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Testimonials

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Lina's clients sharing their experiences
John Whiteman

Three friends and myself made a last moment decision to travel to Japan for a skiing holiday. It was a complicated process having to organise the last minute flights and accommodation for four people. Lina did an outstanding job and everything went very smoothly with clear instructions of what to do and where to go on arrival. Thank you Lina for your professionalism and patience.

20 March 2024 at 01:55 pm
John Whiteman

Three friends and myself made a last moment decision to travel to Japan for a skiing holiday. It was a complicated process having to organise the last minute flights and accommodation for four people. Lina did an outstanding job and everything went very smoothly with clear instructions of what to do and where to go on arrival. Thank you Lina for your professionalism and patience.

20 March 2024 at 01:55 pm
Bob Singh

Lina arranged our flights and accommodation for our Singapore trip, every part of getting there and coming back was smooth and seamless, without any doubt, I'd refer my friends and family to MTA (Lina).

23 August 2023 at 09:36 am
Gianfranco Gori

Lina arranged my daughter's and my flights: all went according to plan. Lina was quite helpful, including following up my daughter's special luggage requirements.

24 May 2023 at 11:05 am
Farah Norman

Lina recently organised our honeymoon just after the borders had opened. She helped us navigate all the difficulties of traveling post-pandemic and she made the process smooth, seamless, and stress-free! Once we chose our destinations, Lina handled everything from flights, to transport from the airport, and accommodations and even gave us tips and advice. Everything was on one itinerary app that we were able to use throughout our trip easily. All our hotels were perfect and exactly what we wanted, and Lina was very thorough with her search for us. The travel between destinations was smooth and we had no problems. I can't thank her enough for all her recommendations, they made our honeymoon exceptional. Thank you, Lina, for making this honeymoon so amazing and memorable! We couldn’t have done it without you.

15 August 2022 at 01:50 pm
Fay Marks

Lina, just wanted to thank you for organising my last holiday to Japan for myself and my family. You had a lot of organising on your part as you had to organise two separate itineraries. We all thoroughly enjoyed our time in Japan. The tour was very good and everything went without any problems. The Taxi drivers and the guides are very efficient and extremely punctual and JAPAN is a very clean country with very nice people who are always willing to help. Highly recommend a visit to Japan! Regards Fay and Family

14 December 2019 at 07:58 am
Shannon Ruddock

Lina has organised two big, complex overseas family holidays for me so far and I can wholeheartedly recommend her services. Everything she organised for us went very smoothly. She even managed to score the last two interconnecting rooms on a cruise we booked at the last minute. Also, during the quotation process, Lina responded promptly to all of my requests and made suggestions about transfers, hotels and other services we might like to consider. She also has access to some wonderful discounted prices through her industry memberships. We will definitely be booking with Lina again.

11 December 2019 at 02:03 pm
Peter O'Meara

Lina did the travel arrangements for our recent extensive visit to Europe. All our airline arrangements worked well and exactly as planned. The only complication we had was a car rental in France when AVIS did not recognise our pre-paid travel voucher. It took several hours to sort out and get a car. This was complicated by uncertainty regarding our all-inclusive insurance cover whereby the AVIS staff said that they did not recognise insurance done by a third party. I contacted Lina and the problem was sorted out overnight.

31 October 2019 at 02:58 pm
Julie Kelly

Lina arranged a great hotel in Venice for our latest holiday. Booking our hotels thru her Virtuoso connection gave us many benefits including a complimentary room upgrade in Lugano. Having Lina book our train travel throughout Italy was a huge help and something I would find difficult to arrange myself.

24 July 2019 at 03:20 pm
Emily Matters

I spent just over three weeks in New York, Germany and England. All travel was efficiently arranged by Lina and happened on schedule, with welcome reminders about flight and boarding times. Singapore Airlines was excellent every time. British Airways (Basel to London) not so great, with huge queues to board and few staff. I found there was no consistency between airports as to security requirements, possibly dependent on what screening equipment they had. At Heathrow they insisted that all my small containers of liquids and gels had to be handed in separately in a plastic bag, while all other airports did not demand this as their screening equipment could detect over-size liquids etc. It would be useful to have prior information about this.

20 July 2019 at 08:31 am
Susan Napper

We chose a 'staycation' for our summer holidays and opted for Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast for the beach and kids activities. Lina booked our flights and accommodation at Mantra on View - all of which were fantastic. She also kept us updated on flight changes die to industrial action. We had a wonderful time and look forward to our next holiday.

