This is the story of a man who loves his family—a family that extends beyond blood to an industry he’s loved since Day Dot. To him, family is the ties we forge through shared passions, purpose, and a commitment to mutual well-being. This is the story of a man who believes in the power of connection and communication, where relationships are built on respect, compassion, and the unwavering belief that together, we achieve more. This is the story of Nathan McLoughlin.
Nathan, very literally, stands tall in an industry where connections are currency and communication is king. Travel with him, and he’s like a lighthouse, guiding you to where the cool kids are. You can be in a crowd of thousands, and you’ll just have to look for the very tall Nathan, and he’ll have a cold beer waiting and be surrounded by a group of people just like him: super professional, ridiculously friendly and just bloody fun.
But peel back the layers, and you’ll find that for Nathan, it’s always been about family — both the one he shares with his wife, Anissa, and the one he’s built through his career.
A family affair
Nathan’s story begins in the suburbs of Sydney. His childhood was a blend of cricket in the summer, skiing in the winter, and most summer holidays spent with his extended family.
“The family had a bunch of holiday houses down at Cudmirrah on the south coast,” he tells Karryon.
“At one end of the street was the beach, and at the other was the lake. So depending on what the wind was doing, we were at the beach in the morning and water skiing in the afternoon.
“We loved it. The day after school would break up, we’d head down. We had four houses in the street, with no fences between them and bush at the back. We’d go out and chop firewood and sit around barbecues, we’d play cricket in the street and then head to the beach.
“But it wasn’t just about where we were, it was who we were with.”
This sense of family and connection would become a recurring theme in Nathan’s life.
From Cricket to Canada
For Nathan, sport was everything: “Cricket in summer and skiing in winter.” But despite achieving success on the cricket pitch, cricket was never going to be a career. And so when faced with that question we all face, ‘What are you going to do?’, Nathan remembered all those skiing trips with his family and chose travel.
His first significant role was with Alpine World, a ski travel company that felt like a perfect fit. “It was like a job made in heaven,” Nathan says. “I skied overseas, worked with great people, and travelled regularly.”
It was at Alpine World that Nathan first met Joanne Motta, a connection that would later lead him to a role at Travel Alberta and, eventually, to his current position at Destination Canada.
Throughout his career, Nathan has maintained the same approach: build strong relationships, communicate openly, and treat colleagues like family.
“I’ve always loved the people,” Nathan says of the industry.
“Whether I work with them regularly or see them once a year, it’s the connections that keep me passionate about what I do.”
Finding Anissa
For Nathan, work and family are not mutually exclusive — they are deeply intertwined. After all, if it weren’t for work, he’d have never met his wife.
“Alpine World owned a lot of properties down in the ski resorts, and the opening weekend of the season was always (and still is) the June long weekend. But there’s usually not really enough snow, so it tended to be a big party weekend. So as staff we were able to go down and use the lodges that we had, and there were generally parties put on to celebrate the opening weekend.
“Anissa was friends with a colleague in our accounts team, and she came along for the weekend,” Nathan recalls.
“We got to know each other a bit in the office before heading down to Thredbo, and we hit it off straight away. I was 100% focused on my sport at the time, so I hadn’t really made time for dating. But there was something about Anissa, pretty much from the moment we met.”
Despite the instant connection, it took Nathan a while to build up the nerve to ask Anissa out. But when he finally did, it marked the beginning of a relationship that would eventually blossom into a marriage.
“We both had very full lives,” Nathan says, reflecting on those early days. “I was training for cricket several times a week and playing on weekends, so we didn’t see each other constantly. But I think that actually worked in our favour. It gave us space to grow as individuals while still getting to know each other.”
Communication: A foundation for strong relationships
Growing up in a family where men didn’t often express their feelings, Nathan initially found it challenging to articulate his thoughts and emotions. His mother, and later, Anissa, played a pivotal role in changing that.
His mum went back to school after years as a stay-at-home mum and became a counsellor. She understood the importance of communication in relationships and suggested that Nathan and Anissa undertake pre-marriage counselling before tying the knot.
“It was the best thing we could have done,” Nathan reflects. “Neither of us had lived with anyone else before, let alone been married.
