Filipa McCarthy

It's Nice To Meet You

Hey there! My name is Filipa McCarthy and I am your personal Travel Counsellor and go to travel guide!

I moved to the Whitsundays when I was 20 and spent 5 years as crew on some amazing luxury and Maxi-Racing Yachts. Having the Whitsunday Islands as my office was incredible. I also spent some time there as a Conference and Events Manager for a luxury mainland resort where I created weddings, special events, tradeshows, and conferences for up to 300 people from all over the world.

Upon returning to Brisbane, I commenced my career as a travel agent. I have had the pleasure of helping many clients create lifelong memories of their adventures all over the globe. Many of these people I now call my friends. For me that is what being your dedicated Travel Counsellor is all about… designing adverntures for you to experience your own ‘wow’ moments that will stay with you forever.

I have over 18 years of experience in the travel industry and of course, I love to travel too. Collecting passport stamps is one of my favourite things to do! So far, I have travelled to America, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, Vanuatu, Fiji, New Caledonia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Borneo, Macau, France, England, Italy and Switzerland.

I am a mum to two daughters and I love showing them the world too! We live near Bribie Island so the beach is close by and water holidays are always a hit!

Being part of the Travel Counsellors team gives me the flexibility to tailor-make the perfect escape for you. I look forward to hearing from you and helping to create many wonderful ‘wow’ moments for you.

Chat soon - Filipa

Message Me

Whatever your holiday needs I'm here to help you, so simply give me a call or send me an email with your contact details on and I can get things started for you:-

My Travel Blogs

I absolutely love travel! Take a look through my posts - you might find holiday inspiration where you least expect it...

Hot Travel Destinations for 2020 - Number 3: Elephant Hills – Thailand – Where Luxury Meets Nature

03 January 2020

Hot Travel Destinations for 2020 Number 3: Elephant Hills – Thailand – Where Luxury Meets Nature Elephant Hills are Thailand’s first Luxury Tented Jungle Camps and are my next Hot Destination for 2020. Combining the camp idea of African national parks with the Thai tropical forest environment of an elephant nature park. The two camps, The Elephant Camp and the floating Rainforest Camp, are both situated in Khao Sok natural park, part of Southern Thailand’s largest stretch of primary Rainforest. Despite being tucked away in the Green, these camps are easily reachable from popular beach destinations like Phuket, Khao Lak, Khanom, Krabi...

Hot Travel Destinations for 2020

02 January 2020

So you already know my first Hot Travel Destination for 2020. Now to introduce my second....... My second Hot Travel Destination for 2020 is Costa Rica. Costa Rica is a diverse land of tropical rainforests, smoking volcanoes and pristine coastlines. This compact country boasts some of the most diverse wildlife on the planet, from leatherback turtles, to dolphins and whales, and all types of tropical bird species. Best time to visit Costa Rica Travelling to Costa Rica is possible year-round, however the months of September and October can be very rainy. The peak tourist season is from mid-December to April, and during July and...

Welcome to 2020 - Where are you off to?

01 January 2020

What is your travel plan for 2020? From world class cities, to breath-taking scenery, ancient sites to offbeat destinations, the opportunities for discovery are endless! When you arrange your travel with me, you can be confident that you will receive a personalised level of service from start to finish, full financial protection and the support of the incredible myTC app and a 24/7 Duty Office. So, if you are planning to travel for business or pleasure, get in touch. To help you with your planning here I will be sharing with you over the next 10 days my top overseas destinations for...

Paws On Board - Travelling with your pets

12 July 2018

Dogs and cats are no longer just pets, they have become a part of the family in many Australian homes. Even the term “fur baby” now gets used to describe people’s cats and dogs. Considering this a lot more people now choose to take their fur babies with them when they go on holidays. Here are my top tips for planning a holiday with your fur baby: 1. Plan ahead. Generally, when travelling with pets you will need to plan ahead, making sure you’ve arranged the correct requirements for flights or train transport. If taking a road trip make sure to...

