Travel Associates New Zealand Avis 

I wouldn’t recommend using Travel Associates for booking river cruises. I went into it thinking a travel agent would secure better deals, provide helpful guidance, and add value to the experience. Instead, I ended up feeling completely let down and overcharged.

From the beginning, my agent, Kylie W., offered minimal assistance. Despite me suggesting two other cruise lines, she only pushed one—clearly the one that benefited her most. There was no effort to compare or explain alternatives. It felt like a hard sell, not personalised service.

When I asked for help planning the best itinerary for my Eastern Europe trip, the quotes for flights, trains, and hotels were significantly overpriced. I cross-checked everything myself and found better options every time. Even the main flights from Auckland to Bucharest—same airline, same date and time—she quoted $250 more. When I questioned this, she simply said “that’s what I see on my end.” That excuse doesn’t justify such a markup. With that difference, I could have added luggage, chosen special seats, or even paid for lounge access.

She also applied a surcharge to card payments, which I initially assumed was standard—until I booked directly with the cruise line and paid no additional fees on my debit or credit card.

The most frustrating part? She never gave me access to the cruise line’s portal. I only found out about it when I called the cruise company directly—very close to the cruise date. By then, it was too late to book many of the excursions in advance. That portal should have been provided from the start. As someone actively promoting these cruises at the Cruise Travel Expo in Auckland, she would have known about this but didn’t pass it on.

Frankly, I would have done a better job than her. I expected professional service, industry insight, and support. Instead, I did most of the work myself and missed out on valuable options I could have accessed had I been better informed.

I strongly recommend booking directly with the cruise lines. My experience with Travel Associates—and especially Kylie W.—was disappointing and not worth the added costs or stress.

I would genuinely appreciate a formal response from Travel Associates regarding this experience. It deserves to be addressed.

Working with Megan was an absolute pleasure. She is extremely knowledgeable and made our tricky plan to move to The Netherlands while stopping in Japan for holiday on the way super easy, especially with trying to prebook extra bags and using different airlines. We also needed to delay our flight out of Japan and she was very helpful and timely for us. Would highly recommend!!

We loved having Tanya put our itinerary together. She is organised, reliable and experienced with the special combination of personal warmth and professional skills. We were updated and informed of all aspects of the trip and were literally able to just sit back and enjoy the ride. Thanks for all your hard work Tanya. Jane & Ken

Kylie is always knowledgeable and gives great options for our travel. She communicates these options clearly and has arranged travel plans for us professionally. I would happily recommend Kylie and her team to family and friends for all travel bookings.

Fiona has been very helpful and returns messages and phone calls quickly.

I had an incredible experience working with Tanya, (for the second time) who provided exceptional service from start to finish. Her attention to detail and personalised recommendations made all the difference in planning my trip. Tanya took the time to understand my preferences and tailored the itinerary perfectly to suit my needs, ensuring a smooth and stress-free journey. Communication was prompt and clear, and she went above and beyond to address any concerns or requests I had. The booking process was seamless, and I felt completely supported throughout every stage of my travels. Thanks to Tanya's expert advice and dedication, my trip has been organised flawlessly, and I will be able to enjoy every moment without any worries. I truly appreciated their professionalism and the genuine care they showed in making my trip unforgettable.

Natasha has been our regular travel agent over the past few years. She is always super knowledgeable and responsive about journeys, destinations and insurance. She makes going away a really easy thing to do. We will miss her as our travel agent when we go back to the UK!

An efficient cheerful experience.
Very helpful & prompt replies to all queries.
A pleasure to deal with.

Tanya is incredible. She organized my trip over 7 countries. She timed our flights / trains / hotel check ins incredibly. I couldn't have asked for anything more.
Shes so easy to talk and organize everything with.
My holiday was stress free. Also, the app is great to keep everything in order and in one place.
Highly recommend this wonderful lady.

We are very fortunate in having Natasha as our travel agent. She is efficient, friendly and keeps us informed so we feel very confident when she has arranged our trips for us. Well done Natasha, much appreciated.

always helpful and with a smile, great to work with even though i don't live in Auckland, will use again for a cruise.

Best service we had out of the agents we approached. Marisa helped us find the right mix of flights and accommodation to suit our budget and our families needs and was responsive throughout. Highly recommend.

Natasha ALWAYS go above and beyond whatever I ask her to do. She is number ONE in my book and recommend her to everyone.

We'd like to speak specifically about Polly Debenham and her efforts over and beyond what would be expected of any travel agent.
It was 24 March 2020, and we were in Bali. Polly phoned us to advise we needed to get back asap because the borders worldwide were being shut down. Polly organised our family back safely, but also our family from Australia and other parts of NZ, as they could not reach their travel agents, or airlines! We will never forget your assistance Polly, and will always recommend you to all globally as someone who cares about her customers far and beyond.

Polly is thorough and was more than happy to provide multiple options with different airlines.
She had the patients and knowledge and guided me through the processes of international transfers.

good knowledge

what I've come to expect from Kylie, great service, great follow up, always available to discuss and rejig if necessary. A1

We only used Jane Hudson for our airfares to and from South America, but she took a personal interest in making sure we were notified of any flight changes and responded quickly to any communication we sent her.

Second trip booked with Polly.
Super quick and offered good advice to help with our decisions.