About Us

Uplanit.com was founded in Santa Barbara, California in 2007.

The owner Lindsay Barron had started his career in1967 with New Zealand's international airline Air New Zealand. In 1979 he and fellow Air New Zealand employee Chris Paulsen decided to try their luck in the world of commerce, left the company and founded their first travel business, a tour operating company, Scholes Oakley Holidays, in their home town of Christchurch.

After nine successful years they then created the House of Travel Group an owner-operated chain of travel agencies that now numbers over 80 offices in Australia and New Zealand with an annual turnover of nearly NZ$1billion. It is New Zealand's largest independent retail travel business.

In 1991 Lindsay set his sights on opening a House of Travel business in Europe. He moved to the Netherlands and launched Barron Travel in the city of Rotterdam.

Over the next 14 years Barron Travel established itself as the leading Australia & New Zealand travel specialist in the Netherlands eventually adding offices in Amsterdam, Den Bosch and Antwerp in nearby Belgium.

After selling Barron Travel to a Dutch competitor Lindsay moved to Santa Barbara from where uplanit.com was launched.

In 2008 after a 20 year absence the lure of a family back home motivated a return to New Zealand, a return to House of Travel and the relocation of uplanit.com to the House of Travel Auckland office.

Lindsay explains that uplanit.com is a website with a real difference -

"We allow people to specifically target the things they want to do by creating a Wish List from a range of options on the uplanit.com site. When we get their Wish List we take care of details, for example the best driving routes, to create a suggested itinerary for them to consider. The advantage of our customers dealing with Australia and New Zealand travel experts who know their countries so well is an added bonus.

Partners in Travel

All uplanit.com vacation reservations and bookings are completed by the team at Magnetic South, the tour operating arm of the House of Travel Group - customers therefore benefit from the unequalled buying power of New Zealand's largest independent retail travel chain.

Thanks - the creation of this website would not have been possible without the contributions of some key players who worked beyond the bounds of duty, especially Julian Rhind at Ezi-Solutions and designer Matt Barron.

Personal Stuff - for anyone who might be interested in a peek behind the scenes of uplanit.com, my family, of whom I am hugely proud, can be seen here Family

Lindsay Barron, CEO, uplanit.com