“For a truly unique experience spend a night in the Snow Hotel in Kireness – it literally is made of snow and ice and gets rebuilt each December in a different decorative theme!”
Marvel at the Northern Lights from your glass igloo in Finland
Lapland
Located in Finland’s Lapland region, we all know who the most famous resident here is, and we’d put money on Santa spending most of his downtime at an igloo resort.
These snow-tucked hotels boast multiple glass igloos accommodating between two and four guests. Thermal glass and zero WiFi allows you to take a cosy digital detox beneath a fluttering of snow and the best starlit sky in Europe. With a domed glass design, igloos boast the best seats in the house to see Aurora Borealis, AKA the Northern Lights.
Marbling the sky from August through to late April, for a once-in-a-lifetime auroras experience, book a stay here.
David Williams
House of Travel Christchurch City
In the 28 years of owning House of Travel Christchurch City, I have successfully developed a passionate and award-winning team of travel specialists. Our holiday specialists can take you to the destinations that you have dreamed of and let you know inside information that will enrich your travel experience. The highly experienced business travel division will exceed your expectations leaving no stone unturned to ensure a seamless travel experience every time. We also have a fantastic HOT Events team that can take care of your conference, team building or any event requirement you might have from a planned dinner event to incentive or recognition programme.
From my beginnings in customer sales and service, travelling to over 60 countries, my primary focus is overseeing all divisions, and growing our every popular Sporting Events Programmes. A highlight is delivering a highly successful games campaigns with our New Zealand Olympic Travel team. This includes all New Zealand Team Athlete Travel to providing a family and friends programme as well as a world class corporate offering for sponsors.
I am however most proud of the team for us being awarded three top awards at the National Travel Industry Awards - Best Retail Travel Agency in New Zealand, Best Travel Consultant in New Zealand, Best Groups Team in New Zealand.
Great holidays are made better together with the House of Travel Christchurch City team.
Gavin Rasikaran
House of Travel Auckland City
I'm Gavin Rasikaran, your dedicated travel expert with a passion for exploring the world and a commitment to making your travel dreams a reality.
With over 40 years of experience in the travel industry, I've had the privilege of helping countless clients embark on unforgettable journeys to destinations near and far.
When it comes to planning an International trip, be it just one destination or an around the world journey, it can all become overwhelming and daunting. Together with you, I will help you plan a perfect holiday taking the stress away, personalised to you.
Minji Park
House of Travel Christchurch City
Minji was born and raised in South Korea; and from an early age travel has been her biggest passion. This inspired Minji to study tourism management and become a tour guide in Japan and South East Asia.
Minji has led tours all around Japan, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos; while also backpacking extensively throughout Europe, Australia and Canada while living in London, Vancouver and Sydney, spending at least a couple of years in each country.
"I am so passionate about sharing my local knowledge and amazing travel experiences with people. Being a travel agent is the perfect job for me."
"Investment in travel is an investment in yourself" - Matthew Karsten
Why I love travel
I love meeting new people, discovering new cultures, tasting new food and beers and having new experiences. Travel is the best way to tick all the boxes and be inspired.
It is exciting and rewarding to help make my clients' holiday easier with better value and making it more memorable with my travel knowledge and organisation skills. I just love talking about travel, and hearing about their holiday when they return home is the best part of my job. It is very rewarding to hear what a great time they had. I am continuously learning about new travel destinations and new products and experiences so I never get bored.
My top travel tips
- Pack as light as you can (except for cruises). Heavy luggage can be tedious to manage and exhausting just getting on/off trains.
- Try to pre-book and pay in NZ dollars. If you pay locally, you will need to pay in local currency and the banks will apply their exchange rates plus international transaction fees.
- Don't assume flights and accommodation will have availability later. It is the best to book now!
My top destinations
- Japan – Japan is the country that I have travelled through the most and I can never tire of it. Japan offers so much, from old historic shrines and temples to the most modern architecture and latest technology, fascinating culture, beautiful nature areas and incredible food. It is also a very safe and easy place to travel so I recommend it for all types of travellers.
- Spain - I love the Andalusia region in particular, including Granada and Ronda. You feel like you are walking back in time, or perhaps through a movie set with the many sublime landscapes, spectacular vistas and famous historic sites. A warm evening drinking sangria with some delicious tapas over a view of Alhambra is a personal favourite.
- Vietnam - you can have an amazing experience within a very affordable budget. In one day, you will see more motorbikes than you have seen in your entire life. Interesting French Colonial architecture and indigenous castles and villages, beautiful beaches and rice paddies, the little art and culinary boutique town of Hoi An, unique and delicious food, UNESCO Heritage site Ha Long Bay and much more.
- Galapagos - If you are into wildlife, this is one of the ultimate places in the world to visit. I still say Galapagos was the best travel experience in my life. The everyday encounters with unique species of sea lions, turtles, tortoises, all different types of birds, penguins, sharks, rays, marine iguana are unforgettable. The best part for me was diving amongst schools of hammerhead sharks and eagle rays inside the crater of a submerged volcano.
What's in my suitcase
- Foldable backpack - It is the best thing ever. I always put one in my bag, and it is perfect for a casual day out exploring.
- Travel organiser bags - I have one for clothes, one for underwear/socks and one for toiletries. It will make your pack/unpack so much easier.
- Compact rain jacket and small collapsible umbrella - You will always have some rain during your holiday but unless you are expecting lots of it, you don't want these items to take too much space in your travel bag.
Minji
Darryl Sandri
House of Travel Timaru
Darryl has a vast travel knowledge of the world with Europe & Africa continents being personal favourites.
He's been selling both leisure and corporate bookings for 18 years and is well equipped to handle all requirements for personal and business travel.
Darryl
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