A year of career growth at GetYourGuide: stories from the ‘Behind The Journey’ podcast in 2025

If you want to hear about real career journeys from the forefront of the travel experience industry, you’re in the right place. This article is a roundup of our latest season of the Behind the Journey podcast, where we discuss the passions, ideas, career shifts, and strategies that have gotten our team members to where they are today.

Expect in-depth explorations of management styles, secrets to effective collaboration, and insights into the inner workings of our industry, with actionable advice and insider tips throughout. Each one is 25-30 minutes long and structured just like a chat you’d have with an inspiring mentor over coffee in the office.

Let’s dive into some of our most inspiring stories of 2025.

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Constantly evolving with AI at GetYourGuide — listen here
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Our first comeback episode is hosted by Engineering Manager Giacomo Palma, who chats with Prateek Keshari, Product Marketing Lead, and Mathieu Bastian, Principal AI Engineer, about all things AI. They discuss its profound impact on productivity so far, encouraging adoption throughout the company, and how it reshaped our goals in 2025. 

Naturally, this episode is a must-listen for tech candidates and AI enthusiasts. Here are a few key takeaways.

Why we drive AI adoption across the board

First, we explore the rapid evolution and excitement surrounding AI adoption at GetYourGuide, highlighting how it has empowered employees across all departments to innovate with new technologies, especially over the past few years.

How we utilize AI initiatives to achieve growth

Both interviewees and our host share their experiences of spearheading our AI initiatives, from launching a company-wide AI newsletter to building daily usage habits. Find out how we support all colleagues (technical and non-technical) in their learning journeys. 

Prateek’s journey from engineer to marketeer

Although he trained as an engineer, Prateek always had an inclination towards writing stories instead of writing software. He began working as a marketer for our Employer Brand before joining our global communications team as Product Marketing Lead.

Amber’s path to VP of UX, moving over from the US, empathic leadership, and designing for impact — listen here
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Want to know how Amber Cartwright went from professional ballet to motion design to UX leadership at top companies like Airbnb and Netflix before we relocated her to Berlin? Listen to this episode to hear her fascinating story; it’s a real testament to how courage, empathy, and collaboration can drive both personal and professional success. 

Having ‘imposter syndrome’ means you’re growing

Amber’s diverse background underscores the importance of embracing change, lifelong learning, and staying curious. She explains how she became the leader she is today by watching and learning from other experts in their fields; how they managed growth and employed strategic thinking.

How her vision is elevating travel experiences for millions

As VP of UX at GetYourGuide, she champions a culture of empathy, cross-functional collaboration, and continuous improvement. She discusses her methodologies to ensure both travelers and experience creators are at the heart of every design decision.

Examining Amber’s leadership style

Her approach emphasizes the human side of work. She encourages vulnerability, fun, and building meaningful connections as the foundation for innovation and personal growth, and this shines through in her teams.

Chris’s extraordinary journey to the Tech team — listen here
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Fun fact: Chris used to work for one of our experience creators before joining GetYourGuide! He started his journey here in the Connectivity Operations team, but he always had a passion for tech. So, in October 2022, he made the switch to Full-Stack Associate Software Engineer. 

Tune in to discover how a strong growth mindset can lead to a complete career transformation, supported by tools such as internal mentorship and our annual Growth Budget. Let’s go over the key moments in the interview.

The importance of being open

Chris’s journey highlights the importance of following your instincts and welcoming change, even without a clear plan. He discusses how self-teaching and building the confidence to seize new opportunities can lead to fulfilling career shifts.

Make the most of company perks and network 

A strong culture of support at GetYourGuide empowers employees to take risks, voice their ambitions, and learn from mistakes. Chris explains a conversation he had with a colleague in the first few days of his new role, “‘If you mess anything up, it’s not your fault, it’s our fault for not setting up processes that catch this and coaching you’ — that sort of relief and support was really appreciated from day one.”

Become a mentor

Since making the switch to tech, Chris has served as a mentor within the company for anyone wishing to do the same. Building diverse teams and sharing knowledge helps everyone thrive, and taking the initiative helped him advance to a Senior Software Engineer role in 2025.

Inside the minds of GetYourGuide’s Product team — listen here
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This episode reveals how our incredible Product teams (Management, Design, and Engineering) shape unforgettable experiences for travelers everywhere. Featuring insights from Lead Product Designer Lisa Morellini, Lead Product Manager Vivien Pillet, and Engineering Manager Mauricio Gamboa, this episode follows a new feature’s journey through ideation, implementation, and evaluation.

Collaboration at every stage of the journey

Product development at GetYourGuide is built on close cross-functional communication between all three teams, with each discipline involved from strategy through to evaluation. Discover how we manage ownership, resolve conflicts, and maintain a unified approach throughout.

How we test new products

Find out how our management, design, and engineering teams value experimentation and learning, rigorously testing ideas with real users and iterating based on data and feedback rather than assumptions. This means that we’re always ensuring our customers’ behavior remains at the very core of our decision-making.

Key ingredients for a successful product

Empathy, open communication, and a willingness to embrace complexity and ambiguity are essential for creating products that delight customers worldwide.

Bhavna’s passion for exploration, empowerment, and empathic leadership — listen here
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The final episode of “Behind the Journey” of 2025 features the inspirational Bhavna Mittal, Senior Manager of Supplier Operations at GetYourGuide. Tune in to find out about her career path, her leadership philosophy, and the importance of human connection in both work and travel.

Embrace your authenticity

Bhavna shares how she found empowerment and pride in embracing her cultural identity at work, highlighting the importance of inclusivity and being able to show up as your true self in the workplace.

Collaboration as a route to growth

From growing up in a small Indian town to tech leadership in Berlin, she demonstrates the value of resilience, saying yes to new opportunities, and the exponential impact of teamwork and mentorship.

How to lead with empathy

Bhavna emphasizes that effective leadership means nurturing each person’s unique strengths, fostering a culture of open feedback, and supporting others.

In conclusion, GetYourGuide’s success is built on stories like this

It’s all well and good sharing our record-breaking statistics in 2025 — such as growing to 1000+ employees across the globe, securing 100 bookings per minute during our high season, achieving an 87% customer satisfaction rate, and reaching profitability — but conversations like this give us a human perspective on what success really looks like.

Thanks to everyone who participated in this project, and a special shout-out to our seasoned host and Senior Business Recruiter, Liam McNicholas, for bringing his personal expertise, charisma, and infectious enthusiasm to many episodes in this series!

Ready to embark on your own journey into the world of travel experiences? Check out our open roles here and apply today.