It’s hard to believe, but travel has been my life for more than 30 years!

After completing school & my Travel & Tourism Diploma at TAFE, and after years of customer service experience at my dad’s family business, Jannali Newsagency, I took the plunge into the travel industry, joining APT (working in conjunction with AAT Kings) out of their Sydney office. My time at APT allowed me to experience many roles which included reservations and coordination of Sydney Day Tours, sales representative to hotels & local city travel agencies, creation of touring itineraries for the local APT Travel Club, but a highlight was escorting the 5-star luxury extended coach tours along the east coast of Australia, throughout the Southern states, Norfolk Island plus some specialised tours to outback NSW & Queensland. It was such a fabulous way to see our amazing country.

I then spent two years working in the reservations department for Ansett Australia, which gave me a great foundation for constructing & selling domestic and international airfare itineraries. Understanding & navigating the frequent flyer programs was also educational.

Moving closer to my seaside home, I joined a local retail agency, Harvey World Travel Wollongong where I started as a consultant before moving into the store manager role. I then sidestepped across to the Corrimal location and after a short stint, I invested into the business, co-owning two retail Helloworld outlets for over 15 years. During this time, not only managing the businesses, I have also assisted many clients with their travels to so many destinations, both locally and around the world.

I have seen plenty of changes within in the industry in this time and I have experienced several world events that interrupted the flow of travel, which at times has been challenging, but satisfying to get the right outcome for my clients.

I have been fortunate to enjoy many travel experiences over the years, both personal and professional. My love of coach touring along with river & ocean cruising has taken me to destinations that I could have only dreamed about seeing, but these opportunities opened up my experiences of the world.

The beautiful Pacific Islands of New Zealand, Fiji, Vanuatu, Noumea, Norfolk & The Cook Islands were all amazing, along with the exquisite Asian destinations of Bali, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia & Thailand, each offering something a little unique from their neighbours. The states of the USA all offer something a little different, but I’ll never forget the unique charms of Oman, Abu Dhabi & Dubai, to be seen to be believed. Europe however, was eye opening for me, with Italy, Germany, Netherlands, France & Portugal all offering the history and charm of yesteryear, with my time in the UK, a family highlight.

There are still so many more destinations that I would love to see and cruises, tours and rail journeys to experience, but in the meantime, I take so much enjoyment out of helping plan and fulfil all my clients wishes and dreams.

The best thing to do to stay updated on safety and security concerns with other countries is to subscribe to the Smart Traveller website for up to date information on travel advice, consular assistance, health and medical requirements for your destination. The Australian Government updates this site regularly and they offer 24hr emergency assistance via +61 2 62613305.

One of the first things that I recommend to my clients is to secure travel insurance once they commence planning and booking their trip. Often pre-existing medical conditions require some extra attention and coverage, which makes this component an extremely important part of your holiday to get right from the start. A policy should be obtained as soon as you begin making payments so that you are covered against any unforeseen circumstances.

For simple trips, booking a flight and hotel yourself is manageable, but for longer, more complicated trips, enlisting the help of a travel agent can help you make the most of your time. I can connect you with trusted suppliers that I have worked with before for all components along with finding the most suitable airfares for your journey.

I can assist with securing the best value options to fit your desired itinerary plus I often have access to exclusive rates & discounts that aren't available to the public, which will save you money. More importantly, I can handle the unexpected - from weather delays, natural disasters, flight cancellations, lost luggage and much more, a lot can happen throughout your travels. I often find myself acting as your advocate in the event something goes wrong, helping navigate the challenge of making any necessary itinerary changes.

Seaside Travel charges service fees to handle the selling, processing, ticketing & possible amendments of travel services per client. This will be included in your costs at the time of quoting.

I may also get a small commission from some service suppliers that I book with, but as the travel industry has changed in recent years, not all suppliers offer this service to agents anymore.

What I do offer you is the peace of mind in knowing that your travel arrangements are managed by a professional and should any delays or issues occur that require travel amendments, then I am here to handle all of that for you.