I’ve never thought about it, but I guess they offer the customer the least possible in the cheapest fare. I guess better airlines are a good choice for longer trips. I would also prefer to rely on a renowned airline if a connecting flight is involved.

Do you have an idea of where you will fly to with Emirates?

First places that came to my mind when I realised I’d won the tickets were Seychelles, Bali, Thailand… I mean, who wouldn’t like to lay on one of those idyllic beaches and just enjoy the view for a week? But then I thought I should make the most of it, so I started thinking about trying something like Australia. I love animals and checked a couple of farms because I would be pleased to lend a hand. Then again, I’d also like to spend my summer holidays working in exchange for accommodation down there, improving my English skills and meeting people. However, after considering my summer responsibilities, it looks like I won’t be able to spend it in Australia – I’m going to THAILAND!

Congratulations to Aldara. WYSE Travel Confederation wishes her all the best on her next adventure with Emirates.

WYSE Travel Confederation would like to thank all of the other New Horizons respondents for the time they dedicated to the survey.

New Horizons is a project of the World Youth Student and Educational (WYSE) Travel Confederation. Findings from the New Horizons project will be published in reports and presented by WYSE Travel Confederation throughout 2018. A global not-for-profit membership organisation dedicated to promoting and developing opportunities for young travellers and the youth, student and educational travel industry that serves them, WYSE Travel Confederation is committed to understanding the ever-changing characteristics, motivations, and needs of young travellers. To learn more WYSE Travel Confederation and its activities, visit www.wysetc.org