General News
30 September, 2025
Amanda wins national travel management award
Maryborough-based travel professional Amanda Ratcliffe has been awarded the 2025 Most Improved Personal Travel Manager for Victoria.
This year’s winners were announced at a national conference that took place in Bali on September 20.
This recognition comes after Ms Ratcliffe was shortlisted as a finalist for Top New Personal Travel Manager in Victoria in November last year. However, she never anticipated this new accolade.
“When I opened that email, I was in complete shock. I’d given myself the weekend off to spend some time with the kids and I decided I needed to take a day for myself. I didn’t even know I had been nominated,” Ms Ratcliffe said.
“It’s very exciting. To get that award, my socks were just blown off. It’s just incredible.”
For nearly two years, Ms Ratcliffe has operated as a mobile personal travel manager, offering flexible service and hours to clients, either at her home office or a location that suits them.
Ms Ratcliffe was originally part of locally based travel agency, Maryborough Travel and Cruise, until it closed during COVID.
As a result, she transitioned to become a home-based personal travel manager in 2023.
Overall, Ms Ratcliffe has worked for 30 years in the industry, developing travel experience spanning five continents and over 30 countries.
“I came straight out of school, did a course and went straight into travel. After the local travel agency shut down, it was a case of reinventing myself into a home travel agent,” she said.
Ms Ratcliffe said this move allowed her to continue doing what she loves, designing a unique and personalised travel experience for a wide variety of clients.
“I have had clients from the UK, some on the west coast, some in Canberra, so it’s very rewarding. I do have quite a good client base here in Maryborough, but because I’m a home agent, it’s not restricted,” she said.
“There’s a lot of behind the scenes in-depth research that goes into this job. Also, as soon as something goes wrong, if there is a delay or strike, some travellers could be talking to a chatbot with no real response.
“That’s the advantage of having a real flesh and blood agent, my computer is here with me, so in an emergency, I’m there. It’s all at my fingertips. It’s very rare that you have an emergency, but sometimes it does happen.”
Ms Ratcliffe said some of the most memorable journeys she has planned were when she had creative freedom to plan clients’ trips.
“I love it when some people give me free rein to go with whatever and just plan it entirely for them, even if it’s just two weeks throughout Europe. I think about where I would like to go, what would I like to see, where I would stay. So they are really fun itineraries,” she said.
“Sometimes, people say ‘this is the budget we are working to, this is what we want to have’ and it’s a challenge. I love the challenge of going, ‘we need to squeeze this in and get great accommodation’ and put it all together.”
Looking ahead, Ms Ratcliffe is focused on growing her worldwide client base and sharing her passion for travel with more people.
“I do everything from coach tours to booking trains, nothing is out of the question. If I can help someone have the trip of a lifetime, then I’ve done my job,” she said.
“It’s not the same every day, which is what keeps me interested after all this time to keep coming back to it, no two days are ever the same.
“My clients have pretty much become my friends. I really couldn’t be here without them. They are the people that have made it happen for me. I love to say I live vicariously through my clients and plan their trips as if I’m walking in their footsteps.”