Of the people I know that love their job - and I'm not talking about people who don't mind their job, or those eternally chirpy types who seem to take office life in their stride, but those who are really head over heels in love with what they do - they pretty much all work in the travel industry.
And, fair enough, my friendship circle hardly represents the entire workforce, but some of their jobs do sound cool.
Take my friend who ditched a high-flying IT career to become a ski instructor - the pay might not be as impressive, but with snow-capped mountains as a workplace and a free lift pass, he's hardly complaining.
Boutique ski maker Jordon Grano recently summed up how satisfying it can be to combine a hobby with paid employment: "When your passion is your job, you never work a day in your life."
So, if this is a work ethic you're keen to follow - but perhaps snow is not your bag - how about a summer spent working as a diving or sailing instructor? Or, if you could face waving at tourists all day and posing for endless photographs for the entire summer, maybe working as a performer in parades at theme parks such as Disneyland Paris could be an option?
Whatever your ideal career destination, now is the time to apply as travel companies are hunting for staff for the forthcoming holiday season. So, we've assembled a panel of experts to give their insight into the careers available and the skills you'll need to get them. And of course, a job in the holiday industry often isn't just for the peak season, so find out more about permanent careers in this sector on 15 February at 1pm.
Our panel:
Angel Conley is learning and development manager at Virgin Holidays. Angel has been working in the travel industry for the past 3 years and has been heavily involved with the training of new starters across the business.
Andrew Mosley is general manager of The Grand Hotel in Brighton.
Paul Hawkes is chief operating officer of TUI Education, a provider of global student travel. Paul has been working in the travel industry for 13 years.
Jim Duncombe is recruitment manager for Natives, which offers seasonal work opportunities such as ski jobs and summer work. Jim worked five winter seasons prior to this role.
Gareth Hamilton is marketing manager (UK and Europe) for Gap Adventures, an adventure tour operator which offers more than 1,000 small group experiences, safaris and expeditions.
Linda Latimer is the cabin crew base manager for leisure airline Monarch. Linda has been in the travel industry for 18 years. She began her career as a cabin crew member and progressed through the ranks to become a cabin services instructor. Linda joined the management team in 2001.
Matthew Creswell and Claire Gregory are resourcing advisers for travel companies Thomson and First Choice.
Vicki Wolf is business development manager at ABTA, which represents more than 5,000 travel agencies and more than 900 tour operations throughout Britain. Vicki is responsible for overseeing the development of ABTA's business development programme, which includes professional development and training for ABTA members. She is also responsible for ABTA's Accredited Travel Professional Scheme, which is a continuous professional development (CPD) scheme for the travel industry.
Cathy Wilson is joining us from Skyscanner, a flight search engine website. Cathy's responsibilities at Skyscanner include talent acquisition and development.
