OUR STORY

Jason & Linda Kroupa opened their Travel Agency, Kroupa & Bourke House of Travel, after returning from their Big OE in 1996, when Jason was 25 and Linda just 22. They live and breathe travel, a genetic trait that they have passed on to their children. In 2010 Jason & Linda took time off from their business for a 6-month sabbatical in France with their young family. Every day was a grand adventure, but also allowed them time to stop and think, about what made their travel business special. It seemed that many of their travel partners; airlines, hotels, and tour companies, were all trying to convince their customers to book direct, even though the price was often the same! While savouring the delicious French cuisine, it was an epiphany when they realised that as travel agents, they were the only ones that could take all the ingredients of a holiday and combine them in the most mouth-watering recipe, to create a truly delicious holiday.

“Our very experienced team of Cruise Champs offer you so much more than booking online” says Jason. “They all love to travel and are happy to take the time to chat with you about your plans – working together, with you, to create the perfect holiday”. “Putting a holiday together is like a huge jigsaw puzzle. It is our job using our training and experience to put all the pieces together in the most logical, cost effective manner to create a masterpiece. A travel experience that is well paced, great value, and unforgettable. An ideal itinerary is one that is simple for you to follow, loaded with travel tips, that takes in the major sights as well as showing you some hidden gems, with time for you to stop, rest, and savour a cool glass of rosé”.

Another brainwave was to use their vast cruise experience, focus it on their favourite cruise lines, and create “great value affordable luxury holiday packages’ that make it easy for their customers to visit exotic destinations in comfort and safety. They now scour their cruise database hunting out the best cruise deals, then negotiate great airfare specials and combine them with discounted hotel rates to create – one exclusive upfront package price – that is thousands of dollars cheaper than what other travellers pay.

Being based in sunny Motueka is another huge advantage for them. Their many awards and citations including “Travel Agent of the Year” and Top House of Travel Store, can be attributed to their emphasis on old fashioned, small town, customer service. “In a small town you can never rest on your laurels” says Linda. “If you give poor service, even just once, word gets out, and the whole town knows about it”. This high service ethos has been discovered by a fast-growing number of loyal customers from all over the country.

WHY BOOK WITH US

NO ONE KNOWS LUXURY CRUISING LIKE WE DO!
Our Team has been the Number 1 New Zealand Agent for Luxury Cruise Lines such as Oceania every year since 2011.

HERE’S 8 GREAT REASONS TO PLAN YOUR NEXT HOLIDAY WITH US

1. EXPERT. Our award-winning team have sailed on dozens of ships and visited the destinations we feature. Our first-hand knowledge will make your cruise holiday seamless and stress-free.
2. VALUE. Our buying power means, a great deal, for you. Our special packages with airfares, hotels, and free bonuses, are often substantially cheaper, than the brochure price of the cruise portion alone.
3. SERVICE. Being based in sunny Motueka means our business costs are lower – but to earn repeat business from our customers all over New Zealand, we consistently o er our renowned small-town friendly service.
4. TRUST. We’re 100% Kiwi Owned, part of the well-respected House of Travel group. Were bonded with TAANZ the Travel Agents Association of New Zealand and trained by CLIA Cruise Lines International Association.
5. RESPECT. We understand that a Luxury Holiday is a big investment for you. It is always our goal to listen to your needs and wants and create the best experiences possible. With 98% percent of our customers rating us 5 out of 5, our customers think we do an amazing job.
6. SUPPORT. Our help doesn’t end when you board the plane. We’re with you all the way. You’ll be travelling with our 24-hour phone number. We are always happy to help. The last thing we want, is for a little hiccup, to dampen your trip of a lifetime.
7. EASY. You will find our Personalised “Step by Step” Final Itinerary will be loaded with our tips and advice. Wee nuggets that will enhance your holiday, from a good experience… to an Unforgettable Trip of a Lifetime!
8. FREE. How much will this amazing service cost me? Not a cent – it’s absolutely FREE! We earn our commissions from the cruise lines, which are built into the brochure price. You pay the same (or less) than if you would by booking direct with the cruise line.

So why would you book online, with an overseas conglomerate?
Why put up with impersonal corporate call centres?
Why book direct, when you can have the advice, assistance and back up of our super friendly Kroupa & Bourke House of Travel Cruise Champs for free.

OUR PLANNING

Accuracy and attention to detail are all important on a trip of a lifetime. We go out of our way to make our cruise holiday packages as easy to follow as possible. We run through every customer itinerary, walking ourselves through every step, predicting anything that could prove tricky or cause you a problem. Our final itinerary includes detailed instructions for every airport, how to transfer between terminals and transfer to your hotel. How to get to the ship and how to make the most of your time onboard. Our tips and advice gathered from years of our own travels can make the difference between a good holiday and a great one! In the last few weeks before your departure we will call you and run through your holiday plan, day by day, step by step, so you are fully prepared. And if you need us – we are only ever an email or phone call away.

OUR BACKUP

When you travel on one of our Cruise Holiday Packages – you get to take us along with you! We really do want to make your holiday stress-free, so if you have any problems, you can call us day or night. Your travel tickets come with our 24-hour emergency phone number. So, if you should happen to… miss the boat, fall ill, or lose your passport (or yourself), you can find a phone and call us – and we will be there for you. A few years back we had two couples travelling together, at the end of their cruise they had extra nights in Rome. After visiting the Colosseum together, the ladies decided to go shopping, while the lads, Dave & Jim, popped into a bar for a quick beer. Well one beer, led to another, and then a couple of locals started talking rugby and shouted a couple more, and before they knew it, Dave & Jim had 20 new Italian friends all buying them drinks. At 2 o’clock in the morning they stumbled out in search of a taxi when Dave says to Jim… can you remember where we’re staying? No? Uh Oh!!! Luckily Jim had our Business Card in his wallet, and the barman let them make a call to New Zealand, so we could remind the two rascals the name of their hotel.

No worries, it only took a couple of minutes to look up their booking details, and problem solved they were in a taxi heading home. You’ll find that we are always happy to help, the last thing we want, is for a little hiccup to ruin your trip of a lifetime.

OUR TROPHY CABINET

As you can see, we have scooped many awards over the years, including Travel Agent of the Year, and Top Store for House of Travel. Many of the trophies above are sales awards, such as top NZ agents for Oceania for the last 10 years, but the ones we are most proud of are for Customer Service. When you operate from a small town, your reputation means everything. You must keep every single customer happy – or word gets round – quick! This ethos has been the secret to the success of selling our affordable Luxury Cruise Holiday packages nationwide.