Megan Matrakis - Travel Agent

22/04/2026

We hope everyone at Perth Airport is safe following today’s incident 🤍

Moments like this are a good reminder that travel doesn’t always go to plan — and a little preparation can make all the difference:

• Allow extra time when heading to the airport, especially during peak periods
• Where possible, book flights on a single through ticket — this protects you in the event of delays or missed connections
• Check in online ahead of time to minimise time spent in queues
• Ensure you have comprehensive travel insurance to cover unexpected disruptions
• And most importantly — travel with support. When you book through an agent, you’re never navigating situations like this alone. We’re just a call or message away when things don’t go to plan 🫶🏻

For those travelling this evening, keep an eye on updates and allow a little extra flexibility in your plans.

Safe travels 🙏🏼

Perth’s international airport terminal is in lock down this afternoon over the discovery of an unattended item, throwing passenger travel plans into chaos.

05/03/2026

✈️ Travel Update: Middle East Airspace Disruptions

Due to the evolving situation in the Middle East, some airlines are adjusting routes and schedules across the region.

As always, the safety of my clients is the top priority. My team and I are working closely with airline partners and travel suppliers to assist any travellers whose plans may be affected.

📍Clients travelling in March:
We are prioritising travellers with imminent departures and will reach out directly if your itinerary requires attention.

📍Clients travelling from April onwards:
We will continue to monitor developments closely and will contact you should any changes become necessary.

If your travel is from April onwards and you have concerns, please reach out via email. We are currently working through bookings in departure date order and appreciate your patience while we assist those travelling first.

With over 15 years in the travel industry, I have supported clients through many global travel disruptions and will continue working behind the scenes to keep your plans running as smoothly as possible.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.
MM

16/02/2026

🧧✨ Happy Lunar New Year ✨🧧

2026 welcomes the Year of the Horse 🐎

In many cultures, the Horse symbolises:

• movement & exploration
• independence & courage
• energy & success
• new journeys ahead

A beautiful reminder of why we travel — to move, grow and experience the world 🌍💛

Fun facts:
✨ 2026 is the rare Fire Horse (appearing once every 60 years)
🎨 Lucky colours: red, gold & purple
🧭 Lucky directions: south & southeast

May the year ahead bring beautiful journeys, meaningful moments and exciting horizons.

Gong Xi Fa Cai 🧧🐎

MM x

24/12/2025

This was a fun holiday to plan - White Christmas Magic! Northern Lights, Santa’s Village, Husky adventures, ice fishing, arctic baths & reindeer rides! Living vicariously through these beautiful clients’ adventures! 😍

06/10/2025

📍 The last 6 months… aka Hotel Hospitals!

It’s been a wild year — one I wouldn’t wish on anyone, but I’m sharing this for awareness, not sympathy.

📍Admission 1 – March (St John of God, Subiaco)
On 20 March, I had a hysterectomy that should’ve taken 90 minutes — it took 4 hours.
Surgeons discovered scar tissue, adhesions, and that my bladder had fused to my uterus. I haemorrhaged and learned I have POTs & a connective tissue disorder (hEDS). I was told to “buckle up” for a 3-month recovery, not the 6 weeks I’d planned for.

📍Admission 2 – April (Hollywood Private Hospital)
By 12 April, I was back in emergency with severe vomiting and a post-op infection. Fentanyl IV, ambulance ride, three more nights in hospital, discharged 14 April.

📍Admission 3 – July (Maldives Hospital + Hollywood Private)
We went overseas on 7 July — my long-awaited bucket-list trip. A mix of cabin pressure, pool time, and a coffee mix-up led to internal organ damage.
The incredible team at Pullman chartered a speedboat ($500 USD) to get me to a hospital with a gynae team. Thankfully my internal stitches held. Once home (12 July), I was admitted again to Hollywood Hospital for infected tissue removal and antibiotics.

