Karen Merricks has never been about traditional ideas of success – she’s helped reshape them! When she and her husband Roy started MTA over 25 years ago, it came from something many women will understand: wanting to put family first and step away from the pressure of a busy retail travel store.

A quarter of a century later, Karen and Roy have sold MTA to Helloworld, but the company’s purpose hasn’t shifted. Long before working from home was mainstream, Karen created a way for women to build a thriving travel career from anywhere. In an industry where caring responsibilities still fall predominantly to women, she built a model that offered real freedom, flexibility and a chance to earn fair money. It changed lives then, and it’s still doing that today.

Even as MTA has grown, the mission hasn’t wavered: to put people first and support advisors – especially women – to build a business that fits the life they want.

Karen took a simple idea and turned it into a success story that’s empowered thousands. And now, her name sits proudly alongside some of the biggest names in travel on this year’s Power List – recognition that couldn’t be more deserved.

Congratulations, Karen! 👏👏👏

https://travelweekly.com.au/the-2025-women-in-travel-power-list-is-here/

🏆 Most Outstanding Mobile Travel Network
🏆 Most Outstanding Mobile Travel Advisor – Alison McGovern

Winning Most Outstanding Mobile Travel Network is an incredible honour and recognition of the people who make MTA what it is – our dedicated advisors, passionate support team, valued suppliers, and loyal clients.

We’re equally proud of Alison McGovern, who was named Most Outstanding Mobile Travel Advisor – marking the third consecutive year that an MTA advisor has received this title, following Wendy Brockbank (2023) and Donna Jones (2024).

“This double win is a testament to the strength of our community and the calibre of the people who choose to be part of MTA,” said Karen Merricks, Managing Director. “We’re incredibly proud of Alison and every one of our advisors who continue to embody what MTA stands for – excellence, independence, and a genuine passion for creating extraordinary travel experiences.”

A huge thank you to our incredible MTA family, our industry partners, and our clients who inspire us every day to keep raising the bar.

Heads up, travellers: Virgin Australia is changing its carry-on baggage rules. From 2 February 2026, the standard carry-on allowance will become 8 kg.

Why the change?

Virgin says the update is about simplifying things, improving safety, reducing boarding delays and making better use of overhead space.

What the new baggage rules look like

Here’s the breakdown under the refreshed policy.

Economy Class

• One main carry-on bag, up to 8 kg

• Plus one small personal item (handbag, laptop bag, or small backpack) that fits under the seat in front

Premium / Velocity / Business / Economy X

• Two carry-on bags, with a combined total of up to 14 kg

• One piece may weigh up to 8 kg

• Plus one personal item, same under-seat rules as above

Infant & other allowances

• A collapsible stroller counts as one standard carry-on item (must fit size limits: 56 × 36 × 23 cm)

• Adults travelling with infants can bring one extra small personal item (say, a nappy bag)

• And yes — guests with infants can still check in up to three infant items free of charge.

Size (dimensions) for personal items

• Maximum dimensions: 45 cm × 33 cm × 20 cm (must fit under the seat in front)

When & how this applies

• The new rules apply to all travel on or after 2 February 2026.

The High Achievers’ lunches are a key part of MTA’s ongoing commitment to recognising excellence within its nationwide network of travel Advisors. The program celebrates Advisors who consistently deliver exceptional service, demonstrate strong business performance and contribute to the growth and success of MTA.

This year, the annual events brought together MTA’s leading advisors at some of Australia’s most celebrated dining destinations, in Perth at the Ritz Carlton, Melbourne at Farmer’s Daughters, Sydney at the Shangri-La, Gold Coast at QT and Adelaide at Greek on Halifax.

Pictured: High achievers in Gold Coast with MTA Co-Founder Karen Merricks (L-R)  James Irving, Karen Merricks – MTA Co-founder, Jason Denisenko and Nicola Irving.Don Beattie, CEO of MTA – Mobile Travel Agents, who was in attendance at most events, said the lunches were an opportunity to acknowledge the dedication, expertise and exceptional results of the company’s most successful Advisors.

“These lunches are about celebrating excellence within our advisor network and providing a platform for our leadership team to connect directly with those who consistently deliver at the highest level,” Beattie said.

“Our network continues to deliver outstanding results for clients across Australia, and our average total travel value (TTV) per Advisor is up 6.4% in FY 24/25 compared to the previous financial year. It’s an outstanding reflection of the skill, service and commitment our Advisors bring to their clients and their businesses every single day. Our High Achievers are achieving this and more, and we’re so proud that more than 160 of them have hit this benchmark this year.”

Each lunch was attended by the team’s Business Success Managers, with Co-founder Karen Merricks joining a number of events to celebrate the advisors’ achievements and personally recognise their outstanding contributions.

Pictured: High achievers in Melbourne and Perth

Katrina Carichini, MTA – Mobile Travel Agent, one of the High Achievers recognised this year said it was her first time attending one of the lunches.

“It was such a wonderful experience to share with my colleagues. The event gave us a chance to reflect on the achievements of the past year and celebrate our individual and collective success.. I’m especially grateful to our wonderful clients for their continued trust and support. Being recognised in this way fills me with pride to be part of the MTA family.”

Alison has been recognised in the Most Outstanding Mobile/Home Based Travel Advisor category – a highly competitive award that shines a spotlight on the very best in the Australian travel industry.

Speaking about the honour, Alison said:“Being named a finalist is such an incredible acknowledgement. It reflects not just my passion and commitment to creating unforgettable journeys, but also the unwavering support of my wonderful clients – I couldn’t have achieved this without them.”

The NTIAs celebrate excellence and dedication across all sectors of the travel industry.

Congratulations Alison on this well-deserved recognition and we wish you every success for the award night to be held in Brisbane in October.

