Explore The World With Us

We are motivated and passionate industry professionals, proud to be running a company that’s  100% Kiwi owned and operated. Travel Connections brokers are located in the North and South Islands.

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FEATURED DEALS

Africa by Rail with Viva Hosted Journeys

Luxury Rovos Rail charter, with special guest Hilary Barry

Experience the charm and sophistication of a bygone era on this exclusive journey from Johannesburg to Victoria Falls, onboard the exquisitely restored Rovos Rail.

Tour Date Departs: 28 August 2025 from Johannesburg to Victoria Falls

Highlights & Inclusions
• Join a small group of likeminded travellers aboard Rovos Rail’s vintage wood-panelled coaches, immersing yourself in the opulence and charm of yesteryear, and some of southern Africa’s greatest highlights and safari destinations
• As the picturesque scenery unfolds, indulge in warm, attentive service, exquisite dining experiences, and a curated selection of South Africa’s finest wines.
• Step off the train to explore iconic destinations such as Kruger National Park, Kapama Private Game Reserve, Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre, Hwange National Park, The Great Zimbabwe Monument and the majestic Victoria Falls
• Whether forging new friendships, spotting the ‘Big 5’, or simply relishing the luxury of Rovos Rail, this journey promises an enriching and unforgettable adventure for the discerning traveller.
• Viva host

From: NZD$16,066 per person twin share based on Pullan Suite, excluding international flights

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Alaska with Holland America Line

Book Early and Save

For a limited time, book a 2026 Alaska cruise with the Have It All fare option and receive
• Up to 3 Nights’ Specialty Dining
• Up to $300 Shore Excursion Credit
• Prepaid Crew Appreciation
• UPGRADE Premium Wi-Fi
• UPGRADE Elite Beverage Package
• Explore the dynamic glaciers, soaring peaks and captivating history of the 49th state
• Cruise to Glacier Bay National Park or Hubbard Glacier for a chance to witness ice calving, known as “white thunder”

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The Iconic Kimberley Expedition with Silversea

An epic journey into untamed beauty

Embark on an immersive expedition showcasing the wonders of the Kimberley starting with the magnificent King George Falls and the extraordinary rock art of Wandjina and Gwion Gwion. Witness the incredible birdlife at Ashmore Reef and the unspoiled beauty of Adele Island, and discover the Buccaneer Archipelago, one of the Kimberley’s finest secrets. See stunning rock formations at Freshwater Cove, cascading waterfalls at Montgomery Reef and the famed four-tiered Mitchell Falls.

Dates: August 3rd, 2025 ex Darwin and August 20th 2025 ex Fremantle (Perth)

Highlights & Inclusions
• Darwin to Fremantle (Perth), 17 days or vice versa
• All food, beverages and Butler service
• Expedition gear including wetsuit and snorkelling gear
• Lacepedes Islands – Often called Australia’s Galápagos, this A-class nature reserve is paradise for bird lovers – its brown booby colony may be the largest on the planet
• Dampier Archipelago – A biodiversity hotspot rife with coral reefs, sponge gardens and seagrass meadows make these waters ideal for snorkelling; four turtle species are found here
• Montebello Islands – Home to the endangered Mala (Rufous Hare-Wallaby) and the Djoongari (Shark Bay Mouse), this marine park boasts 150 species of hard coral, 450 species of fish and 170 species of echinoderms (sea-stars, -cucumbers and -urchins)
• North Muiron Island – Part of the UNESCO-listed Ningaloo Coast, this is where warm waters of Indian Ocean collide with the cooler seas of the West Australian Current to form a biological hotspot of incredible diversity
• Albrolhos Islands – This extraordinary home to seabirds (including the only colony of Australian Lesser Noddy and two million Wedge-tailed Shearwaters), coral reefs, bearded dragons and wallabies belies a difficult history of shipwrecks and sordid tales.

From: AUD$20,400 per person

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Southern Balkans: Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo & Macedonia

Explore the history, culture and beauty of the Southern Balkans with TCNZ member Project Expeditions.

20 DAYS FULLY ESCORTED FROM AUCKLAND

This exciting adventure starts and finishes in Albania, dips into Montenegro then journeys into Kosovo and North Macedonia. This tour promises immense beauty, fascinating history and some fantastic food.

