About xtravel
The xtravel team are passionate travellers who provide eXtraordinary eXperiences with eXpert knowledge to eXceed our clients’ travel eXpectations.
xtravel is one of Central Otago’s most experienced travel companies with a combined 46 years travel industry experience in Queenstown and New Zealand. Founders Niki and Tori work together as a dream team with a wealth of skills, knowledge and practical experience. While Niki is a specialist in cruise, family and corporate travel and Tori; South America, Africa and adventure, the team are well versed in travel worldwide and aim to make your travel experience as smooth as possible, whilst providing exceptional and personalised service.
You can confidently let xtravel take control of the entire co-ordination and planning of your travel. Whether it be for business or pleasure, xtravel has the best solution for your needs. What sets xtravel apart from other agencies is flexibility and customisation. They are more than happy to customise, within reason, all documents, processes, fee structures, payment solutions, reporting options and accessibility to suit your business and your company structure.
Whether you’re after an escorted tour, a cruise, full service business travel or a family holiday, talk to the xtravel team about your travel needs today!
Visit the website - www.xtravel.co.nz
Blog
To celebrate International Women’s Day we spoke to Tori from xtravel to learn a bit more about her and her journey and career
Introducing Tori (Victoria) Keating, 44 fabulous years old, 17 years in travel!
A bit about Tori and how she landed in travel:
Originally from Australia, I had just done my OE in the UK for 2 years, wanted to learn how to snowboard so moved to NZ! After travelling to Thailand. I started my career in travel with a travel retail store, where I begged them for the job, I spent 5 and a half years here then 5 and a half years at World Travellers, then Niki and I started xtravel.
We decided we wanted to create something we were in control of, wanted to be independent, and have flexibility for customers and being in control of our own destiny.
Magic moments inspire me, and I love being able to make these for my clients. I always like to try and include these for clients, and they are moments that stick with them and surprise and delight them. A stand out for me was when I took tours to Cuba, and I booked classic cars as a surprise coming from the airport for my group. It immediately set the tone for the trip, surprised everyone and they were delighted!
I seem to gravitate towards adventure travel, Antarctica, wild life travel Africa / South America, I’m happy as a pig in a mud bath when I’m doing this sort of travel.
What I love about travel is that it’s always changing, during 2019 for xtravel’s 3rd birthday speech, I asked for a quieter 2020, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. The nature of travel is always dynamic and one of the things I love about travel as it always keeps me on my feet. Always find different ways to make the magic.
When we organised the repatriation flights through Covid, the idea was organic, I volunteered at a migrant hub, and as a result talked to 100s of migrant workers in Queenstown who were stuck and unable to head home. We worked with the embassies, chartered a small plane from Queenstown to Christchurch to meet repatriation flights to get them home, which lead to working with more embassies and LATAM cargo flights, the demand continued, and then we chartered flights from there.
This sums me up as a travel specialist: I work to create magical and memorable moments for my clients and my people. Ultimately, this is why we started xtravel, we wanted to focus on what our people wanted and needed.
A bit more about the magic Tori brings to her community:
Outside work I dance salsa, direct and act in local theatre, volunteer on the local golf club bar, dress up as a dinosaur and terrorise the neighbourhood, entertain as a fairy at many local events (plus I do Christmas photos each year with Santa as a Christmas elf), plus I volunteer on my local ambulance.
Inspiring advice she stands by: At the beginning of Covid I was listening to Jordan B Peterson’s book `12 rules for Life’. In it he challenges the reader by asking in tough times, will you rise to the challenge or respond to the catastrophe. At xtravel we chose to rise to the challenge, and we affected thousands of lives in doing so.
Her biggest career highlights and successes:
Starting xtravel in November 2016 with my amazingly strong business partner, Niki Davies, and also chartering LATAM Dreamliners throughout Covid to repatriate over 2000 people home.
Tori’s advice to women: Be bold, and be brave. You get one shot at life, and there’s just no time to waste being timid or quiet. Make a splash, and make it a big one.
Her best travel highlight of all time:
It absolutely has to be travelling to Antarctica. I’m fortunate to have been twice, both on an icebreaker ship and a luxury expedition ship too. Though they both offer very different experiences, the serenity and the breathtaking, awe inspiring scenery is simply amazing, and the wildlife is quite spectacular. Penguins are the best!