21 January 2019 at 08:14 am
Susan Napper

We chose a 'staycation' for our summer holidays and opted for Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast for the beach and kids activities. Lina booked our flights and accommodation at Mantra on View - all of which were fantastic. She also kept us updated on flight changes die to industrial action. We had a wonderful time and look forward to our next holiday.

21 January 2019 at 08:14 am
Merryn Sheriff

Thanks for recommending Rusutsu Lina. It wouldn’t have been a ski resort we would have picked but the snow was amazing and the resort was perfect for the kids. We will definitely go back again. Thanks so much for all your advice, attention to detail and coordination. it was the perfect White Christmas

07 January 2019 at 02:07 pm
Richard Martyn

Lina arranged my two week trip to Japan in September 2018 which was fantastic and went off without a hitch. She was able to take my vague instructions consisting only of a few places I wanted to see and in a very short space of time present me with a full 16-day proposed itinerary including flights, accommodation and travel insurance. During my trip I was given a detailed booklet to follow which contained useful information specific to my trip including directions from major transport to each of my hotels and sightseeing suggestions including details of which bus, tram or train lines to use to get there. Lina prepared me with everything I needed to navigate a foreign country in which I did not speak the language and made my holiday as straightforward and stress-free as possible. You will be in very safe hands!

27 September 2018 at 09:58 am
David Guth

Lina organised for my wife and I an incredible trip to Alaska in August 2018. It was the trip of a lifetime and exceeded our expectations. Lina understood our wants and places to visit and tailored the itinerary to suit. It was a varied and adventurous itinerary and everything went off with no problems. I would recommend Lina to anyone that wanted a something different and tailored to your own needs. Her attention to detail, responsiveness and care for us during the process was outstanding. We will definitely use her again.

04 September 2018 at 10:38 am
Vanessa Stoykov

Lina has organised the last three of my family holidays. I have been thrilled with her great ideas, diverse international itineraries and attention to detail. She has provided the highest level of service and is a valuable partnership for our family and business. I would not hesitate to recommend Lina to anyone who values service and someone in the travel industry that really knows their stuff.

31 July 2018 at 10:00 am
Louisa sanghera

Fabulous friendly service from Lina. Lina is always quick to respond to any requests and does extensive research to find the best deals and most suitable flights and accommodation. She listens carefully to your requirements to get it 100% right. We've booked with Lina several times now and will continue to do so. Even whilst you're abroad if you have an emergency she is right there with you to assist. Highly recommend her service to all.

29 July 2018 at 12:19 pm
Ange Sinclair

Lina pulled together a fabulous holiday for my family at short notice. She has a thorough knowledge of what she is recommending to you and her patience level was amazing while we sorted through what we wanted. The accomodation we had was fantastic and really made our holiday. I would definitely recommend Lina she is efficient, obliging and fantastic on the follow up.

26 July 2018 at 02:44 pm
David Charrett

Excellent organisation, thanks Lina. A stopover at Dubai works if you don't want to spend the best part of a day sitting in an aeroplane. Book your luggage all the way through and get your boarding passes for both legs. Then easy to get to your nearby hotel and back without the queuing to check in and drop luggage. Can recommend an Insight tour of Croatia. Probably best to go earlier in May, while still many other tourists, probably not as bad as in the height of the European tourist season. Dubrovnic and Split can be particularly crowded, even in late May.

20 June 2018 at 12:10 pm
Damien O'Meara

Lina organised our ski trip to Niseko along with a few stopovers on the way home. Lina listed to what we were looking for and then did a great job in researching various flight and accommodation options. Communications and customer service were excellent throughout. I'd highly recommend her and will definitively use her services again.

25 April 2018 at 04:38 pm
Muhammad Battikhi

Well organized trip from start to end. Thank you MTA

16 April 2018 at 03:44 am
Vannessa McCamley

Lina Barakat is a very experienced, knowledgeable and diligent travel agent with very good customer service. Lina is very patient and seeks to understand her clients travel requirements and budget. I will use Lina again and recommend her travel services to our friends and family. Thanks Lina, you are a STAR with excellent customer service. We will always remember our special experiences in Bali. I look forward to booking the next adventure with you.

