Quarantine-Free Travel to New Zealand

With quarantine-free travel now possible between Australia and New Zealand, business travels are on the agenda again: but it’s not as simple as booking a flight and turning up at check-in.

Everyone is required to complete a travel declaration form: –

1.      For Entry into NZ

2.      For Entry back into Australia

People in Australia who meet the eligibility criteria can fly on quarantine-free flights to/from New Zealand with a valid passport. All other passport holders must hold a visa or New Zealand electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA). All travellers to New Zealand must complete an online travel declaration form before you travel from Australia. Click here for the form.

To travel to New Zealand on a quarantine-free flight, you must meet the following criteria: You meet immigration requirements.  You need to spend the 14 days before you depart in either Australia or New Zealand. You have not had a positive COVID-19 test in the 14 days before you depart. You are not waiting for the results of a COVID-19 test taken in the past 14 days. You must complete a travel declaration when you book your flights. This declaration mainly asks you about your travel plans and contact details. You must answer questions about your health at departure. You will not be able to go for either business or corporate travel if you have cold or flu symptoms. Read More…

Spencer Travel - Professional Corporate Travel Agents

Spencer Travel is an award winning corporate travel agency that caters to small and mid-sized corporations and offers a range of business travel services. Spencer travel can provide exclusively negotiated airfares and accommodation and have great relationships with car hire agencies, cruises, visa agencies and restaurants to ensure a pleasant and stress-free trip. For someone making business travel plans, by using Spencer Travel, all you need to do is outline what you are looking for and Spencer Travel does the rest.

In addition to their product, Spencer Travel also utilises cutting-edge technology that means your corporate travel runs will run smoothly without any hitches. These tech solutions include its online reporting, ISOS duty of care integration, events management software and more. Their mission as an organisation is to enhance travel experiences and they do this by delivering personalised and attentive service with the aim of making every customer’s journey as pleasant as possible.

Spencer Travel’s corporate travel service gives you tailored account management to ensure optimal saving and control, online booking tools to control reporting and management, top end technology and all the other expected services of a corporate travel agency. Their service is unparalleled and as well as being personalised by professional consultants, they also have 24/7 out-of-hours support. Additionally, corporations that choose to use Spencer Travel’s business travel services will also have access to their senior management team in their Sydney office.

The professionals at Spencer Travel are unequalled in their field. They guarantee a maximum of 10 day turn around on your travel plans and were the first corporate travel agency to be inducted into the National Travel Industry Hall of Fame. Founded by Penny Spencer, they have been delivering top-tier service and solutions since 1998.

If you’re looking for some of the best travel agents in Australia that have been recognised by those in the industry, and offer personalised, high-quality service, you need not look further than Spencer Travel.

 

Getting To Know…. Dayna Porter

Dayna Porter has recently joined Spencer Travel’s sales team through an internal promotion. She has worked in the travel industry for quite a few years and shares with us why she is so passionate about this industry. We also learn more about her favourite travel destinations and what her travel top tips are: 

What do you like about the travel industry and what are you looking forward to in your role at Spencer?

“I love the travel industry and everything that comes with it. The diversity is what I love the most, no day is ever the same – more so at the moment in these crazy times.  I hadn’t travelled a lot prior to working in this industry and it has opened my eyes to what can be seen and experienced, for this I am extremely grateful.

My new role as an Account Manager is going to challenge me and I am excited to take on this challenge and to learn new things during the journey. My team is extremely knowledgeable, I am really looking forward to working closely with all of them, learning from them and bouncing ideas off one another.”

What’s your favourite travel destination?

“This is always the hardest question to answer, I find it so difficult to narrow down so I will give you a few of my favourites…. You may also notice a common theme – seaside, sun drenched locations are definitely my holiday style.  I am a self-proclaimed scout and researcher for “best beaches worldwide countdowns”. Read More...

Getting To Know… Adrian Gonzalez

Adrian Gonzalez recently started at Spencer Travel in the role of National Account Manager. Adrian has been working in the travel for quite some years and shares with us he why he is so passionate about this industry. We also learn more about his favourite travel destinations and what his travel top tips are.

What do you like about the travel agency and what are you looking forward to in your role at Spencer? 

“It’s such a dynamic industry with so much going on and always something new to learn. It’s different everyday – no two days are ever the same,” says Adrian.

“I enjoy assisting clients to improve their overall travel program and adding value. Spencer Travel is a well-known and respected brand within the travel industry. The culture and values sit very well with me. I look forward to bringing in some fresh new ideas to the team, further growing and rising together.”

What’s your favorite travel destination? 

“This would have to be Europe, with Spain being my personal favorite. The food, culture and people all make me smile. Peru also holds a special place for me, with Cuzco and Machu Picchu as the highlights.”  

What’s your top travel tip? 

“Avoid bank cards with fees. ING Everyday will refund all ATM fees as an example. Buy a local sim card if staying for an extended time. Take a can of Bushman insect repellent for any exotic locations and make sure to keep it in your checked luggage unless under 100ml.”  

GETTING TO KNOW… DEB COLLINS

Deb is Spencer Travel’s leisure consultant for our corporate clients.

What she loves about her job:

“My clients and the Spencer team. We feed off each other, and help one another when necessary,” says Deb.

“I love working for Spencer Travel. Penny Spencer is such a generous boss. The educational and training opportunities I have had, plus the many travel experiences, have made me the consultant I am today.”    

Her favourite travel destinations:

“I have many favourites, but there are a few travel memories that really stand out. Firstly, my most recent trip to the Maldives, where we experienced the floating breakfast at the Waldorf Astoria – it was out of this world. Another trip that brings back great memories is travelling through Africa with my Dad, an unbelievable experience.”

“And lastly, India with my husband. We had the pleasure of visiting and staying at the beautiful Taj palaces. The displays of colour everywhere you go and the people. Amazing!” Read More…

The Must Have Apps for Business Travellers

Whether you’re going for a business travel or for just a few days or for several weeks, time management and efficiency can often mean the difference between rousing success and debilitating stress.

Technology plays a big part in this; specifically, smartphone apps, many of which have come after many years of trial and error in their attempts to expedite travel necessities and avoid any mishaps.

Not sure which ones you should be downloading? Theupsider.com.au has rounded up a few of the best. 

These are the essential apps every savvy business traveller should have – aside from the obvious Drop box, Google Maps, Google Translate, WhatsApp and the many ride-sharing services, of course.

Drops

Let’s face it, brushing up on a new language beyond a few phrases often demands more time than you may have. That’s where an audio-visual learning app like Drops comes in.

Particularly if you’re on a last-minute trip, Drops is a valuable program for those who need help building, strengthening and maintaining their vocabulary in any of 32 different languages, which include Japanese, Korean, French, German and Portuguese.

Through a rote learning approach and a clean, attractive interface, the app successfully gamifies the time-consuming task of building a sufficient vocabulary in another language, doing so in engaging and meaningful ways that don’t feel tedious or demanding.

This is mostly done through gestures, whether it’s swiping a word towards the correct illustration or re-constructing broken words by syllable. And it frames that with time constraints as well, allowing you just five minutes per day on the unpaid version, and while that may not seem like much, the app does pack a lot in that short span.  Read More…