Tour Dates: 13 May – 02 June 2025

Highlights & Inclusions
• Wander the Medieval Bazaar of Kruja and the hidden paths of Kruja castle in northern Albania
• Explore the medieval walled city of Kotor in Montenegro.
• Discover Prizren the culture capital of Kosovo and former crossroad of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires
• Explore the ancient city of Ohrid, North Macedonia, one of the oldest human settlements in Europe
• See the stunning Lake Ohrid, one of the deepest lakes in Europe.
• Visit the capital city of Skopje, North Macedonia.
• Explore the UNESCO-listed city of Berat, Albania’s “City of a Thousand Windows”.
• Enjoy the beauty of the Albanian Riviera with its long beaches set against a backdrop of imposing mountain peaks and deep green forests.
• Experience the traditional Albanian culture and cuisine.
• Fully escorted from Auckland by Project Expeditions Ltd’s Natasha Sinclair with a minimum of 12 people and a maximum of 16
• Flexibility with flights. Travel with the group from Auckland, meet us in Tirana or extend your travels in Europe after the tour

From $7750 per person twin/double + flights

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* Rates and offers are subject to change and availability at the time of holding an option.

MEET THE TEAM

Rick Wood
Project Expeditions

Auckland

(09) 528 7788 or 021 654 462

www.projectexpeditions.co.nz

Project Expeditions - Rick Wood

Rick is a travel broker with 45 years of travel industry experience, based in Orakei, Auckland. Rick is an expert in all facets of travel, from holiday packages, organised tours, airfares, cruises and corporate travel. Throughout his years in the industry, Rick has gained a huge amount of in-depth knowledge on many destinations including the Pacific Islands, Australia, Asia, South America, Africa and Europe - as well as worldwide cruising, to name but a few.

Rick has a particular interest in soft/eco adventure groups, some of which are branded through his trading name of Project Expeditions Ltd which he formed in 1983. During the last 33 years Rick has sent over 70 successful tours to Asia, Australia, India, Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and South America.

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Tasi Afitu Hill

Auckland

027 490 9199

Tasi Afitu Hill

Tasi has been in the travel industry for more than 25 years, journeyed to over 65 countries, experienced hundreds of beautiful sights, met thousands of interesting personalities, eaten lots of amazing food and is proud and thankful for the fact that her passion and enthusiasm for travel only increases each day. Tasi thrives on providing outstanding customer service and developing a rapport with her clients to ensure their trip is the very best it can be.

Tasi's wanderlust for travel was ignited by the AFS exchange student programme, where at the age of 17 she travelled to Quebec. Not only was she fortunate enough to experience another culture but she met 150 other AFS students from all over the world who were sharing the same experience. A few years later, Tasi spent a year in Turkey working as a tour leader on the Fez Travel Hop-off bus in 1997. Tasi rates the dawn service on ANZAC Day at Gallipoli as one of her most memorable travel experiences. Tasi has a love for languages and is fluent in French, English and Samoan. In 2016 Tasi was voted one of three finalists in the National TAANZ Awards for Best Retail Consultant - it was then that she decided to branch out and become a Travel Broker.

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Roni Little

Nelson / Marlborough

(03) 539 1214 or  021 548 747

Roni Little

Roni has an amazing passion for travel and for life! Roni has over 25 years experience and feels extremely privileged to be part of the incredibly exciting travel industry. She has extremely strong industry relationships with all leading New Zealand tourism suppliers and worldwide operators. They provide Roni access to the very best range of travel products including airlines, cruises, coach, rail, walking and cycling.

From Roni’s Nelson based office, at the top of the south island, she designs bespoke and boutique packages, customised to every need for her clients. She prides herself on her high level of attention to detail. Roni understands that planning and researching is an important part of realising her client's travel dreams and she's extremely committed to ensuring that each trip she plans is special and unique. Roni credits her high repeat business to the fact that she always goes the extra mile for her clients, which sees them returning year after year.

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Sue Ketel

Nelson / Tasman / Marlborough

021 545 799

www.nelsontravelbroker.co.nz

Sue Ketel

I live in Wakefield which is in Tasman (or for those in the North Island the Nelson area). For the last 20 years, I have owned and operated my own travel business and with over 23 years in the travel industry I have many years of worldly experience. Many of my clients have been with me since I started in travel, and many are now life long friends, this is how I like to do business.

Over the course of my travel career, I have travelled to many countries (in excess of 42) and have experienced all facets of travel, from travelling on a shoestring to staying in 5-star resorts and travelling with group tours. I particularly specialise in organising and coordinating personalised travel itineraries, and also cater to a wide range of travel needs. It doesn't matter whether it is a business trip or that long awaited dream holiday, you will always get the right advice and price for your travel, but don’t take my word for it read what my many clients have written on my website.

