--- title: TravelEdventures Talks to Zuzana Koller, One of Our Group Leaders for Erasmus+ Work Placement Programmes In Barcelona description: In this piece you get to meet our TravelEdventures’ Barcelona Group Leader at TravelEdventures and discover the support behind every successful student mobility. image: https://info.traveledventures.com/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/Barcelona%20Skyline%20With%20Sagrada%20Familia.png --- [![TravelEdventures](https://info.traveledventures.com/hubfs/travelmanialogo-1.png)](https://www.traveledventures.com/) - [Travel Edventures](https://www.traveledventures.com/) - [ERASMUS+ Teacher Training](https://www.traveledventures.com/erasmus-teacher-training/) - [Internships abroad](https://www.traveledventures.com/internships/) - [school groups](https://www.traveledventures.com/school-group-trips/) - [Blog](https://info.traveledventures.com) - [CONTACT US](https://www.traveledventures.com/contact/) - [Travel Edventures](https://www.traveledventures.com/) - [ERASMUS+ Teacher Training](https://www.traveledventures.com/erasmus-teacher-training/) - [Internships abroad](https://www.traveledventures.com/internships/) - [school groups](https://www.traveledventures.com/school-group-trips/) - [Blog](https://info.traveledventures.com) - [CONTACT US](https://www.traveledventures.com/contact/) # TravelEdventures Talks to Zuzana Koller, One of Our Group Leaders for Erasmus+ Work Placement Programmes In Barcelona [Shirley Paparo Russo](https://info.traveledventures.com/author/shirley-paparo-russo) | October 27, 2026 ### Subscribe to Our Blog ![Local Group Leader In Barcelona With Students](https://info.traveledventures.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AI-Generated%20Media/Images/Local%20Group%20Leader%20In%20Barcelona%20With%20Students.png?width=1536&height=1024&name=Local%20Group%20Leader%20In%20Barcelona%20With%20Students.png "Local Group Leader In Barcelona With Students") Every mobility programme begins on paper. The flights get booked, placements confirmed, itineraries printed and double-checked but the moment a group steps off the plane, the plan becomes real. It’s messy, unpredictable and so much fun. That's exactly where the story starts! A new city. A different language, a first day at a work placement that suddenly feels much bigger than it did on the syllabus. New faces, new routines, and a hundred small questions nobody thought to ask before leaving home. That's where our TravelEdventures Group Leaders come in. Our Group Leaders Our group leaders are far more than coordinators. They're the local heartbeat of the programme. The person who knows which metro line actually runs on time, which words help most when a student misses home and how to turn a logistical hiccup into a story the group will tell for years. Part translator, part troubleshooter and part quiet cheerleader. This time, we're heading to Barcelona to sit down with Zuzana Koller, one of our TravelEdventures Group Leaders to find out what an international mobility experience really looks like once the theory ends and the ground work begins. Behind the Curtain Before a single student lands, the work is well underway. We ask the questions you want to know about! **Let's start at the beginning. What happens behind the scenes that people don't realise is part of a Group Leader's job?** Mostly, it’s how complex the whole process is. We need to always make sure everything is well-prepared and we need to count on different scenarios in order to make sure the students have the best time during their mobility. Basically, you need to consider that anything can happen. **A group has just landed in Barcelona. What happens in those first few hours?** The first few hours are especially there to welcome the students at the airport, make sure everyone is checked into their accommodation and can rest for a bit. Next, we hold a welcome meeting where everyone gets to ask all the questions they might have. It’s important to also sum up all the important information for students in this very first meeting and remind them I’m the one living here and can help them if they need anything at anytime. The First Wave of Nerves New city, new language, new everything! Nerves are part of the deal. But they never last long. **What are students usually most nervous about when they first arrive?** For many students going on an Erasmus+ it’s the first time they’ve ever travelled abroad without their family or abroad at all so they’re in a completely new environment, a bit nervous about how they’re handle it all, especially when they’re going to live in shared apartments for the first time. Sometimes, it’s a little bit of a fun reality check when they realise they need to make sure they eat and cook for themselves. **How quickly do you see that nervousness start to disappear?