This incredible recognition comes hot on the heels of Donna’s success at the 2024 NTIAs, where she was named Most Outstanding Mobile/Home-Based Advisor. Two major industry accolades in just a few short months.

Virtuoso Travel Week is held every year in Las Vegas and is widely regarded as the event for luxury travel, drawing thousands of advisors, suppliers and industry leaders from every corner of the globe. To be recognised on that stage is an extraordinary achievement.

Donna shared that the award is as much about the people around her as it is about her own work:

“It’s an incredible honour to be recognised on such a respected international stage. Being part of the MTA family has given me the support, flexibility and global network to deliver the very best experiences for my clients – and I couldn’t be more thrilled to receive this award.”

Our Co-Founder, Roy Merricks, couldn’t be prouder:

“Donna is an outstanding advisor whose dedication to her clients and commitment to excellence embodies everything we value at MTA. This award reinforces the global respect for our advisors and the impact they’re making in the luxury travel space.”

At MTA, we believe in giving our advisors the freedom, tools and community to shine – and Donna’s success is a perfect example of what’s possible when passion meets support.

Congratulations Donna – we’re so proud to have you as part of the MTA family!

Marking 25 years of empowering Australia’s top independent travel advisors, this year’s ‘Milestones and Momentum’ event, promises to be one of MTA’s biggest yet. Delivering a mix of professional growth, community spirit and cutting-edge thought leadership, with the support of major sponsor Business Events Adelaide, designed to inspire, educate and equip advisors for the next era of travel.

Widely recognised as one of the most influential voices in Australian financial services, Grant Hackett will share lessons from his corporate leadership journey, including his current role as CEO of Generation Development, a trusted investment service. Drawing on decades of experience in business strategy, innovation and high performance, Grant will challenge attendees to think beyond the day to day and lead with vision and clarity. His background as a triple Olympic medallist offers a powerful, yet secondary, lens on resilience and goal setting.

Joining him is Emma Harris, a London based speaker, brand leader and founder of culture consultancy Glow London. With a career that spans executive roles in travel at Eurostar and Virgin Atlantic, Emma is known for her no-fluff approach to building bold brands and authentic workplace cultures, bringing a global perspective and unfiltered insights to her sessions.

Complementing the keynote sessions is a curated breakout program featuring:

• Pascale Helyar-Moray – award-winning entrepreneur and founder of Grow My Money, a world-first platform converting shopping into savings. With a background in financial services and leadership roles at firms like JPMorgan and BT Financial Group, she’s also an advocate for gender equality
• Olivia Arezzolo – Australia’s leading sleep expert and bestselling author of Bear, Lion, Wolf, Olivia is regularly featured on major TV shows as an expert and works with leading wellness and lifestyle brands. She shares practical strategies for improving health, energy and performance through better sleep
• Nicole O’Sullivan – Director of Birds Eye View Consulting and a leading coach for travel professionals. With more than 20 years’ experience, Nicole specialises in psychology backed sales strategies that help advisors connect with clients, grow their business, and sell with confidence

Karen Merricks, Co-Founder of MTA – Mobile Travel Agents, expressed how excited the team is to welcome speakers of this calibre to this year’s 25^th anniversary conference.

“Grant and Emma bring fresh, forward-thinking perspectives with insights that we know will resonate with the ambitions and challenges our advisors are navigating right now”, said Merricks.

“Our advisors are at the heart of everything we do, they’re experienced, independent and deeply committed to their clients. This year’s program reflects that, it’s about celebrating how far we’ve come over the last 25 years while continuing to invest in the tools, inspiration and support advisors need to thrive in a changing travel landscape.”

The ‘Milestones and Momentum’ conference will showcase Adelaide and its surrounds, bringing together 420 advisors and industry partners for a five-day program packed with keynote sessions and 14 breakout experiences – from historic walking tours to wine tasting experiences and even an Adelaide Oval roof climb for those daring. The program kicks off with three days of pre-conference training, covering everything from AI to marketing, sales and business best practice, a dedicated initiative that reflects MTA’s continued focus on professional development and advisor success.

Delegates will also have the opportunity to engage in this year’s CSR initiative, Cooking for a Cause with OzHarvest. The energy continues into the evening with spectacular gala events and opportunities to celebrate, network and reflect on 25 years of MTA magic.

For more on the more information on full speaker program and conference agenda, visit: mtatravel.eventsair.com/mta-national-conference-2025.

ENDS

As a Virtuoso Cruise Icon, Spurway will have access to various events and networking opportunities designed to foster growth and collaboration, while sharing and cultivating best practices within the network’s cruise community. Events such as Virtuoso Travel Week, luxury travel’s preeminent worldwide gathering, will bring Spurway face to face with executives from some of the most respected cruise brands in the industry.

“We extend our warmest congratulations to Mark for his well-deserved recognition as a Virtuoso Cruise Icon,” said Virtuoso’s Senior Vice President, Global Member & Partner Sales Cory Hagopian. “He has demonstrated resilience, ingenuity and a steadfast commitment to exceeding client expectations while supporting our cruise partners. Mark’s achievements serve as an inspiration to fellow advisors and a testament to his skill, determination and passion for cruising as a means of delivering unforgettable travel experiences.”

“I am thrilled to have received this recognition for two consecutive years. It is an honour to join 35 fellow Australian and New Zealand travel agents this year as a Virtuoso Cruise Icon. I look forward to continuing to work with my clients on booking great cruise experiences in 2025 and beyond,” said Spurway.

Because of their affiliation with Virtuoso, Cruise Icons can offer exclusive benefits to their clients on over 450 select cruises annually across 13 separate cruise lines via the Virtuoso Voyages program, including a dedicated onboard host and a choice of an additional benefit ranging in value from $500 per couple to several thousand dollars, depending on the sailing.