Venture Travel & Events

01/03/2026

Urgent Update from Venture Travel

Venture Travel are closely monitoring the situation following the Middle East airspace closure amidst unfolding events involving Iran, and our team is dedicated to supporting travellers through this disruption. Current reports indicate widespread airspace closures and disruptions affecting multiple countries and airlines, prompting us to proactively reach out to all travellers in or bound for the region within the next five days.

As we continue to assess updates, our priority remains the safety of our clients. In times like these, preparation is key - that's why we encourage all travellers to register with SafeTravel, the New Zealand Government's official travel advisory and registration service, providing vital support in emergencies.

You can register here: https://www.safetravel.govt.nz/. Rest assured, our team is working tirelessly to keep affected travellers safe and informed, responding swiftly to evolving circumstances.

Official advice for New Zealanders living and travelling overseas.

08/01/2026

US National Park Entry Fees Increase effective 1 January 2026
Please be advised that effective 1 January 2026 US National Park Service (NPS) has significantly increased a Non-US residents charge and visitors aged 16+ must pay a $100 per person fee in addition to the standard entrance pass fee for some National Parks.

There is also a new annual pass available for non-US residents which will cover the fee.

Many tour operators visiting National Parks will state whether or not fees are included however we recommend that you contact the supplier directly for clarification on the new additional fee and how this will impact customers.

29/12/2025

Kim has put together this escorted tour of Scandinavia departing on 21 May 2026 to experience the Midnight Sun. Starting in Oslo, travelling on the famous Flam Railway to Bergen before a signature cruise upto Longyearbyen before joining another small ship for a cruise in the Arctic Circle and a small coach trip from Tromso to Rovaniemi - home of Santa Claus before a flight to Helsinki and a day trip to Tallinn in Estonia. Finish date in Helsinki 17 June 2026
See the full itinerary and costings below: - There are 6 remaining seats available.

14/12/2025

Travel / Event Management Graduate – 12-Month Contract

We are seeking an enthusiastic Event Management Graduate to assist with two large domestic New Zealand group events. This is a hands-on role offering valuable experience across travel, events, and group logistics.

Key duties include:

Assisting with large-scale domestic events

Data entry of itineraries into a travel app

Creating website landing pages

Liaising with airlines, hotels, and transfer suppliers

Booking and ticketing flights using Sabre

Providing excellent customer service to clients

Skills & experience:

Event Management Degree (or currently completing)

Strong Excel skills (essential)

Confident telephone manner and customer-focused approach

High attention to detail and strong organisational skills

About us:
Venture Travel & Events has been in business for 30 years, specialising in Group and Incentive Travel. Being IATA bonded, we also manage a wide range of corporate and individual travel, providing broad exposure across the travel industry.

Role details:

12-month fixed-term contract

Starting late January 2026

Office-based in Dairy Flat, North Shore, Auckland

Hours to be discussed at interview

To apply:
Please contact Kim Herd, Venture Travel & Events. Email your CV and a brief note on why you would like this role to [email protected]

15/11/2024

Qantas
As Qantas continues to bolster its Kiwi presence—boosting its
Tasman schedule, launching its first New Zealand-made brand
campaign and actively targeting a greater market share—the
Aussie carrier is also looking to ramp up its loyalty appeal.
The carrier is expanding its Frequent Flyer program in New
Zealand, and effective 02 Dec QF frequent flyers will be able to con
vert their Everyday Rewards (from Woolworths, BP, Petstock and
more) points into Qantas Points.
As a kicker, Kiwis will also earn 50% more Qantas Points than Aussies when converting with Everyday Rewards.
Qantas Loyalty ceo Andrew Glance says the expansion will transform how Kiwis can participate and be rewarded as a Frequent Flyer.
“With New Zealand home to the most members outside of Australia, it’s important that we continue to grow the program and expand the ways that members can earn points and redeem them on great travel experiences.”
STATUS FAST TRACK
Qantas is also sweetening the deal by waiving the Frequent Flyer joining fee for Kiwis, and offering a status fast track.
T hose with gold or higher equivalent status with select airlines can fast track to QantasGold by earning 100 Status Credits in 90 days on flights with Qantas, Jetstar and partner airlines. Participating members will also get access the Qantas Club lounges and extra
checked baggage during the 90-day fast track offer.
Glance says the initiative will allow Kiwi travellers to experience the
benefits of the Qantas Frequent Flyer gold tier from day one. Registrations for the gold status fast track close 14 Jan, with the 90-day travel period to commence from 15 Jan.