“It was a bit daunting, to be honest, but Mum put us in touch with a counsellor who really helped us set goals and expectations. The sessions allowed us to talk openly about our fears, concerns, and expectations in a safe, non-judgmental space. There were things I spoke about in those sessions that I’d never even considered discussing with Anissa before.”
This early investment in communication laid a solid foundation for their marriage. Nathan and Anissa learned not just how to talk but how to listen and how to address potential conflicts before they could escalate.
The news that they were expecting their first child came at a time when Nathan was transitioning in his career, taking on a role with Travel Alberta. “It was a big change, but an exciting one,” Nathan recalls.
“And then a couple of years later, when we found out we were having twins, that really knocked me for six.”
The discovery came during a check-up following some complications. They left the appointment not just relieved but stunned and overjoyed. “We went from thinking the worst to being told we were having twins,” Nathan says with a laugh.
“It took a while for it to sink in. Anissa was thrilled. It was like the perfect outcome for her. She always wanted three kids, and now she was getting them in two pregnancies!”
However, the arrival of twins brought its own set of challenges. At the time, Nathan and Anissa were renovating their home, and they had to move in with Nathan’s parents for four months with a toddler and two newborns.
“It was a crazy time,” Nathan admits. “I’d come home from work, help put the kids to bed, and then head over to the house to paint or do whatever needed doing. Then it was back to Mum’s and Dad’s for the night feeds, and then up early for work again. It was exhausting, but we were lucky to have that support.”
Through it all, communication remained their anchor. “We were in survival mode, but Anissa and I made sure to keep talking,” Nathan says. “She’s always been adamant about communicating properly, and that’s what got us through those tough early years.”
Even as their children grew, Nathan and Anissa continued to prioritise open communication, attending the odd counselling session as a form of relationship maintenance.
“It was never about having problems,” Nathan explains. “It was about making sure we stayed on the same page and kept our communication strong. Sometimes, especially for men, it’s easy to struggle with articulating emotions, and having that experienced third party to guide you through those conversations can make all the difference.”
Nathan believes this focus on communication has been crucial not only in his marriage but also in his role as a father.
“I talk to my kids about things I never would have discussed with my dad,” he says. “And I think a lot of that has to do with the time I’ve spent with them, thanks to working from home. I’m more present and more engaged, and I try to be as open with them as possible. That’s something Anissa has always encouraged, and I’m grateful for it.”
In many ways, Nathan’s ability to foster strong relationships at work mirrors the deep connections he’s nurtured at home. Whether he’s leading a team, working with partners, or raising his children, Nathan’s focus on open, honest communication remains at the heart of everything he does.
The joy of family travel
Travel has always been central to Nathan’s life, and it’s a passion he’s made sure to pass on to his children. Just as his own experiences travelling with his parents ignited his career in the travel industry, Nathan and Anissa have made family travel a priority, seeing it as an essential part of their children’s education.
“Traveling together as a family is something we value deeply,” Nathan shares. “We’ve been fortunate to take the kids to some amazing places—Fiji, Canada, the US, Japan, New Zealand. We see these trips as more than just holidays. They’re opportunities for our kids to learn about the world, experience different cultures, and understand the importance of stepping outside their comfort zones.”
For Nathan and Anissa, these experiences are invaluable. They believe that travel not only broadens the mind but also strengthens family bonds. “It’s important to us that our kids have these experiences,” Nathan explains. “We want them to see the world and understand that there’s so much more out there. It’s all part of their education.”
In many ways, these family trips echo the holidays of Nathan’s own childhood, where the destination was less important than the company. “Just like those summers at Cudmirrah with my extended family, it’s not just about where we go, but who we’re with,” Nathan says. “Those memories we create together are priceless.”
A passion for people
In the end, for Nathan McLoughlin, it’s all about people — whether they’re family by blood or family by choice.
“And I’ve been lucky enough to be involved with a destination like Canada for a long period of time, and I continue to love it. From the people at Destination Canada, who are just my really good friends now, to the destination itself, I am still learning something new every day.”
Nathan’s career in travel is an extension of the values he holds dear: strong relationships, open communication, and a deep sense of connection. And as he continues to promote the wonders of Canada to the Australian market, he does so with the warmth and enthusiasm of someone who knows that the best journeys are the ones we take together.
