About Travel the World

Your Journey, Our Passion

At Travel the World, we believe travel is more than just a destination - it’s an experience.

As a full-service travel company, we specialise in creating unforgettable journeys for everyone, from corporate business trips and group adventures to niche, specialist travel experiences.

Our team of experts brings knowledge, passion, and personalised service to every booking, ensuring that whether you’re exploring new horizons or travelling for business, your journey is seamless and memorable.

With Travel the World, every trip is crafted with care, professionalism, and a touch of inspiration.

Sue & Paul Robinson, travel the world owners

Leadership with Passion and Experience: Sue & Paul Robinson

Sue leads the travel team from our Head Office in Canterbury. With over 25 years in business ownership, we are truly blessed with her vision for our customers and her passion for travel. Winning a TAANZ Best Retail store for a Multi-Location in 2017, and Manager of the Year in 2019, Sue dislikes being in the spotlight, instead wants to see her team succeed. She understands when the customer is happy, the team is happy and that's a sign of a good day at the office.

Paul is the Director of the company and Sue's husband! He is super passionate about all things travel. Pauls passion is to work with our travel providers to arrange events, expos and information evenings. In his spare time, Paul is a Volunteer Firefighter for the Kirwee Fire Brigade (Canterbury). His favourite destination - anywhere there is beer!

Where we've been: Australia (Brisbane, Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, Tasmania, Darwin, Cairns), Niue, Fiji, Rarotonga, America, Ensenada Mexico, Hawaii, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Macau, Vietnam, Singapore, Dubai, England, France, Spain, Italy, Malta

Cruises – America, Europe Mediterranean, Asia, Australia

Meet Our Travel the World Team

Our Travel the World team are the back-office heroes who help keep everything running smoothly behind the scenes.

With expertise in group travel, business development, marketing, sales team management, and community engagement, they make sure our frontline travel consultant team has all the support they need to deliver amazing experiences.

Organised, dedicated, and always ready to help, our Travel the World team helps ensures every part of your travel journey is seamless and stress-free.

Donna Kermode

“Travel isn’t just moving through the world - it’s capturing moments that shape your story and your life forever.” - Anonymous

I believe my path in travel was destined from my very first role when leaving school as a Junior Travel Consultant. Starting with booking domestic travel, putting canoes on Fun Bus Tours to Cape Reinga, giving a commentary down Ninety Mile Beach because the Tour guide had not showed up – now that was an interesting day but not one day seemed like work. The city lured me and this lead me surprising enough to the world of Business travel where I advanced to become a Senior International Consultant.

Next destination was 15 amazing years with Ansett NZ, with innovation and a whole lot of passion we created domestic services with hot breakfasts, Blue Ribbon service and customer service like no else. My journey was so rewarding from starting out as a Reservations and Ticketing Trainer to having the honour of being National Training Manager. I then went to creating a People Engagement culture for one of the largest travel organisations in New Zealand which was then ranked in the Top 10 Best Places to Work in New Zealand in the 2019 Ranstad Survey as well as the Best Travel Brand in New Zealand as voted by the industry in 2018.

Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to travel to some amazing destinations, and even more fortunate to share these experiences with my two beautiful daughters. 21st birthdays celebrated in Hawaii and 16th ‘s in Singapore. Not forgetting my early travels to Europe to living in Fiji for 2 years. The world is amazing and is awaiting our journeys so we can tell our stories and treasure our forever experiences.

As Travel the World’s Sales Manager, I’m passionate to delivering exceptional experiences for both our travellers and our incredible Team Leaders and Consultants who choose to work with us. I have a passion for people, ensuring our customers feel wowed and looked after and our consultants are empowered to grow whilst feeling supported and motivated. My focus is simple: strong relationships, outstanding customer service, and travel experiences that are seamless and inspire.

I feel truly privileged to be in part of this industry and Travel the World, we have the opportunity to share our journeys, inspire our customers, and grow together with our team.

Where I've been: Hawaii, San Francisco, London, France, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Hong Kong

Karlene Barkley

"The world is alive, and travel is how you feel it."

