Expats power global travel for all from a tech leader’s Prague office

Many foreigners living in Czechia or planning to move to the country wonder where they’ll find a diverse, expat-filled working environment. Especially for those arriving for the first time, work can be a vital source of friendships and connections, helping foreigners feel “at home” in their new surroundings.

When seeking a friendly, international workplace, it’s a good idea to look at opportunities in the travel-technology industry. Expedia Group, one of the world’s leading travel technology companies, is a prime example of the potential of the industry for expat applicants. Their Prague office employs over 500 people across a range of departments, all of them playing their part in connecting customers with millions of travel partners across the globe, powering global travel for everyone, everywhere.

Expedia Group’s Prague center is a place where friendships are made, as colleagues come together in building a more open world for all travelers. This, according to Anna Lena Herold Vlasanek, a supervisor originally hailing from Germany, is what sets it apart as a workplace. A rich variety of languages and cultures makes working at Expedia Group the ideal launchpad for happy, successful expat life in the Czech capital.

It’s easy to feel lost in a new city. However, expats joining Expedia Group in Prague quickly feel at home. A welcoming and inclusive environment is, after all, part of the DNA of a company that seeks to strengthen connections, broaden horizons and bridge divides.

“It’s a very diverse environment; we come from a lot of different countries and speak a lot of different languages, but we come together completely naturally,” Anna explains. “Whoever you are, you can be yourself.”

“There are people of every age and background from all over the world here. This creates a great sense of togetherness in the office. Even during the pandemic, when times were hard, we stuck together and created a wonderful atmosphere in which to work.”

Making friends in the workplace leads to informal, spontaneous after-work shared activities and long-term friendships throughout teams at the center. A social committee – of which Anna is one of the leaders – helps people get together through shared activities such as language courses, while Expedia’s other benefits include medical support with English-speaking doctors.

“There are so many expats here, and as expats, our life goals often change. When people leave Expedia Group for whatever reason, they feel like they’re leaving a family,” Anna says.

Whether expat employees see themselves living in Prague for a long time or haven’t fully settled their future plans, they enjoy a lot of opportunities to grow and develop at Expedia Group. What’s more, as Anna describes, there’s no stressful “call center” atmosphere. “We perform B2B relationship functions supporting hotel partners, so it’s a cooperative environment, rather than one defined by conflict.”

Along with the hotel partner support team, the Prague center contains teams spanning a range of other support functions. This is all part of Expedia Group’s promise to build a more open world for all travelers, and according to Anna, is “a great benefit” for driven individuals.

“‘Gig’ roles are temporary positions in which you move into another team for three to six months. We provide opportunities for shadowing sessions, too, in which people can follow the activities of someone in another team.” As such, given the variety of the teams present in Prague, Expedia Group’s center is a place of growth for motivated people.

Anna describes receiving “a lot of support” when she started working at Expedia Group around five years ago. “People have individual development plans, and we support them in finding out what skills they need to move into a new role. We also have a lot of learning resources, allowing us to take courses to boost our personal growth.”

“Travel is back and it’s business as usual” following the pandemic, according to Anna. As a result, working at Expedia Group to power global travel for all is a dynamic experience. Whether in the office or working from home, employees interact with a wide range of colleagues as well as external partners.

“During their day-to-day work, our employees support partners over the phone and via email, they do research, and they may take a personal training course; we have dedicated time set aside for individual learning every week,” Anna says. “Partners reach out to us if they have any questions or issues; first and foremost, we’re a problem-solving team.”

The proof is in the pudding when it comes to the benefits of a diverse working environment that enables and encourages friendships.

“When someone has a great conversation with a partner, seeing the positivity is wonderful. When we’re all together, the atmosphere and way of working are highly fulfilling,” Anna says.