Junior Travel Designer & Itinerary Builder

Tourismupdate; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

The Travel Café is a boutique, founder-led travel company specialising in journeys through Southern and Eastern Africa. We are seeking a Junior Travel Designer to join our Cape Town team based in the Waterfront precinct.

You will work with Senior Travel Designers, turning enquiries into beautifully considered journeys, with exposure to our growing scheduled-departure mini-group business. This is not a graduate role; we want someone with proven travel, tourism or sales experience and a strong

Qualifications

• Minimum 2 years of relevant work experience in travel, tourism, hospitality or sales.
• Proven entry-level sales track record, such as hitting targets, converting enquiries or generating revenue.
• Ability to work independently and solve problems without constant supervision.
• Excellent written and spoken English.
• Strong organisational and administrative skills.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Confident and personable communication, including phone and Zoom.
• Strong computer literacy.

Responsibilities

• Responding to new enquiries by email, phone and Zoom.
• Understanding what each guest is really looking for.
• Converting suitable enquiries into confirmed bookings.
• Assisting with the design of thoughtful itineraries.
• Preparing quotations and digital itineraries.
• Liaising with hotels, lodges, guides, transfer companies and other suppliers.
• Managing confirmations and travel documentation.
• Following up deposits and balance payments.
• Supporting guests before and during travel.
• Keeping accurate records and making sure nothing falls through the cracks.
• Maintaining relationships with enquiries that may travel with us in future.

Skills

Travel experience

Sales track record

Independent worker

Communication skills

English (written & spoken)

Organisational skills

Attention to detail

Computer literacy

Tools

Wetu software

Job description

Junior Travel Designer & Itinerary Builder

Agency:

The Travel Cafe Cape Town

Posted On:

29 Sep 2026

Reference Number:

0000935

City:

Cape Town (Waterfront)

Province:

Western Cape

Country:

South Africa

Contract Type:

Permanent

Industry Sector:

Tour Operator Regional (SADC)

Availability:

Immediately

Negotiable based on experience + incentives

Required Qualifications

The right person will already have a solid foundation and be ready to contribute from early on.

Key requirements:

• Minimum 2 years of relevant work experience in travel, tourism, hospitality or sales;
• A proven entry-level sales track record, such as hitting targets, converting enquiries or generating revenue;
• Ability to work independently and solve problems without constant supervision;
• Excellent written and spoken English;
• Strong organisational and administrative skills;
• Excellent attention to detail;
• Confident and personable communication, including phone and Zoom;
• Strong computer literacy, including Microsoft Office;
• Genuine passion for travel and hospitality;
• Commercially minded and motivated by results;
• Warm, respectful and easy to work with.

Strong advantages:

• Fluent French - not compulsory, but a major advantage and something we are actively looking for;
• knowledge of Southern Africa;
• experience with Eastern Africa or the Indian Ocean;
• experience with Wetu or similar itinerary-design software;
• previous itinerary-design experience.

If you speak French confidently and naturally, please make that very clear in your application.

Description

The Travel Café is a boutique, founder-led travel company creating thoughtful journeys through Southern and Eastern Africa. We believe travel, when done well, can be a genuine force for good - connecting people, supporting local communities and conservation, and leaving both travellers and the places they visit better than before.

We are growing our merry band of travel lovers and are looking for a Junior Travel Designer to join our Cape Town team based in the Waterfront precinct.

This is not a graduate role, and it is not for someone who is still trying to decide whether travel is the industry for them. We are looking for someone who has already shown that this is where they want to build their career - someone with proven experience in travel, tourism, hospitality or sales, a strong commercial instinct, and enough confidence to work independently without needing to be spoon-fed every next step.

You will work alongside our Senior Travel Designers, helping turn enquiries into beautifully considered journeys through Southern and Eastern Africa. You will also get exposure to our growing scheduled-departure mini-group business, so the role is not limited to bespoke travel alone.

Key responsibilities

• Responding to new enquiries by email, phone and Zoom;
• Understanding what each guest is really looking for;
• Converting suitable enquiries into confirmed bookings;
• Assisting with the design of thoughtful itineraries;
• Preparing quotations and digital itineraries;
• Liaising with hotels, lodges, guides, transfer companies and other suppliers;
• Managing confirmations and travel documentation;
• Following up deposits and balance payments;
• Supporting guests before and during travel;
• Keeping accurate records and making sure nothing falls through the cracks;
• Maintaining relationships with enquiries that may travel with us in future.

We are looking for someone who is hungry to do well. You do not need to be chasing titles or the top job, but you should want to become excellent at what you do. You should enjoy targets, take pride in strong results, keep learning and improving, and feel uncomfortable with the idea of simply coasting.

Additional Information

This is a full-time, Cape Town-based position within a small, ambitious and founder-led team.

We care deeply about the quality of what we create. We do not want someone who simply processes bookings; we want someone who enjoys understanding people, making thoughtful recommendations and helping create journeys guests will remember for years.

Because we are a small team, your contribution will be visible and you will be trusted with meaningful responsibility. The right person will have plenty of opportunity to grow as the business grows.

What we look for

You will probably enjoy working with us if you:

• Like being trusted and taking ownership;
• Enjoy working towards clear goals;
• Are curious about the world and genuinely love travel;
• Care about doing things properly;
• Are comfortable asking for help when needed, but do not need constant direction;
• Enjoy working with people who care about both results and relationships.

Fluent French is a major bonus.

Most importantly, you should see travel as the career you want to grow in - not simply your next job.