- K Barkley

With over 30 years of experience across the aviation and travel industries, I love creating connections that inspire people to explore the world.

As the Business Development and Community Engagement Manager, my role is all about building relationships, bringing people together, and sparking excitement. I lead our community events and in store experiences, making sure every interaction feels welcoming, energetic, and full of possibilities. Whether it is engaging with locals at an expo, hosting a vibrant in-store activation, I enjoy turning curiosity into inspiration.

Travel has shaped who I am, and it drives me to help others feel excited about their own possibilities. I love bringing that energy into our community and creating moments that encourage people to dream bigger.

“Working alongside an amazing team to inspire our community is what energises me every day”.

Where I've been: South Africa, Kenya (Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar), Tanzania, Zimbabwe (Victoria Falls, Bulawayo, Harare), Zambia (Lusaka), Malawi (Lilongwe, Blantyre), Madagascar, Mozambique, Mauritius, Seychelles, Morocco (Casablanca, Marrakesh), India (Bombay, Chennai), Sri Lanka (Colombo), Maldives, China (Beijing, Shanghai, Guilin), Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Thailand (Phuket), Indonesia (Bali), Cambodia, UAE (Dubai, Abu Dhabi), Portugal (Lisbon, Azores, Madeira), United Kingdom (London), Netherlands (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Middleburg), Belgium (Antwerp), USA (Chicago), Fiji, Australia (Perth), Bali

Helen Watson

"Traveling is not something you’re good at. It’s something you do. Like breathing." - Gayle Forman

With over a decade of experience in marketing, I love creating connections and experiences that inspire people to explore the world.

As the Marketing Manager for the Travel the World team, my role is all about supporting our retail team with in-store marketing, managing our social media and digital presence, and helping bring ideas to life behind the scenes.

I have had opportunities to travel from a young age (our family gets itchy feet if we stay in place for too long, we definitely have wanderer ancestry) giving me the chance to experience different cultures and perspectives.

I love bringing that energy into everything I do, making sure everything I create reflects the exciting travel opportunities that are available, helping our customers feel inspired to dream bigger and explore further.

Where I've been: Australia, Fiji, Tonga, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore, Bali, Malaysia, USA, UK (England, Scotland, Wales), Republic of Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Croatia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, Greece, Madagascar, Thailand, Dubai, Slovenia, Belgium, Isle of Man

Lindsay Ashton-Smith

“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.”

- Albus Dumbledore

With more than twelve years of experience in both corporate and retail travel, I have now found the role that feels like the perfect fit for me. As Groups and Business Support Co-Ordinator, I have the chance to help our wonderful clients while also supporting the fantastic team at Travel the World.

In my Groups Co-Ordinator role, I enjoy working closely with our amazing suppliers to find options that truly suit your needs. Whether you are planning a multi-generational family trip, a school or sports group journey, a wedding celebration, or a special interest experience, I love helping create group travel that feels easy, personalised, and enjoyable from start to finish.

As Business Support Co-Ordinator, I am the friendly face in the background, making sure our consultants, Business Development team, and Directors have the support they need. With technology changing so quickly, a large part of my work involves Technical Support, which is something I genuinely enjoy and find both rewarding and interesting.

I look forward to helping our team and our customers as we work together to create holidays that are memorable, meaningful, and full of joy.

Where I've been: Australia, China, America, Cook Islands

Leisure Travel Solutions

Business Travel Solutions

Group Travel Solutions

Unique Travel Solutions

Sports & Events Travel Solutions

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Stories to inspire your next adventure

Explore our blogs for real-life travel stories, tips, and ideas to help you plan your next journey.

Stories to inspire your next adventure

Explore our blogs for real-life travel stories, tips, and ideas to help you plan your next journey.

Stay in the loop!

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Our consultants are ready to help with all your questions and assist in planning an unforgettable adventure.

Whether you're curious about our services or have a specific experience in mind, reach out to us today!

For dream holidays, group getaways, exciting events or the trip of a lifetime send us a message or visit one of our World Travellers retail locations below.