25 March 2018 at 08:19 pm
Karen Anderson

We have booked a number of long and complicated trips with Lina, and each and every time she provides us with everything we have asked and more. We seem to take a long time to come up with exactly want we want in our travel, and Lina is always patient, reminding us when deals are ending and changing details as we inevitably change our minds. The added bonus on our last trip was the MTA App, what a great bonus to have access to our itinerary and Lina on our phones, as our flights changed in the US, the app would update. I would highly recommend Lina in organising your travel.

30 January 2018 at 07:11 pm
Josephine Wu

Lina is fabulous. She has great attention to detail, incredible service and and her rates are always competitive and can beat even the best online deals. She is extremely efficient, helpful and knowledgeable. Lina goes out of her way to help you and using a travel agent to plan holidays for a family of 5 is much easier than booking everything separately online. You win in both savings and time. I also have to commend her patience as planning for a family includes constant scheduling changes and she handles it with the utmost graciousness. I would highly recommend her!

15 January 2018 at 06:22 pm
Louisa Sanghera

Hi Lina was so helpful throughout the whole booking process. Her knowledge and advice helped us chose the right hotel in the right area for our needs. Paperwork was delivered to us and fully explained. The app you can use is awesome. Would highly recommend Lina to all my friends and connections. It was good to know whilst we were there that if we had any issues she was only a call away. Thanks for everything Lina

08 January 2018 at 12:12 pm
Carmel Paterson

We were in charge of organising a rugby tour to Japan with 46 travellers (22 adults and 24 children). Not knowing where to start we approached Lina Barakat from MTA Travel and we are so glad that we did. Lina took care of everything. She sat down with us and listened to what we wanted. She took the time to work out several different options and present them in an easy to understand manner and she took the headache out of all travel planning – from making sure all traveller’s passports were up-to-date to looking after any special requirements, nothing was too big an ask for Lina. Even when she was leaving on her own trip overseas she met with us the night before to hand deliver the tickets, insurance documents and anything else that we needed. We had a couple of issues that occurred which she tended to while she was overseas. She was meticulous in her preparation to ensure that nothing went wrong while we were overseas. We could not recommend Lina highly enough. Carmel & Phil Paterson Lindfield-Kawanishi Rugby Tour Convenors

23 November 2017 at 11:21 am
Pip Peel

We have just come home from a wonderful trip to France. We visited 4 regions including Paris, the Dordogne, Provence and Corsica. Accommodation was fantastic in each town and the Dordogne has to be one of the prettiest areas in France. Corsica was stunning both inland and the coastline, although driving is not for the feint hearted. It was a holiday without a hitch thanks to Lina Barakat’s hard work especially when I had to return early due to family illness. Thank you Lina for your support.

08 October 2017 at 09:19 am
Sharon Cameron

My husband and I booked a holiday to Bali with Lina and have just returned. We could not be happier with the service Lina provided. She was very punctual in returning queries and extremely helpful in providing information. Our accommodation was excellent, all the flights and transfers went according to schedule and the MTA app was brilliant in respect to organization of our documentation. I would not hesitate in using Lina again and would have no hesitation in recommending her services to family and friends.

10 September 2017 at 05:19 pm
Peter & Robin S

Planning of our holiday took 8 months from when our daughter announced her engagement to her wedding in Ireland. So we made it a holiday, a five week extravaganza that included a fabulous two week river cruise. Lina organised the cruise, all our flights, transfers, and most of our accommodation. All went well. The transfers were especially appreciated after long flights and arriving in strange cities. Her personal attention to small details took much of the stress away. The MTA app was was very useful.

11 August 2017 at 09:05 pm
Dana Achrafi

Thank you for making this trip an amazing experience! Your recommended accommodation, flight, transport, dining and entertainment attractions thrilled our whole family. A plus was that the prices were so much less than the price of what I was going to do. We all appreciated all the hard work and effort that you put in to plan our fun filled trip. Many thanks.

23 July 2017 at 03:41 pm
Liz and Jim Harriott

We asked Lina at short notice to organize our trip to America, Canada and Mexico. Lina listened carefully to our requirements and quickly pulled together our flights, car hire and accommodation. All details came together perfectly. The MTA app is also very useful. We will use Lina's expertise again.

22 June 2017 at 03:40 pm
B &M SAMAKEH

Dear Lina, Thank you so much for the kind services you did for us on our trip to Istanbul. Beautiful choice for the accommodation and tour and flight timing that makes advantage of staying in the hotel longer time before our departing. Prices wise was excellent. We looking forward to make another booking through your agent again soon. Good luck, Samakeh family

22 June 2017 at 06:13 am
Rudy Sicha

A great way to see a country. Would have loved to spend more time in some places. Around every corner there was a different scene to absorb. NZ is not cheap but the service is good. Thanks Lina for your planing.

