Connected Travel Academy

14/08/2026

A proud moment for Connected Travel and our Academy side of the company 🩵

Our founder, director and lead trainer, Marissa, has been appointed as a Subject Matter Expert on a national committee helping review and update Australia’s Travel and Tourism qualifications.

Basically she’s part of a group of industry experts helping make sure the way travel is taught in Australia actually reflects what the job is really like in the real world.

Why does this matter to us?

Because we’ve always believed there is a big gap between learning the theory of travel and actually knowing how to DO the job.

It’s why our training has always been so practical and focused on what happens in real travel businesses, not just in textbooks.

Now we get to bring that hands-on experience into a much bigger conversation about how future travel professionals are trained across the country.

Pretty exciting to have Connected Travel helping shape what the future of travel training in Australia looks like. 🩵

You can read more about the project here:
https://sacsa.org.au/projects/review-of-tourism-and-travel-qualifications/

Review of Tourism and Travel Qualifications— updating three Certificate III qualifications within the Tourism and Travel Training Package (SIT).

12/08/2026

An Academy update… and a last chance! 👀

This will be our 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗮𝗯𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆.

From next year, our focus is shifting completely to where we believe we’re needed most:

𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀.

People want to enter our industry and build their own travel businesses, and if we’re going to bring new people in, we want to do it with 𝟭𝟬𝟬% 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁.

So that’s where we’re heading. 🩵

But before we wrap up our wider industry workshops, we’re going out with a bang!

Our 𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗦𝗮𝗯𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱, and once these are gone… they’re gone!

If you or someone in your team has been meaning to do one, now is the time.

Want in?

Email 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴@𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺.𝗮𝘂 NOW and we’ll send you the details.

Let’s finish this chapter properly. 💪🏽

06/08/2026

This year we took our own advice and we made a conscious decision to simplify.

Instead of trying to be everything to everybody, we chose to focus on what we do best.

We brought our training and support closer to home, focusing on our own network and helping new people turn their love of travel into professional mobile travel businesses. Then we continue walking beside them through those important early years.

Today, we’re incredibly humbled to be named a finalist for Most Outstanding Travel Agent Network. 🩵

Congratulations to the other finalists. Every network has its own strengths and its own place within our industry. This year, we simply found ours. Work with those who want to break into the industry with their own travel business.

“Don’t be everything to everyone. Be something to someone.”

22/07/2026

🚨 Limited Spots Available!

New to Sabre?
Need a refresher?
Still avoiding complex fares? 😅

We’ve got you covered.

✔ New Hire Sabre
✔ Intermediate Sabre
✔ Complex Fares
✔ Tramada

Our July Special is still running for a limited time, making now the perfect opportunity to invest in your skills.

Whether you’re brand new to the industry or simply want to build your confidence, our live training is designed to give you practical skills you can use immediately.

👉 Check out all upcoming course dates and pricing via the link below.

https://www.connectedtravelacademy.com.au/registration/

01/07/2026

What a great week with our Melbourne team! ❤️

Although our agents all work remotely and run our own businesses, when we get together it really does feel like an office. We learn from each other, bounce ideas around, solve problems together and, yes, probably chat and laugh a little too much! 😂🤷🏽‍♀️

One of our Gold Coast agents even made the trek down for the day Madi

We also welcomed two Year 10 work experience students and gave them a real understanding at what it takes to run a travel business and the many different hats a business owner wears!

They explored destination training, with Japan as their choice, worked on itinerary ideas, marketing tasks, social media templates, lead magnets, business reporting, reconciliations and supplier introductions.

A big thank you to the suppliers who took the time to meet with them and share your knowledge. We truly appreciate you 🫶🏽

Travel is so much more than booking holidays, and it was lovely to show them a little of what happens behind the scenes.

If you know someone who’s passionate about travel and looking for a pathway into the industry, we’d love to hear from them. Whether they’re a student, changing careers or ready to start their own travel business, feel free to send them our way.

30/06/2026

🚨 40% OFF FOR A LIMITED TIME! 🚨

Thinking about learning Sabre or Tramada?

Now is the perfect time.

To celebrate the end of the financial year, we're offering 40% OFF all Sabre and Tramada training courses for a limited time only.

Whether you're starting your travel career, returning to the industry, onboarding a new team member, or simply looking to refresh your systems knowledge, our live, hands-on training is designed to give you the practical skills and confidence to succeed.

✔️ Perfect for new starters
✔️ Ideal for returning travel professionals
✔️ Practical online training
✔️ Small interactive classes
✔️ Experienced industry trainers
✔️ Real-world skills you can use immediately

And this is just the beginning! Our Academy is continuing to grow, with new industry workshops, specialist training and professional development programs coming soon.

📩 Enrol today to secure your place and your 40% EOFY discount.

Connected Travel Academy offers a growing portfolio of professional training designed to support every stage of your career. Whether you're learning new

12/06/2026

✨ National Travel Industry Awards 2026.....WOWEEEEE, 11 Nominations! ✨

Today is one of those days where you stop for a moment and feel incredibly proud.

Not just because Connected Travel and Connected Travel Academy have received 11 nominations across the 2026 NTIA Awards.

But because behind every nomination is a woman who has worked hard, backed herself, supported others, and made a genuine impact on our industry.

Congratulations to:
🏆 Kellie Browning
🏆 Jade Sharp
🏆 Kathryn Kidd
🏆 Lynn Solomon
🏆 Kathie Jane

Along with our Connected Travel and Connected Travel Academy teams.

These women inspire me every day. They show up, put in the work, support their clients, support each other, and continue raising the standard of what professionalism in travel looks like.

To see them recognised by the industry is incredibly special.

Congratulations to all nominees across the industry. We can't wait to celebrate with you all at NTIA 2026.

Proud of every one of you. 💙

Marissa Papas
Managing Director, Connected Travel Australia

08/06/2026

Yes, we’ve been a little quiet on socials lately… but that’s usually because we’re so busy behind the scenes that we forget about socials. 🤣

Right now we’ve got:

✈️ Sabre Training coming up
✈️ A new Connect to Employment intake about to kick off
✈️ One final Connect to Business intake for 2026

Can you believe we’re already halfway through the year?

If you’ve been thinking about starting your travel career, building your skills, or finally taking that next step, this is your reminder.

The year has a habit of disappearing faster than we think.

Let’s get it done before 2026 is over.

15/04/2026

Ready to learn Sabre and start using it properly? ✈️

Our New Hire Sabre Training is designed for those studying travel, new to the industry, or ready to start using Sabre to its full potential.

Over 2 interactive days, you’ll learn how the industry actually works behind the scenes. From GDS basics and Sabre workflows to airfare pricing, NDC and building bookings with confidence.

This is hands-on, practical training ideal for those new to Sabre.

Dates are set:

📅 12–13 May OR
📅 28–29 July

Comment below with your email and we will send through the details 🤍

11/04/2026

Meet Sonja, with knowledge and passion like this you can see why we are so grateful to have her as one of our trainers at the academy! 🫶🏽