Get to Know Meg

Meg has worked in the travel industry for 14 years and has been part of Chirn Park Travel since it opened eight years ago. She started her career as a travel consultant before moving into her current role as Office Manager/CFO.

Her favourite destinations include Japan, Cambodia and the Arctic, but over the years she has travelled to many different destinations and experienced many different styles of travel, from backpacking to luxury. When she was younger, Meg loved the social side of backpacking and the amazing people she met along the way. These days, she enjoys travelling at a slightly slower pace, spending longer in each destination so she has plenty of time to explore, while also appreciating a little luxury and a great hotel to come back to and relax in at the end of the day.

Outside of work, Meg loves spending time with her husband, their daughter and their dog. You’ll often find them visiting local parks, walking along the Manly waterfront, or checking out a local brewery or pub.

What Meg Does for the Team

Meg’s role at Chirn Park Travel is quite varied and covers a little bit of everything behind the scenes. She looks after the day-to-day finances, including reconciliations and bookkeeping, while also helping the team with systems, processes and troubleshooting.

Meg is often the person consultants come to when they have a question or need help working something out. That might mean updating details on a quote or invoice, helping chase a supplier refund, or making sure a refund is returned to a client as quickly as possible. While she is continually learning and keeping up to date with changes across the industry, if she doesn’t know the answer, she’ll help work out who the best person is to ask.

Ultimately, Meg’s role is about keeping things running smoothly behind the scenes so the consultants can focus on looking after their clients and creating amazing holidays.

Meg’s Favourite Travel Moment: The Arctic

Travelling through Svalbard with Quark Expeditions was unlike anywhere else Meg had experienced. She loved the true expedition style of travelling with like-minded adventurers, where there was no rigid itinerary and plans could change depending on the weather, wildlife and conditions each day.

Days were spent cruising in Zodiacs searching for wildlife and hiking across beaches and mountains, where Meg encountered walruses, a Svalbard reindeer, puffins and an incredible variety of Arctic birdlife. The landscapes constantly surprised her too, changing from glaciers, mountains and snow to hills covered in moss and tiny flowers.

The highlight was seeing four polar bears during the expedition. One particularly memorable encounter was watching a lone polar bear moving across the ice before coming incredibly close to the ship. Seeing such an amazing animal against the vast, icy landscape is something Meg will never forget.

The Arctic became one of Meg’s favourite destinations because it feels like nowhere else on earth, combining incredible landscapes, abundant wildlife and a real sense of adventure.

Meg’s Favourite Travel Moment: Skiing in Japan

Japan has always been a special destination for Meg. She lived there from 2010 to 2012 and travelled extensively throughout Honshu, from Osaka, Kyoto and Hiroshima to the mountains of Nagano and many smaller towns and villages. Returning years later with her family, including her aunt, uncle and cousins, made it even more special.

They stayed together in a chalet in Hakuba, spending their days skiing and snowboarding in some of the freshest snow Meg has ever experienced. The mountains offered something for everyone in the group, despite their varying abilities, and staying together meant they could enjoy plenty of quality time off the slopes too.

One of Meg’s favourite memories was celebrating her brother’s birthday at a tiny bar inside a yurt in a snowy car park. With 12 of them, one incredibly welcoming bartender, plenty of sake and even fireworks to celebrate, it was a night she’ll never forget.

Japan is somewhere Meg will always return to, and one day she hopes to experience it all over again with her daughter.

A Destination That Surprised Meg: Cambodia

Cambodia is a destination that really surprised Meg. It has experienced some incredibly difficult times throughout its history, yet she found the people she met to be warm, welcoming and genuinely positive about their lives today and the future of their country.

One of Meg’s most memorable experiences was visiting Wat Hanchey, where she received a traditional blessing and had the opportunity to speak with a trainee monk. Hearing about his daily life, his education at the monastery and his hopes for the future gave her a small insight into the younger generation of Cambodia. She also loved experiencing Cambodian Buddhism and seeing how its traditions and beliefs are woven into everyday life.

Receiving a blessing was a particularly special moment on both of Meg’s visits to Cambodia. Sitting and listening to the chanting gave her a chance to reflect on how fortunate we are to travel, experience different cultures and take part in traditions so different from our own.

It’s experiences like these, and discovering places that surprise her, that always leave Meg wanting to see and experience more of the world.

 

Phone: 07 5609 4901
Email: team@chirnparktravel.com