Helen Ashton

Senior Travel Consultant

House of Travel Upper Riccarton

Lovely to meet you

My goal is to ensure that all of my clients have an amazing experience wherever they are in the world and that their trip exceeds expectations.

Travel is my passion and I have 15 years experience as a “Vacation Designer”. I love to provide insider information and create an off the beaten track local experiences, wherever that might be.

My other passion is food and drink so I love recommending popular foodie places that the locals know – it’s like our little secret!

I offer full support throughout your journey until you are safely back home!

The best compliment is getting constant referrals from my clients to help more people see the world and be well looked after by a professional who truly cares about your holiday!

Helen

My favourite holiday memories

Yasawa Islands

The beautiful islands of Fiji – Arrive as guests and leave as friends – Bula.
Santorini

Santorini is absolutely stunning and a Bucket List Holiday escape for anyone heading to Europe.

My travel passions

United Kingdom - Born and raised in the UK I have been lucky enough to see and experience most of what Europe has to offer! I can give expert advise on local gem's not to be missed and awesome off the beaten track hotels and apartments.

Food & Wine - Passionate about Food and Wine in all destinations. Love to let my clients know of local, quaint dining experiences all over the world.

South America - I was lucky enough to travel around South America for 4 months and its one of my favourite continents! Such a wide range of experiences and holds a very special place in my heart.

Travel - I have always loved Travel Programmes / Travel Guides / Travel Blogs!!! Life is too short not to travel and have memorable experiences. Being able to create fantastic trips for my clients is so very important to me! Client referral's are the highest compliment!!

Where I have travelled to

What my customers have to say

I recently travelled to Africa with the help of Helen Ashton the Senior Travel Consultant. Absolutely amazing service. Not one fault or issue, I would highly recommend, Helen was prompt at responding to emails even when I was overseas with several questions. I will 100 percent be back for my next trip. Can not recommend enough.

Sophie
We have just recently returned from the Ghan Rail Journey from Darwin to Adelaide. Way more than a train trip, this was a package of multiple new experiences each day visiting stunning locations, being guided by local experts, enjoying relaxed and comfortable cabins and lounges and the wonderful fine dining on and off the train. Helen was the ‘magic ingredient’ making it all happen smoothly with additional trips and stop overs before and after the Ghan. I cannot speak highly enough of her ‘can do’ attitude – always accompanied by a smile and helpful suggestions. She is super-responsive and always willing to do whatever she can to make the travel experience as relaxed and enjoyable as possible

Rose
We have used Helen for a number of family trips. Helen is great to deal with - she is friendly, offers great advice and took care of everything for us - from booking flights, accommodation and activities and nothing was a hassle. Thanks so much Helen.

Lucy
Helen is simply the BEST travel agent at House of Travel. She offers friendly, professional advice and is an authority on so many destinations. She listens to my needs and plans accordingly, giving me, the client, excellent value for my dollar. She has the ability to think outside the square and is full of ideas. A five star recommendation.

Margaret
Helen has been instrumental in arranging our trip to Europe next year, After our initial brief she put together an itinerary that met every aspect of our wishes. Throughout the process she has made some excellent recommendations, helped organise accommodation and provided her worldly insights into the locations that we will be visiting. Helen has an amazing knowledge which she is happy to share.

James and Gina
Helen Ashton has helped my wife and I plan two trips to Europe and the UK. Helen is always cheerful, great to deal with, gets you excited about your up and coming adventure. She has really good knowledge and if she doesn’t know, she will find out. Helen gives excellent guidance and is a really good communicator, if she can’t pick up she will return your call or query promptly. We are relatively inexperienced travellers so having Helen’s guidance has been invaluable. When our first trip was cancelled because of covid we were so fortunate to have Helen’s help with all our bookings. During this time when the world was more than a bit crazy Helen worked so hard to unravel our plans and make it possible for us to plan and travel at a later date. We couldn’t have done this without her, she is the best Travel Agent. She was there to help us plan our adventure and she was there to help us pick up the pieces when things went awry. Thankyou Helen

Greg and Jacqui

My travel stories

Postcard from Norway

Helen Ashton

Travelling in Norway is like a picture postcard all the time! Join a Hurtigruten Cruise translated as "Express Route" and spend 6-12 days cruising the coastline visiting beautiful quaint villages, towns and cities.

view all stories from House of Travel Upper Riccarton