Is New Zealand on Your Dream List?

This week our “How I Travel” series profiled Top Chef winner Hosea Rosenberg. Since his win in the cooking competition show, Hosea’s been traveling all over the US, cooking and meeting new people – he even got to ride along with a Marid Gras Krewe in New Orleans. But Hosea still hasn’t made it to one place that tops his “never-been, want to go” list – New Zealand.

It’s easy to see why New Zealand does top the dream destination lists of so many travelers. With incredible, other-worldy landscapes of majestic mountains and stunning lakes, it’s no wonder it was chosen to represent the mythical land of “Middle Earth” in the Lord of the Rings movies.

Its location in a far off corner of the world only adds to the appeal – for American travelers, it’s about as far away from home as they can go. It’s also an adventure-junkie’s paradise – white water rafting, zorbing, whale-watching, and bungee-jumping (which originated here) are all popular activities in New Zealand.

Cheap flights to Auckland are hard to come by, but they do exist, especially in off-season and if you are flying from the west coast of the US. Last-minute discounts are not uncommon, and being able to plan a trip on short notice can help you save big. We can also help you find affordable New Zealand hotels that work within your budget.

Photo by IanL