15/11/2024

Air Tag Travel Bonus
Apple’s soon-to-be-launched AirTag baggage tracking feature could prove a game changer for travellers, allow ing them to share tracking details with third parties (such as airlines).
Whilst Apple is yet to release any official details, MacRumours says the updated iOS 18.2 beta 2 will add this new feature to the Find My app. To use the new feature, travellers will need to go to Share Item Location in the Find My app, and then go to ‘show contact info’ which creates a link that allows someone, such as an
airline employee, to see the location of a lost item.
The link can be opened on a non-Apple device, and it will stop working when an item is returned or after a week. The new feature for sharing a lost item works with AirTags and other devices that connect to Apple's Find My network. Some carriers are reportedly set to commence trials with the new tech.

17/03/2023

US ‘Roaming’ Update when travelling to the US
Most major mobile providers in the US have retired their 2G and
3G networks which may impact some Vodafone NZ customers while roaming, advises the telco.
Vodafone NZ says its Kiwi travellers opting to ‘roam’ in the US will automatically be connected to two of the largest US local network operators (Verizon or AT&T) using their 4G and 5G networks to provide the best connection experience.
“This means in some regions you may be automatically switched
between the two to maintain optimal coverage,” it tells it’s US-bound clients. “ If you experience any sort of issues with connectivity while roaming in the US, please manually
select Verizon or AT&T in the first instance.”
If connectivity issue persists, and users cannot make/receive calls
and TXTs--and you have a Samsung
device—Kiwis are urged to manually select T-Mobile. “Please note
that T-Mobile uses 2G and 4G only, and has less coverage than Verizon or AT&T,” adds Vodafone.Clients with phone which are 3G/2G capable only, are asked to manually select T-Mobile 2G network. “If there is no T-Mobile 2G coverage, you will lose connectivity,” it adds.

11/09/2022

Here are some tips from Venture Travel & Events travelling overseas during these times..

04/09/2022

GREAT NEWS VINAKA VAKA LEVU FIJI GOVERNMENT!!
On Friday evening, the Fijian Government made the decision to remove the requirement for a RAT test with-in 72 hours of arriving into Fiji. This takes effect from today, 5 September 2022. The requirements of being fully vaccinated and having travel insurance with Covid-19 coverage will remain in place until further notice.

Travellers who have already have a pre-booked/pre-paid arrival RAT in place are encouraged to still have this done however they are also able to request a refund.

Refunds can be requested through the amend/cancel link on the booking confirmation that was emailed to the traveller when their test was confirmed. With over 20,000 bookings in the system, refunds are advised to take 5 – 10 working days to be processed. The Entry Test Fiji portal used to pre-book these tests will now be discontinued. You can contact [email protected] should you have additional queries.

25/08/2022

Singapore Airlines has decided to end mask requirements following an update in guidelines from the Singaporean government.
The new policy comes into effect from Monday 29 August and will see masks dropped from most international routes. However, mask usage will still apply to certain destinations that require one on flights, for example Canada and New Zealand. For Australia, masks are required onboard flights to the country, but are not needed on the way to Singapore.

The airline notes that masks are still required on domestic flights in New Zealand, as well as airports and terminals.

The end to requirements will also apply at Changi Airport, one of the world’s busiest hubs.

21/08/2022

Spent my Sunday morning checking in the NZ team off to France to race the ISDE - world enduro champs. Great to have my first post Covid long haul group on their way to hopefully bring back a few gold medals.