Tanya Aitken

Owner Operator

House of Travel Papamoa

Lovely to meet you

Travel fuels my soul, the experiences, the opportunities, the culture, the adventures, I have been lucky enough to have a career that is a labour of love. Planning holidays with a high degree of skill, attention and knowledge has become my trade mark.

I absolutely adore planning epic family trips, luxurious holidays alongside organizing a lot of corporate travel business as well. I also travel a lot, as often as I can so I have up to date first hand experience in so many areas. This has given me the skill and experience to share with my clients and ensure they also come away with travel experiences second to none. I work with a large referral business and I do require appointments to fully assess what is going to be right for you and start planning your holiday.

Tanya

My favourite holiday memories

South Africa

Africa - Pre Dawn - with a day of adventure to await, the beauty, tranquility and wildlife and incredible experiences in various lodges and camps - will forever probably be my most loved family holiday.
Greece

Greece has so much to see and explore, but Crete will forever be the most beautiful beach destination I think I have been - culture, history, amazing food and reasonable pricing provide all the necessary elements for an amazing Villa Holiday
France

France will always be the country I wish I could live in, having explored most regions now the architecture, the food and people forever call me - Canal Boating through Burgundy was a surprise - so easy, accessible and a great way to relax, enjoy the areas and enable you to enjoy all the seasonal cuisine available.
Winter Holidays

So many places to see and explore in Winter, from Skiing to various encounters on the ice- we love helping more and more people explore the Arctic, Antarctica regions as well as every popular Ski holidays in the US/Canada, Europe and Japan being top destinations of choice.
Best Beaches

I have been lucky enough to explore many beaches, and resorts right across the Globe, and I love helping people find the perfect trip - weather its in the South Pacific, or the Maldives or the best locations in Europe - holidays for rest and relaxation are high on my agenda of essential reservations in today's busy lifestyle.

Creating better holidays

Whatever your travel dreams, I will work with you to create the best holiday possible. The holidays I specialise in include:

Cycling
Golfing
Hiking Walking
Skiing
Adventure
Coach Touring
Small Ship Cruising
Expedition Cruising
Ocean Cruising
River Cruising
Couples Travel
Disney Holidays
Family Travel
Group Travel
Luxury Travel
Road Trips
Safaris
Solo Travel
Train Journeys

My Travel Passions

FAMILY TRAVEL - I have been travelling with my husband and children since they were very young, we have experienced so many various experiences I have become an expert it where, what and how families can travel well - I enjoy a 5 star luxury holiday as much as I have enjoyed some more intrepid type holidays and everything in between, whether is family fun, connection time, cultural, beaches or extensive global escapades I work with many families year after year to build their memory banks of exceptional holidays.

FOOD and WINE - I will always have our itinerary's exceptionally well planned food experiences. From the best choice of restaurants, to accessibility to artisan suppliers, tours to understand the local cuisine and the history, recommendations for the very best wine locations to explore and winemakers to visit. A large part of any holiday for us is all about the cuisine, the authentic experiences and the food creators and producers we have engage with.

LUXURY TRAVEL - I am blessed with many Clients over the years as life has gone on their tastes and travel appetites have grown as their careers have so to now I am at the helm of organising some of the most luxurious trips taken by New Zealand Travellers. It takes a long time to build the experience and in turn the trust needed to be sure the recommendations you are making are really suitable for the people in question. With a taste for the finer things in life myself I feel very comfortable in this space and understand what is needed when, to ensure the holiday is tailored to individual needs personally.

CORPORATE TRAVEL - as this is where I started in the industry I have many clients across many years who I take care of specialist Business travel and Group travel that have followed me over the years. As I run the 24 hour support myself it has enabled me to build really great relationships with people who have need a lot of flexibility, skill , experience and adaptability in organising their travel needs.

Where I have travelled to

What my customers have to say

We recently went on a trip to Queenstown and booked through house of travel mount Maunganui. We worked with Tanya and Shelly and both ladies were amazing!! We were meant to fly from Auckland but due to level 4 conditions for Auckland we had to change this last minute and they worked so hard for us to find the best flights at the best rate! We were so happy with the outcome and would 100% work with them again in the future for any upcoming trips!! Highly recommend :)

Georgia
Tanya is fantastic! She organised my entire trip and would recommend her and her team to anyone (:

Isabella
House of Travel have been incredible for us. Having to travel in COVID times they were with us every step, planning everything perfectly and having a bunch of alternate plan B's in case. Their knowledge and planning is A+++. Can't thank Tanya and her team enough. Travel agent Rockstars!!

Glen
I have used Tanya for several overseas trips, both simple and complex, and cannot recommend them highly enough. HoT are experts in arranging (and rearranging!) flights, transfers, accommodation and tours, have great recommendations, and link seamlessly with contacts in other countries. They are also super responsive and delightful to deal with. Contact HoT for your next holiday - you won't be disappointed!

Steve
Tanya was absolutely amazing!! She was full of amazing advice and helped make our trip seamless. Tanya stayed in contact throughout the whole process and even while we were away and when I returned. We are so thankful for everything that Tanya did for us.

Mandy
While we were on holiday in Rarotonga August 2021, Nz had a sudden outbreak of Covid. Causing all of NZ to go into lockdown level 4. Tanya kept us updated with emails of what was happening in Nz. While this really didn't effect Rarotonga itself, it made a huge impact to a lot of holiday makers on the Island. Our party, of three, decided if possible, we'd love to stay on. I emailed Tanya at saying that we'd love to stay on. Tanya replied immediately, with realistic options for us. One phone call later and everything was finalized!!! We were staying longer !!!! We were so impressed with how Tanya made our extension so painless for us . No doubt it wasn't the same for her. Cancelling flights, rebooking flights and extending our accommodation. THEN. Air Nz themselves cancelled our flights...on the phone again to Tanya. Without missing a beat Tanya offered us new options to change. Once again, seemly without a hitch at our end. But we're sure Tanya worked her butt off again to accommodate us. Mike, Gary and myself can't sing Tanya's praises higher enough. We would highly recommend this HOT as a go to store. Nothing was too much trouble. (We ourselves have used this store for over 25 years) Tanya turned our 10 trip into a 19 day totally stress free holiday inspite of covid. Thanks so very MUCH Tanya again for everything you did for us. It was totally over and above our expectations. These are the times when you realize why it's worth using a Travel Agent. Many thanks again

Gayleen
A big shoutout to Tanya for her fantastic service and devotion, totally going the second mile, in organising to bring our daughter and family home from Senegal in West Africa! Great attention to every detail in liaising with Emirates, MIQ, stopover arrangements, the ever changing Covid restrictions worldwide etc. I would highly recommend House of Travel for their friendly, personal service and their willingness to meet all your needs with such care and enthusiasm. Thank you Tanya!

Susi

My travel stories

Postcard from France

Tanya Aitken

I am seriously in love with France, be it the Glitz of Paris, The charming villages of Rural France, be it Provence, Burgundy, coastal or inland I just can't seem too every have enough time here.