Over coffee at Wild Oats Café, Josie Askin sat down with Rebecca Kent, founder of Rove Culture, for the May episode of the GoCarterton Business Spotlight — a conversation about travel, culture, uncertainty, and the very human side of helping people move through the world.
Rebecca founded Rove Culture in 2017 after many years in the airline and travel industries. Her career began at Blenheim Airport, continued through Wellington Airport and the UK, and eventually led her into travel consulting and business ownership.
Today, Rove Culture is a mobile travel agency based in Wairarapa, helping clients create meaningful, carefully planned journeys — from South Pacific holidays to more unusual destinations such as Azerbaijan, Transilvania, Georgia, Egypt, Madagascar, South Korea and Taiwan.
The name itself captures Rebecca’s approach to travel. “Rove” means to wander or roam, while “culture” reflects both the cultures people visit and the culture of travellers themselves.
For Rebecca, travel has always been about more than ticking off destinations.
“It comes back to the humanity side of it. Helping people explore new horizons, experience different cultures, and sometimes helping them when they’re in a bit of a pickle.”
Rebecca Kent
That support has become especially important during periods of global disruption. In the episode, Rebecca spoke about the impact of Middle East travel warnings, fuel costs and airline changes, explaining why early booking and expert guidance can make a major difference.
Her advice was clear: travel is still possible, but having someone knowledgeable in your corner matters. “When something goes wrong, having someone there to help is really important,” she said.
That philosophy sits at the heart of Rove Culture’s service. The agency works flexibly with clients through phone, email, Zoom, in-person meetings and regular Friday morning drop-in sessions at Almo’s Café in Carterton.
Rebecca and her colleague Kirsty bring extensive travel experience to the business, with more than 100 countries visited between them. That experience gives them practical insight into the reality of travel — not just the glossy brochure version, but the delays, disruptions, difficult routes and unexpected moments that require calm decision-making.
Rebecca also shared one of Rove Culture’s most thoughtful services: bereavement travel support for existing clients. If a client receives the kind of phone call no one wants to receive and needs to travel urgently, Rove Culture can help organise flights, rental cars, visas and logistics at short notice.
“There’ll be an email in your inbox in one hour, and I’ll give you a call in one hour.”
Because they already hold key client details, they can act quickly and reduce the burden during an already overwhelming time.
“It’s a little bit of an odd service to talk about,” Rebecca said, “but it’s nice to be able to take that pressure away.”
The conversation also offered a glimpse into Rebecca’s life in Wairarapa. She and her partner moved from Wellington more than ten years ago after a Sunday drive unexpectedly turned into buying a lifestyle block. They now share their property with four donkeys, three of them rescues.
That mix of curiosity, compassion and adventure runs through both Rebecca’s personal story and the way Rove Culture operates.
Whether helping someone plan a long-awaited holiday, navigate disrupted flights, explore a less familiar destination or get home during a family emergency, Rove Culture is built around care, experience and attention to detail.
As Josie and Rebecca’s conversation made clear, travel is rarely just about where people go. It is about why they go, who they travel with, what they encounter along the way, and who helps when the unexpected happens.
This conversation was originally recorded for the GoCarterton Business Spotlight series on Arrow FM, celebrating local businesses, stories and community connections across Carterton District.