📍Admission 4 & 5 – August to September (King Edward Memorial + Hollywood Private)
On 22 August, after a couple of wines…I went to the bathroom and felt a pop.
Thirty+ centimetres of my intestines had come out of my body.
000 & Ambulance to King Edward Memorial, emergency surgery at 1 a.m. after 3 hours in ED agony — two surgeons and a gynae saved my life, removing part of my small intestines, reconstructed my bowel and restitched & glued my pelvic floor.
I spent 8 days at KEMH and another 8 at Hollywood, discharged 6 September & had the longest wait to see if I needed a stoma bag or if they saved my bowel in time.

📍Admission 6 – September to October (KEMH → Hollywood Private)
Just when I thought the storm had passed, 24 September brought the chills and pain again. Bloodwork showed infection markers “off the chart.” I was admitted once more — first to KEMH, then transferred to Hollywood Private.
After 13 days, I was finally discharged this week.

⸻

Novel continued!
💭 Why I’m sharing this:
Living with chronic and invisible illnesses like EDS, POTS, allergies and endometriosis can be isolating. People see you “looking fine” — but that doesn’t mean you are!

If a friend says they aren’t well, believe them. Don’t make them feel guilty for cancelling plans — believe me, it’s hard living life not knowing how you will wake up feeling on the day – so shout out to the low maintenance friends who understand when you can’t commit to everything right now!

To anyone with allergies — I SEE YOU TOO! AND the parents who are fighting for their kids navigating allergies! Our health isn’t an inconvenience; it’s a matter of safety. Every careless exposure added days and discomfort to my own admissions.

———
❤️ Gratitude:
To my ride-or-die friends who didn’t just say “let me know if you need anything” — they showed up unannounced with cooked meals, snacks, entertained my kids, drove me to appointments, coffees & chats.

To my friends & family who juggled kids, meals, taxis, and emotions.

To Kate & the Global Travel Network for supporting me when I physically couldn’t show up for clients. Often volunteering time & not billing me for the hours 🙏🏼

My beautiful & understanding clients who have been patient with me - especially when I was navigating last minute support to finalise your travel plans - thank you for your continued trust through this turbulant time.

To those who’ve sent messages, gifts, and love — thank you for seeing me & loving me when i havent had much to give in return.

To my love, Harley Litchfield — the way you’ve shown me love, stepped up for the family, taken 2 months off work & been my rock.
I love you and can’t wait for our Euro trip — I AM SO EXCITED TO MARRY YOU NEXT YEAR

I’m learning to let go, ask for help, and lean on others — even when it goes against every fibre of my “I’ve got this & push through” nature.

Fingers crossed 2026 involves zero hospital time & bring on the wedding ❤️💪🏼

05/10/2025

📍 68-Day European & Turkish Adventure!
Total days away: 68 (27 July – 2 October 2025)
What a special gift to be made a reel of travel memories. Sent through by some lovely clients!

From Perth to Paris, the Swiss Alps to Venice, Florence to Rome, Amalfi Coast to Croatia, through Turkey, the Greek Islands and finishing with Vienna & Singapore — what a journey I had the pleasure of curating for this couple.

📍 Cities visited: 20+!! (Paris, Montreux, Interlaken, Venice, Florence, Rome, Amalfi Coast, Naples, Pompeii, Dubrovnik, Split, Istanbul, Rhodes, Naxos, Santorini, Athens, Vienna, Singapore… and more!)

✈️ Flights: 9 total (Perth–Singapore–Paris, Naples–Dubrovnik, Split–Istanbul, Rhodes—Santorini, Naxos–Athens–Vienna, Vienna–Singapore–Perth)

🚂 Trains: 14+ (Paris – Geneva — Montreux, Montreux–Interlaken, Interlaken—Zurich—Venice, Venice–Florence, Florence–Rome, Rome–Naples, Naples–Amalfi Coast)

🚌 Coach/Bus transfers: Multiple! (Dubrovnik to Split & through the Turkish countryside )

🛥 Ferries/boats: Greek & Turkish Islands inter-island + Amalfi Coast excursions

🏞 Experiences: Many! Paragliding through the Swiss Alps, Wine tasting through the Italian Tuscan hills, island hopping in Greece, Turkish Gullet Cruising..

