Humans
Meet Alexandra: The grammar grandma
Alexandra Jordao’s trivago journey has seen her transform from a Designer to an Editor. Her passions have propelled her around Europe, making a few stops at trivago working in different departments. We caught up with her to find out what made her return (hint: it wasn’t the weather!)
Life at trivago: Hi Alexandra! What is your position at trivago and how long have you been here?
Alexandra Jordao: Hi ! I’m editor for Room 5 France, the inspirational magazine from trivago. I started in March 2017 but it’s not my first experience at trivago. I was an intern for the Communication Design team in 2015.
Alexandra’s team (Content Marketing France) during their team event – a trip to Thessaloniki!
Lat: So have you been at trivago since 2015 or was there a gap in the middle?
AJ: After my 6-month internship, I left trivago but decided to stay in Germany. I joined a design studio in Cologne. Slowly, I felt that I wanted to change careers. I love design and being creative but something was missing. Back in 2015, while I was still at trivago, I started my own blog to share stories. I continued writing as a hobby and also took over some freelance writing jobs (like writing for a video game magazine). So I had my day job as designer and I was writing on the train, at home, over weekends…
Alexandra and friends (and boyfriends!) during the trivago summer party last year.
Lat: During your internship were you studying? And what were you studying? Did you always see yourself as a designer before a writer?
AJ: Yes, I was in the last year of my Master’s degree. I was studying Editorial Design in Porto. I had an arrangement with my teachers to deliver my projects over the holidays (allowing me to live and work in Germany and go back to Portugal when needed). trivago wasn’t my first job experience, I already worked as a designer in Belgium (where I’m originally from) and Canada. Actually, I decided to go to Germany to follow my boyfriend, a German who met in Portugal, and I found the internship at trivago after a few weeks here. I like being a designer and I never thought I would be a writer one day. But I had noticed that I loved writing very much, so why not make a job out of it ?
A picture taken from the editors trip (Alexandra is also an editor) during their team event in Rotterdam last year.
Lat: How do you find living in Düsseldorf compared to Porto or Belgium? How do you like to spend your time outside of work?
AJ: I really enjoy living in Düsseldorf ! I’m originally from a little town near Brussels, in Belgium where there was not so much to do. Then I moved to Porto and I absolutely loved it but there was no job future for me there. I had never visited Germany before and I was positively surprised when I arrived. Even though the weather in Düsseldorf is not as good as in Porto (of course), I manage to find a lot of things to do. There are always new restaurants to try, museums and galleries to visit and cafes where to spend time with friends. When I’m not at work, I’m usually writing for my blog or doing one of my hobbies (playing video games, knitting, cooking,…). I’m pretty much a grandma!
Lat: A grammar grandma!