Top Tips For Flying with Children

31 August 2017

Travelling with children can be quite a challenge, however with some good planning you can avoid some of the stress our little bundles of joy can bring us when we are adventuring away from home. As a mum with two young children I really do know how fun and challenging it can be, so here are my Top 10 Tips for travelling with children on a flight 1) Book Direct Flights: Where possible try to book a direct option. While it might cost you a little bit more for a direct ticket it will save your sanity by avoiding having to transit through...

The People, Nature and History of Norfolk Island

18 August 2017

Norfolk Island is a true gem of history and breathtaking scenery and I have been lucky enough to have travelled to Norfolk twice. On my most recent visit, I travelled with my mum and my two daughters to celebrate Bounty Day, which is the day Norfolk Island celebrates its anniversary and it dates back to when Fletcher Christian led a mutiny on the HMS Bounty. While the day itself may have changed through the years, the clothes, food and friendship that are a part of it all still portray the same traditions of old. Bounty Day starts with the local families...

Creating WOW Moments in Noumea

27 December 2015

I recently took my two young daughters, aged 6 and 7, and my mum to New Caledonia and they loved it! It was their Christmas present, instead of a heap of stuff that eventually they grow out of, or become bored of. With the flight from Brisbane being just over 2 hours, it makes New Caledonia such an easy and affordable destination to travel to with children. We flew on the direct option with Aircalin and while the food wasn’t the best (but rarely are the meals that great on flights!), the Aircalin Player in-flight entertainment app was great. This app...

My customer stories

I have safely arrived in Brisbane and I am now in my very nice and comfortable hotel room. All the journey went smoothly and every transit was very well prepared including the connection in Dubai including the overnight stay. It is actually my first time in Brisbane so I will take advantage of your suggestions

Hello Filipa hope all is well. We meant to send a message earlier that Brian and myself thoroughly enjoyed our holiday overseas with Kerryn. We wish to thank you for all you did to make our holiday enjoyable. Thank you Brian and Jenny Devenny

WOW! WOW! WOW! ?? ?? ?? We extend the warmest, loving utmost appreciation. Our Adventure was seamless, we met amazing people, treasured moments beyond repeat! We have a hefty amount of images, capturing these growth times...... Filipa, Thank you! P.S. Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam this time next year! Talk soon SOOOOO GRATEFUL??????

10 out of 10 - Excellent insightful service

Filipa could not have been more helpful in putting together my itinerary, especially being on such a short time frame. I will definitely be getting her to do all of my flight bookings in future.

Awesome service. Will be asking for Filipa's assistance for all our travel needs in the future. :)

Filipa was recommended to us by a life long friend. We were completely inexperienced with international travel and organising. Once contacting Filipa and relaying where/what our first international expectations were and how we wanted to travel and enjoy our experience, an itinerary was sent. Filipa listened to our experience expectations! All of our Family are excitedly awaiting our travels. Filipa has extended the TC app as assistance, before and during our Holiday. We are extremely reassured with Filipa's advice and recommendations. Of course we are excited about our future adventures and thankful for your professional approach Filipa!

Filipa has been great! Excellent customer service, she took the time to understand what we needed, was very responsive, super helpful and very patient with our multiple requests and changes. I feel our travel plans are in good hands with her, and her service was actually cheaper than other self-booking online services!

Filipa was very helpful and answered my queries promptly

Filipa is a great travel consultant and very professional. Thank you I will share your business with everyone and I look forward to my next trip that you help create.

Filipa is friendly and helpful. Each trip she has created for us has been spot on! I will definitely recommend Filipa to other friends and family.

Filipa is very helpful and is extremely efficient. She is always happy to help us with any questions we have no matter how small they might seem. We have now booked over 6 trips with Filipa and appreciate the way she takes care of every trip like it was our first.

Prompt, professional service. Thanks for all your help, 5 stars! I appreciate all the work you put into the surprise trip for my wife, it was exactly what I was hoping for.