So many moving parts — flights, trains, transfers, ferries, excursions — all woven together into one seamless, once-in-a-lifetime itinerary.

🙏 A huge thank you to & Julie for trusting me to bring this incredible journey to life.

Being sent your reel and reliving the magic of your travels was such a joy. You make me grateful for the job I do, thanks for sharing these memories 🥂✈️🌍

11/09/2025

📍 Tuscany, Italy 🇮🇹

These memories popped up on my phone this week — a belated honeymoon through Italy I planned for some dear friends, this time last year. 🇮🇹 Thanks for sharing these with me

🍷 Did you know you can take a hot air balloon ride straight out of Chianti, only 20–30 minutes from Florence? Picture floating above rolling Tuscan vineyards, prosecco in hand, followed by antipasti as the sun warms the Italian countryside… pure Dolce Vita! 🥂🎈

September is such a beautiful month in Italy — warm days, cooler evenings, and fewer crowds compared to peak summer. Perfect for exploring Florence, sipping wine in Tuscany, strolling Rome’s ancient streets, and finishing with Sicilian sunsets (the tailormade itinerary I curated for these two lovebirds ❤️)

I’ve been sent so many gorgeous client photos over the years, but I’ve often been too busy managing your travels to pause and share them here. This time off has reminded me how much joy these memories bring, and I can’t wait to share more of the holidays I’ve helped bring to life ❤️

01/09/2025

🌻🌻 A new month, a new season! 🌻🌻 With winter behind us and spring officially here, it feels like the perfect time to reflect and reset.

This past year has been the biggest financial year to date for my business—something I’m incredibly proud of and so grateful to all of my wonderful clients for. 💙 Alongside this milestone, my health has brought its challenges. A planned hysterectomy in March didn’t go as expected, and just 11 days ago I was rushed into emergency surgery that ultimately saved my life.

As I focus on a longer-than-expected recovery, please know that your travel plans remain my priority. As I ease back into work, I’ll be collaborating closely with my colleagues at Global Travel Network (GTN) Global Travel Network to ensure every booking is cared for seamlessly. GTN is a network of more than 50 independent travel consultants aligned with the Helloworld Travel Group, and many of these consultants I’ve known throughout my 14 years in the industry. We support one another so our clients always come first. 🌍✈️

If you’ve been my client for a while, you may already have experienced this collaboration behind the scenes. During my recovery, all active bookings are being closely monitored, and new enquiries are still very welcome. Please continue to email me at [email protected] and I’ll work with my GTN colleagues to ensure your travel plans are looked after.

As an additional point of contact, Kate McIvor, GTN’s owner and director, is also available and can connect you with the right consultant if you need immediate assistance. Kate’s email: [email protected]

💙 Thank you so much for supporting me and my business during this time—it truly means the world.

👉🏼 https://www.globaltravelnetwork.com.au/?fbclid=PAdGRleAMiFkVleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABp5oQB7yI5zG2PhRjCaa8UFLUHjOgXr2IsDIs76a4BzxPEqzVDmTI-FMcS0N9_aem_RnVVBYIz97YkGdWa1H15PA

03/08/2025

In under 6 months, I’ve seen karate build confidence, discipline and respect in my daughter.
It’s more than a sport - it’s a global community practiced in 190+ countries.
It deserves a place on the world’s biggest stage, the Olympics!

Great article 👇🏻

Karate reflects everything the Olympics claims to represent: discipline, respect, tradition, global reach and the pursuit of excellence. Yet it continues to be overlooked. Now the fight is on to bring it back.

27/07/2025

More Maldives! ☀️ Missing the warm weather & swimming in the clearest blue waters! 🩵