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They might be mad about travel, but Manly couple Phil and Katie Clark insist that they are not insane to launch a new travel agency a year into a global pandemic. Far from it, Phil reckons their timing is actually spot on. With the Australian bubble opening this week, the Pacific not far behind and thousands of Kiwis itching to get away from home, he says everything is ready to go.
“We’re doing it now because we felt it would come back this year. Now it’s all systems go and we’re feeling really good to be moving forward,” he says.
While MAD About Travel will specialise in Mountain, Adventure and Dive holidays – hence the agency’s initials – Phil and Katie can draw on more than 20 years’ experience to provide a full range of travel requirements, from flights to corporate packages.
Phil and Katie moved to the Coast in 2007 when Phil was headhunted by an adventure holiday company. After 13 years, however, Covid-19 hit, the travel industry stopped dead and Phil was made redundant.
“It’s been one hell of a year, but the big thing that Covid brought home was how much we love selling travel and how much we love our clients – we missed them desperately,” he says.
Phil says Covid-19 has made using a travel agent more important than ever, since they can provide full insurance and, if there are any outbreaks or other issues, swift assistance.
“Rather than you trying to ring the airline and waiting on hold for hours, we can change flights in seconds,” he says. “If you call an airline you get someone who doesn’t know you, but with your travel agent you have a person who knows and cares about you.
“We’re local, we’ve travelled all over the world, been in the business for years and we’re passionate about it.”
Phil and Katie are also passionate about sailing – Katie is the manager at Weiti Boating Club and Phil is a former commodore of Manly Sailing Club.
MAD About Travel is fully accredited and part of the Travel Managers Group, which is owned and backed by Flight Centre.
