About Us

Uplanit.com was founded by New Zealander Lindsay Barron in 2007.

Lindsay started his career in travel in 1967 in the commercial division of New Zealand's international airline Air New Zealand. In 1979 he and fellow Air New Zealand employee Chris Paulsen 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 that today has over 90 offices throughout Australia and New Zealand, and with an annual turnover of NZ$1.3 billion it is now New Zealand's largest independent retail travel business.

In 1991 Lindsay had set his sights on opening a new 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 a two year stay in the USA from where uplanit.com was launched, Lindsay returned to New Zealand in September 2008 to take up a senior management position at House of Travel and it is from here that uplanit.com continues to assist vacationers planning a visit to Australia or New Zealand.

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 - uplanit.com 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