** I would say after the students check into the accommodation, get a little bit familiar with how the public transport works and get to their work placement for the first time they begin to grow in confidence. ## Holding It Together The quiet, constant work of making a trip feel effortless — for everyone. **What do teachers need most from you while they're abroad with their students?** They need to know that everything is organised well so they can focus on students' well-being and support during the first days of mobility. Of course, they also want to know if I can I get tickets to [Sagrada Familia](https://sagradafamilia.org/en/) as well as what the best restaurants are! **What's one small detail that can make a big difference to a group's experience?** Knowing how the city and its culture works. **When something unexpected happens, what's the first thing you do?** I ‘m here to sort out anything and everything, so it’s important to support the students and teachers so they know I’m there for them and I will help. When that happens, I grab my phone and start sorting things out! **How do you support students while still encouraging them to become more independent?** I try to remind them that they have a unique opportunity to be part of an Erasmus+ mobility abroad. I also encourage them to explore the city, the culture and learn the language. I often see that by the time they leave how much they’ve grown and in many cases I also see that they speak almost fluent Spanish - which is really impressive. Why Barcelona? Some cities teach without even trying. **What makes Barcelona such a strong destination for young people coming to learn and gain international experience?** Barcelona teaches you how to live fully; not only is it a great destination to explore the architecture, culture and work opportunities, but Barcelona also teaches you how to enjoy life to the fullest. It's the feeling and that feeling can only be experienced when you’re there being part of it. **What can students learn in Barcelona that they simply couldn't learn in a classroom?** How to adjust to different scenarios. Being flexible is one of the strongest skills nowadays and it will help them in their career and personal life in the future. **Is there a moment when you can tell a student has really started to grow in confidence?** I know this moment well. It's when they become so independent that they don't message me or call me. At that point, I always check on them if they’re doing ok and if they really don't need anything. ## What Stays with You? After saying goodbye to so many groups, what moments tend to stay with you? When students share with me the great time they’ve had here and when I see they grew in confidence with the will to be curious about life and travelling. **Finish this sentence:** **Being a TravelEdventures Group Leader means**… being the glue which makes the mobility stick together! ## To Sum Up Every group arrives with an itinerary but they leave with something no itinerary could ever promise, stories, confidence and a version of themselves they didn't quite know before the trip. Behind so many of those moments is someone on the ground, someone like Zuzana,making sure the journey actually works. The world teaches **a**nd having someone local by your side is what makes the lesson land. Curious what a TravelEdventures mobility could look like for your students?[**Get in touch with our team.**](https://www.traveledventures.com/contact/)                                       Topics: [Erasmus+ project management](https://info.traveledventures.com/tag/erasmus-project-management) [Erasmus+ Destinations](https://info.traveledventures.com/tag/erasmus-destinations) [Erasmus+ internship](https://info.traveledventures.com/tag/erasmus-internship) [Erasmus+ mobility](https://info.traveledventures.com/tag/erasmus-mobility) [Turing Destinations](https://info.traveledventures.com/tag/turing-destinations) [Erasmus+](https://info.traveledventures.com/tag/erasmus) [Erasmus+ project](https://info.traveledventures.com/tag/erasmus-project) [barcelona](https://info.traveledventures.com/tag/barcelona) ### Comments: ## Read On ### [How to Overcome Language Barriers When Working or Studying Abroad Students about to embark on a life-changing Erasmus+ or Turing Scheme adventure have a lot to...](https://info.traveledventures.com/how-to-overcome-language-barriers-when-working-or-studying-abroad) ### [The World Teaches, The Idea Behind Our New TravelEdventures 2026 Brochure The world hasn't stood still this past year! Neither should the way TravelEdventures prepares...](https://info.traveledventures.com/the-world-teaches-the-idea-behind-our-new-traveledventures-2026-brochure) ### [What TravelEdventures Offers What we do at TravelEdventures, is offer Erasmus+ and the Turing Scheme in the vocational and...](https://info.traveledventures.com/what-traveledventures-offers) - [Terms & Conditions](https://www.traveledventures.com/terms-conditions/) - [CONTACT](https://www.traveledventures.com/contact/) - [Privacy Policy](https://www.traveledventures.com/privacy-policy/) Copyright 2020 © **[Travel Edventures](https://www.traveledventures.com)**