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Samantha Fowler

Auckland

(09) 972 2030 or 0800 500 180

www.cruiseconnections.nz

Cruise Connections - Samantha Fowler

We are a team of Cruise and Travel specialists, passionate about cruising and travel in general.

Between our team of 5 we have well over 50 years of experience, product knowledge and multiple Awards which reflect our performance within the very competitive world of travel.

We live by the simple philosophy of creating a better experience for you before, during and after your holiday than you’ll receive anywhere else.

We would love the opportunity for you to experience our exceptional service!

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Libby Stafford

Auckland

(09) 972 2030 or 0800 500 180

www.cruiseconnections.nz

Cruise Connections - Libby Stafford

We are a team of Cruise and Travel specialists, passionate about cruising and travel in general.

Between our team of 5 we have well over 50 years of experience, product knowledge and multiple Awards which reflect our performance within the very competitive world of travel.

We live by the simple philosophy of creating a better experience for you before, during and after your holiday than you’ll receive anywhere else.

We would love the opportunity for you to experience our exceptional service!

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Amber Gilling

Auckland

(09) 972 2030 or 0800 500 180

www.cruiseconnections.nz

Cruise Connections - Amber Gilling

We are a team of Cruise and Travel specialists, passionate about cruising and travel in general.

Between our team of 5 we have well over 50 years of experience, product knowledge and multiple Awards which reflect our performance within the very competitive world of travel.

We live by the simple philosophy of creating a better experience for you before, during and after your holiday than you’ll receive anywhere else.

We would love the opportunity for you to experience our exceptional service!

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Joanne Pett
Travel Connections
Head office

Auckland

(09) 972 2032

Travel Connections - Joanne Pett

Joanne (Jo) joined the team at Travel Connections in June 2018.

Jo’s role as head office support/admin extraordinaire has enabled Travel Connections to continue to grow at an extraordinary rate.

Jo has been in the travel industry over 20 years and worked in both wholesale and retail environments. She is the very cornerstone of our business model and is always finding ways to help our brokers service their clients above and beyond. From sourcing competitive exchange rates, to implementing our own IATA plate. Everything Jo does supports our brokers and enables them to spend more time with their customers.

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Karen Pocklington
Travel Connections

Auckland

021 818 484

Travel Connections - Karen Pocklington

I always think I have the best job in the world because I spend my life completing other people's dreams. I've been in the travel industry for more than 30 years and I am fully committed to using that experience to build very special trips for all my clients. My clients range from very experienced travellers to first-time travellers and are all very different in their own way. To me, being a Travel Expert is all about taking the time with every client; figuring out what each of them needs, so I can genuinely prepare the perfect package to fit them. In one day, I could be sending a client to Queensland for a week of adventure rides with the family, to sending a couple on a bucket list trip around Europe! But you can guarantee, that I will have spent both the time and the effort, to ensure each of these trips brings the client great joy.

To me, it's about making each trip special, by handpicking the very best of products that the global network has on offer. We use the thousands of wholesalers who throw big business at airlines, hotels, tour operators, cruise ships, etc - any adventure you could imagine - to create nothing but the best experience possible, and at the best deal possible. That's why my most experienced travellers don't use the internet to book their travel. They come and talk to me.

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Natasha Sinclair
Project Expeditions

Otago

03 442 4067
or 021 041 8555

www.projectexpeditions.co.nz/

Project Expeditions - Natasha Sinclair

An India and Africa expert, for more than 17 years, Natasha has been helping travellers experience travel that is unique and meaningful. As well as running a successful travel wholesale business, she is known for her special-interest tours that she personally escorts.

Natasha works alongside TCNZ member Rick Wood of Project Expeditions. Rick and Natasha share a love of putting together and leading tours that are immersive, insightful to both familiar destinations and those that are well-off the typical tourist trail.

By joining Travel Connections. Natasha is pleased to be able to offer those that travel with her a safe and seamless experience in the post-covid travel environment.

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Our Model

We aim to develop and grow a market leading travel broker model where individual travel brokers own the business, and as such, share in all the benefits and rewards associated with their collective success. The Travel Connections business model is "the more you put in - the more you get out".

Broker/Shareholder enquiries to Sue Ketel
021 545 799 or

Our People

Entrepreneurial and highly motivated individuals united by a passion for travel and service excellence. Strong philosophy of transparency, trust and teamwork among all members. Customer centric and focused on harnessing the collective strengths of the group to create a competitive edge.

Our Customers

We make them feel special every time they connect with us. We are committed to delivering an unparalleled customer experience by providing relevant and high quality personalised products and services to every customer, every time. 24/7 support - personalised support every step of the way.