It’s a pretty special job, creating memories that feature in the highlight reels of people’s lives. Motueka’s House of Travel team has spent 29 years turning dreams into destinations and bucket lists into boarding passes, and now they’ve ticked something off their own wish list.
Owner operators Linda and Jason Kroupa have been awarded the overall Top House of Travel Store of the Year at House of Travel Group’s A Night at the Hotties awards late last month.
The couple have taken out numerous other awards in the past and have been finalists for the overall accolade several other times, but after almost three decades in the business, “you never expect anything,” Jason says with a laugh.
They took to the stage with their team in front of 770 peers from across New Zealand, Australia and Fiji at Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre.
“We opened the doors of House of Travel Motueka nearly 30 years ago. I was 25 and Linda was 22,” says Jason.
“Linda and I will always remember our opening day on 28 February 1996, when a customer from the bank told us we had the best job in the world. She had opened the bank and dealt with a queue of complaints all day. It’s a conversation we never forget, and we’re so grateful to work in this wonderful industry, helping our customers make the most treasured travel memories of their lives.”
Linda agrees that fulfilling people’s travel dreams is an absolute high point.
“We get to be part of the highlight reel of people’s lives,” she says. “We know we’re really lucky, and we have an amazing team here.”
That team, who between them have travelled to more than 100 countries, also won a cache of awards at this year’s Hotties. Senior travel consultants Tanya Fuller and Steve Harper received a Platinum Sales Award and Top 10 Customer Service Award respectively, while Rebekah Fraser, who is also a senior travel consultant, received a 2025 Bronze Sales Award.
The Kroupas’ favourite place to book people’s travel is “the last place we’ve gone,” says Jason, with the textures and aromas still fresh in their minds. Right now, that’s the Philippines – an underestimated gem, he enthuses. They are also known for their specialist knowledge of Europe and are one of the top cruise outlets in New Zealand, Linda says.
The pair reckons that even after almost three decades in the industry, they still have some myths to bust. One is that travel agencies only deal with inflexible package holidays – the advertisements are just a suggested starting point, the Kroupas say. Another is that their services come at a cost to customers. Jason clarifies that they earn their income from suppliers, and “the amount that people pay is almost always the same price that people pay online”.
The team takes pride in knowing which visas are required, what hotel rooms give the best views, what car parking is accessible, and how much time is needed to walk between airport terminals.
It’s about “trouble-shooting all those little hiccups” so that those dreams can be a wonderful reality, Linda summarises.
