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Meet Alice, Travel Writer & Comms Assistant
- maryhartley19
- Nov 10
- 4 min read
Name: Alice Rose Auckland
Degree: Modern Languages BA at University of Leicester
How did you spend your Year Abroad?
I studied for 6 months in Barcelona, Spain and 6 months in Salerno, Italy. I took the opportunity to travel and learn new skills, particularly in photography and communication. I took on small freelance jobs on social media such as translation, UGC content creation and social media marketing.
Briefly outline your journey from graduation to now.
After graduating with a First-Class Honours degree, I decided to take some time to recover from what had been an intense period of study. During that time, I worked part-time for a small magazine, which reignited my love for writing and storytelling. This experience inspired me to start my own travel blog, arexploring.com, where I could combine the skills I’d developed throughout my degree, my year abroad, and my editorial work.
Although I’m not naturally tech-minded, I built the website entirely from scratch, teaching myself how to design, publish, and optimise content. What began as a personal project has since grown into a professional platform that’s opened many doors for me. My work has been featured in several UK newspapers, including The Independent, and the experience directly contributed to securing my current role in Communications at University College London (UCL).
In my position at UCL, I manage communications for over 30,000 staff members, producing a weekly newsletter and publishing news stories on the university website. The role combines my passion for journalism with a dynamic university environment, allowing me to interview inspiring individuals and share stories about research and innovation that are making a real-world impact.
I continue to run arexploring.com alongside my full-time role, collaborating with hotels and pitching travel stories to external publications. It’s been a rewarding journey that has allowed me to grow creatively and professionally while continuing to develop my writing and communication skills.
What is your current job? Travel Writer (Freelance) and Communications Assistant (UCL)
What does your current job involve day to day?
I work within a fast-paced and collaborative environment where no two days are the same. My main responsibility is producing the university’s internal staff newsletter, which reaches around 30,000 employees each week. This involves researching and writing engaging stories, interviewing academics and staff, editing submissions, and coordinating with different departments to ensure content is accurate and timely.
I also write and publish news stories for the UCL website, highlighting the university’s latest research, events, and achievements. Alongside the writing side of my role, I manage content through UCL’s CMS, liaise with stakeholders across faculties, and help shape communication strategies to strengthen engagement with staff.
The work environment is very supportive and creative - I collaborate closely with colleagues in media relations, design, and digital communications. It’s a role that combines writing, project management, and teamwork, and I particularly enjoy how it allows me to share inspiring stories from people doing incredible work across the university.
After the "working day" is over, when I have the capacity, I will then begin my freelance work. I will write stories and pitch them to UK newspapers or
research projects I can turn into articles and post to arexploring.com. My latest project is trying to boost my website as it currently gets around 27000 views a week and I'm trying to increase traffic through better SEO!
What do you enjoy most about your job?
That it allows me to use my creative skills. I love communication, writing, and travel, and at the moment my work combines all 3!
What advice would you give to someone interested in this job?
Believe in yourself and don't be disheartened in rejection. Journalism/communications is a tricky industry to get into but if you keep trying, you will get there.
How has your languages degree been useful during your career so far?
My languages degree has honestly shaped everything I do - it’s been the foundation of my career so far. Studying languages taught me that communication is at the heart of everything, whether that’s writing engaging stories, connecting with colleagues, or understanding different audiences.
It also inspired my love for travel and exploring new cultures, which has become a huge part of both my personal life and my writing through my travel blog. Living and studying abroad gave me confidence, adaptability, and a genuine curiosity about the world - qualities I bring into my work every day.
Beyond the linguistic side, the degree strengthened my attention to detail, research skills, and ability to express ideas clearly and thoughtfully. In short, it didn’t just teach me Spanish and Italian; it taught me how to communicate effectively, think creatively, and approach every situation with an open, international mindset.
Do you use or practise your languages outside of work?
Yes, absolutely! I take every opportunity I can to use my languages. Whether it’s chatting with colleagues who speak Spanish, Italian, or French, watching films and series in those languages, or listening to podcasts, I like to keep them active in my daily life.
I also make a point of visiting at least one country each year where one of my languages is spoken - it’s a great way to stay immersed and connected to the cultures I love. To keep my skills sharp, I use apps like Duolingo and read articles in my target languages.
More recently, I’ve even been tutoring my partner in Spanish - he’s picking it up really quickly, which has been so rewarding! I do miss speaking my languages every day like I did while living abroad, but I try to keep them as present in my life as possible.
Is there anything else you’d like to share about your career journey?
I’d say that while I’ve gained a lot of experience and had some incredible opportunities, I still feel very much like a beginner and recognise that I have a long way to go. I’m really excited to keep learning, developing my skills, and taking on new challenges - and I think that drive to grow has been a key part of my journey so far.
Visit Alice's website here
Thanks very much to Alice for sharing her journey!
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