Investing in Growth: How GetYourGuide employees make the most of their annual Growth Budget

At GetYourGuide, ‘growth’ is so much more than a buzzword. ‘Choose growth over comfort’ is one of our Guiding Principles — and, therefore, part of every employee’s day-to-day — because we believe it’s one of the keys to innovation and job satisfaction. 

Enter the ‘Personal Growth Budget’. Allotted once a year to each employee, it’s just one of the many tools we use to enable development across the company. 

In this blog post, we’ll explore some of the ways our team has made the most of their Growth Budgets to acquire new skills, explore different career paths, and write their own success stories.

{{divider}}

How does the Growth Budget work?

GetYourGuide provides employees with targeted training and learning resources that reflect team needs and individual goals. We combine internal expertise with external resources to create a comprehensive program that helps employees gain new skills, grow their confidence, and have memorable and meaningful learning experiences on a regular basis. 

Because this is a constantly evolving process, we provide an additional individual learning budget per year. You can use the Personal Growth Budget (PGB) for job-relevant learning and skill-building through courses, books, online resources, and more.

Spotlight on: Sam’s transition to tech

Since joining GetYourGuide in 2017, Sam Taylor has worked as a Customer Service Agent, a Team Lead, a Quality Assurance Manager, and an Operational Analyst. In 2025, he made the move to  Data Engineer with the help of his Personal Growth Budget.

What inspired you to use your Personal Growth Budget to teach yourself coding, and how has this journey shaped your transition from Care to Engineering?

“I’ve always been fascinated by understanding how and why things work, which was a driving force as an Operations Analyst in the Care department. In that role, we often escalated tickets to the Engineering team, and I began to wonder: as we have access to the same tools, could I learn enough to resolve some of these issues myself? This curiosity motivated me to use my Personal Growth Budget to dive into coding and data engineering, tackling one knowledge gap at a time.

Applying what I learned, I saw tangible results: our escalation rate to Engineering dropped from 40% to just 6%. This streamlined workflows and gave me the confidence to pursue a career transition into Engineering after a few years. The journey was transformative, reinforcing the value of curiosity, continuous learning, and the power of collaboration across teams.”

What advice would you give to others who want to explore entirely new career paths?

“Start small and stay consistent. Platforms like Udemy often offer courses for as little as 10 euros, making it easy to experiment with new topics without a significant financial commitment. Choose something that genuinely sparks your curiosity, dedicate a little time each week, and see how it feels. If you enjoy it, dive deeper with additional courses, books, or hands-on projects. If not, pivot to another area and keep exploring.

Progress doesn’t happen overnight: small, steady efforts add up over time. And don’t forget to embrace the journey itself. Growth isn’t just about reaching the destination; it’s about discovering new perspectives and skills along the way.”

Any other tips?

"People working in Germany can combine the Personal Growth Budget with the Bildungsurlaub allowance to maximize learning opportunities. For example, you could enroll in a 5-day intensive course that aligns with your career goals and have it (partially) reimbursed. These initiatives highlight how much GetYourGuide values employee growth, and they’ve been instrumental in shaping my career journey.”

Spotlight on: Natalie and the ‘Thrive Coaching’ program

Natalie Pfeiffer joined in 2021 as a Senior HR Manager, and grew to Senior People Partner in Marketing and Product & Design in 2025. As part of her PGB, she took part in Thrive Coaching, a guided educational program to bolster mental fitness and well-being.

Many employees value Thrive Coaching at GetYourGuide. How has your experience influenced your personal and professional development?

“Thrive was a wonderful experience for me, both personally and professionally. In a nutshell, it helps you in practical ways to figure out where to spend your energy and how to increase your coping skills for situations in which you are not in control. It has helped me reduce my stress levels and has helped me improve how I set priorities, both at work and in my private life. I feel more in control now and have learned to be more comfortable with discomfort.”

What would you say to someone considering Thrive Coaching but unsure if it’s the right fit for them?

“This guided coaching program runs for 6-8 weeks. In that time, you will work through the reading material you discuss with your coach to see how the theory applies. The program covers neuroscientific and psychological research; your coach helps you digest and internalize the information. 

If someone is looking for more self-guided coaching, this program is not for them. You will have to lean into the program content and commit to putting in the work every day for the duration of the program; otherwise, it won’t work.”

Will you use your Growth Budget differently this year? If so, what are you interested in?

“I love looking for opportunities to fuel my growth. When I engaged with the Thrive program, I wasn’t at a stage in my career where I needed to learn any new technical skills, but instead wanted to learn how to navigate growth at a fast pace.

Now that I’ve done that, I’ll probably use my remaining Growth Budget to work towards building my AI fluency. It’s always inspiring to hear how others use it around me to find the right course or material for me to consume.”

Spotlight on: Nadine getting every cent’s worth

Nadine Rivoldi joined GetYourGuide in 2021 as a Content Marketing Lead, and became Head of Creative Operations & Production in 2025. She is also well-known within the organization for mentoring, especially when it comes to making the most of Growth Budgets!

You spent 100% of your Growth Budget last year! How did you decide to allocate it, and what was its impact on your growth?

“At the end of 2023, a team from another organization joined what was then called the Content Marketing team. This meant that my scope increased, and my team also doubled. I quickly realized that managing a larger team required a different leadership approach and that the merging of these two teams brought complexities I had not dealt with before. 

I decided to use my entire growth budget last year on leadership coaching sessions. It helped me immensely when navigating complex situations, but it was also really valuable to have someone outside my day-to-day — who didn’t know the company or people. I was able to get a different perspective and see things objectively. And these skills are still helping me to this day.”

As a mentor and leader, how do you encourage your team to maximize their Growth Budgets?

“First, take the pressure off. Having a budget to spend on your growth is an incredible perk, but it can also create stress and pressure for some people. You feel like you have to maximize your budget and have something to show for it. Leaving it to the last minute can contribute to that, so I’d try to at least think about how I want to spend my budget as early as possible in the year. 

Ask yourself: ‘What are some of the things I may be struggling with?’ or simply ‘Where can I  improve?’ within your current role, but also in general. Sometimes, the Growth Budget can help with a current situation, but it can also have a long-term effect, and it’s not the same every year.

It can also be helpful to discuss it as a group. Try asking questions like: ‘Are there certain things we are all interested in that can help us improve as a team?’, or ‘Is there a skill gap that I could help fill with additional training?’ Sharing these ideas and experiences can make a difference and open avenues you hadn’t previously considered.”

How can someone start the process of choosing the right learning initiative and growth goals?

“For me, it’s helpful to not only think about what’s currently going on, but also to think about the future. ‘Where do I want to be in one year or two?’, ‘What could help me get there?’, ‘What approach (workshop, online course, books) would work best for me?’ 

It’s important to consider different mediums of study and choose a method you enjoy and that lends itself to the skill you’re trying to learn. In my first year, I panicked and bought a few online courses at the last minute. The topics were very relevant, but the type of training just doesn’t work well for me. The following year, I went in with a structured plan with different approaches, which led to a much more enjoyable and well-rounded experience.”

Closing thoughts

In a rapidly growing work environment, continuous learning and development are essential parts of every employee’s journey. The inspiring stories shared in this blog highlight how our Growth Budget empowers people to explore and acquire new skills, navigate challenges, and unlock their fullest potential. Whether you’re adding to your current skillset or transitioning to an entirely new career path, a Growth Budget provides a world of opportunity just waiting to be tapped into every single year. 

Interested in embarking on an extraordinary journey at the forefront of the travel experience industry, and making the most of perks like this to forge your own, unique path? Check out our open roles here.

‍