22 May 2017 at 06:16 am
Mohammad Anwar

Lina Thanks for organising the Holidays for us to London. The trip exceeded my expectations and it was fantastic. My family had a great time. The little break in Dubai on the way to London was mind-blowing. Again the MTA app....I love it. The flight, Accommodations and all the locations we stayed was great. This is my second holiday in 2017 and its because of your great service and product knowledge. Thanks again. Regards

28 April 2017 at 03:07 pm
Mohammad Anwar

Lina Barakat has been a great help assisting me with the Tasmanian Family Holiday. Her service was excellent and very professional. Also her product knowledge was marvellous. I liked the MTA app which was very informative. Lina also pulled out a great deal(money wise) compared to other big providers. The flights, Hotels, Locations and the drive was a great experience for me & my family which would not be possible without Lina's assistance. Great to know Lina Barakat and would definitely use her service for Holiday Plans. Also recommend her to all of my friends and families.

23 January 2017 at 04:53 pm
Sharyn Goodwin

Just returned from Vietnam where we had an amazing food and culture holiday. Lina had a very small amount of time to throw together an itenery and nothing was a problem or too much trouble. My husband and I were riding vespers in Ho Chi Min City, kayaking in Ha Long Bay and trying delicious treats on food tours in Hoi An. Lina had great insight into what we wanted from our holiday and made it so easy for us, we could just sit back and enjoy everything. Lina's attention to detail, friendly manner and travel knowledge made our holiday a complete success. We would highly recommend her services to anyone planning a holiday.

20 October 2016 at 05:18 pm
Jennifer Whiteman

My daughter and I recently travelled in Europe together and Lina was so helpful in booking our trip- flights, trains and tours. She communicates in an efficient and timely manner and offers many options and solutions. Her research is thorough and she really listens to what you want to get out of your holiday. My daughter has continued her travels solo and has found Lina to be so calm and supportive in solving problems and offering ideas to her. I highly recommend Lina to anyone travelling- she is a professional and accomplished travel agent who has the skills and enthusiasm to personalise a wonderful holiday for you.

13 October 2016 at 12:53 pm
JOHN & GAYE G

IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A TRAVEL AGENT WHO HAS THE EXPERTISE TO PUT TOGETHER AN ITINERARY WHERE EVERYTHING IS IN PLACE, PLANES, HOTELS, HIRE CARS, TOURS, AND HAVE NOTHING TO DO BUT GET OUT YOUR NEXT TICKET OR VOUCHER, THEN WE ADVISE YOU TO CONTACT LINA BARAKAT. DURING JULY THIS YEAR WE TRAVELLED TO FRANCE, HOLLAND AND ITALY. LINA IS A PERFECTIONIST AND AS SUCH MADE OUR TRIP A GREAT SUCCESS. WITHOUT ANY HESITATION WE WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND LINA TO ANYONE WANTING A DELIGHTFUL AND PROFESSIONAL TRAVEL AGENT.

26 August 2016 at 11:32 am
Sek Chow Boey

My wife and I are both retirees. Lina arranged a couple of major holidays for us to Canada and Alaska and to South America which included The Galapagos Islands, Machu Picchu and Iguazu Falls. Her attention to details were excellent. We didn't realised it until in conversations with other tour members in the Group, when they said "Oh, my agent didn't include that" or "My agent didn't mention this" that's when we realised Lina's attention to detail and her experience and knowledge of her products. We have just finalised our trip to Norway for the aurora borealis in 2017. There were lots of "toing and froing" Lina was determined that we got the right itinerary and at the price that we were comfortable with. Nothing was too much or too hard for her. Always cheerful and warm. With these attributes I would be very comfortable and happy to recommend her services. Chow

17 May 2016 at 10:38 am
Bob Leffler

We are five couples, old school friends & we like to travel together on holidays. We recently travelled to NZ & we just returned from Norfolk Island. Lina Barakat put these trips together for us & each holiday was a remarkable success. The package deals that she negotiated were exceptional value for money & she has the contacts & experience to include the essential things that we require. Friendly personal service of a high professional standard. We will certainly use Lina for any of our ventures in the future. Bob Leffler

11 May 2016 at 03:24 pm

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