topic Re: What travel agency to use to come visit you people down under? in Community Spirit

What travel agency to use to come visit you people down under?

piggysplace — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 00:15:51 GMT

Hi guys, I am starting the process of a trip to Oz, and wondering what a good travel agency might be. OR, is there a better way to come on over and dive your reef, and do some motorcycle travel?

OR, should I just jump in a rickity boat and float on in and cry amnesty? I don't want to stay too long, maybe a couple months at best.

You guys have an interesting visa, I forget what it is called, but rather cheap and multiple use.

What airline would you recommend?

Thanks

Dave

Re: What travel agency to use to come visit you people down under?

marwi5023 — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 01:15:50 GMT

Whatever you do don't come here with a backpack. We love killing backpackers

Re: What travel agency to use to come visit you people down under?

imastawka — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 01:56:48 GMT

Airline? Qantas, of course.

We love ~~new meat~~ visitors

Not everything in Australia wants to kill you.

We have the Happiest Animal on Earth who loves to take selfies - The Quokka

https://www.google.com.au/search?q=quokka+selfies&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj8gaLO-JXcAhVHabwKHbRTABIQ_AUICigB&biw=1123&bih=579

Re: What travel agency to use to come visit you people down under?

davidc4430 — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 02:07:38 GMT

Flying Kangaroo Airlines

Re: What travel agency to use to come visit you people down under?

joztamps — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 02:58:43 GMT

The Lady Penrhyn carried many happy visitors to Australia

Re: What travel agency to use to come visit you people down under?

davidc4430 — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 03:12:26 GMT

Best you choose a nice day for your trip

Re: What travel agency to use to come visit you people down under?

piggysplace — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 03:29:00 GMT

So what I'm hearing is to take sail or take a cruize ship. Could be fun, I don't particularly like flying.

Found this when searching for sailing to Austrailia. Don't know if you ever heard bluegrass. I just picture you guys staring at a portrait of the Queen, sipping tea.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htb84WfTg2c

Re: What travel agency to use to come visit you people down under?

freddie*rooster — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 04:17:36 GMT

Piggy all these helpful people who responded to you

work for Aussie Travel Agents

So their advice is spot on.

Re: What travel agency to use to come visit you people down under?

springyzone — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 06:07:05 GMT

@piggysplace wrote:
Hi guys, I am starting the process of a trip to Oz, and wondering what a good travel agency might be. OR, is there a better way to come on over and dive your reef, and do some motorcycle travel?

OR, should I just jump in a rickity boat and float on in and cry amnesty? I don't want to stay too long, maybe a couple months at best.

You guys have an interesting visa, I forget what it is called, but rather cheap and multiple use.

What airline would you recommend?

Thanks
Dave

Your best bet is to have a look at a few sites and figure out where you'd like to go, what you want to see. Then narrow it down. It would be too tiring to try to see it all.

This is a big country, most of the people live in the main cities and there is a lot of space in between. I'm not saying that nothing in that space is worth seeing but there's an awful lot of it which can make for too much travel, not enough time doing things unless you are careful.

I hate flying too, although quite possibly I could handle first class beautifully. Sure I could. But cattle class*shudder*. I recently found 10 hour flights enough.

So far, I am getting that you probably will see Sydney & far north Qld.

Choose your time of year carefully. Draw a horizontal line through the middle of Aust. The top half is not so great during our 'summer' or what is their wet season. Too humid.

The bottom half tends to have 4 seasons and be a bit milder.

If you want to do far north Queensland, Then you might be better to come any time except eg Nov-Feb.

I'm speaking from my own experience as a Victorian, I find too much heat and humidity defeats me. I suppose it is what you're used to & where in USA you come from.

When I was up there a few years back (in Sept-Oct) we met an American couple on a tour. They were sitting under a tree and said they could hardly wait to get to melbourne (in the South) as the heat & humidity was too much for them. That was the start of Oct. It was already like a sauna by lunchtime.

There are some good little cruises that go to Far North Queensland from Sydney. We went on one a few years back and were able to book a reef trip on one of the days. You only get a few hours on the reef though. If you are after a longer experience you may want to stay eg in Cairns for a few days.

If you look on sites such as groupon, they often have good deals for stays like that.

We booked a coach holiday once through globaljourneys (well, it was the relaxing journeys part of their company) and they were good, always quick to get back to us. They had a good website to read reviews, summaries of trips, usual age group on them etc

Airlines-depends on what you are after. If you go with one of the budget airlines for domestic travel here though, don't dare be a minute late with check in or they won't let you on board the plane. And weigh the luggage to the last gram. otherwise they are okay-no meals included but get you to the destination.

Re: What travel agency to use to come visit you people down under?

joztamps — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 06:36:43 GMT

Reminds me of a story Billy Connolly told about FNQ.

He and a couple of mates were on a long driving trip north, and after 3 or 4 hours they were dying for a swim.

So the first decent beach they spot, they scream to a halt, jump out of the car, and all sprint for the water, yelling and screaming like kids.

Suddenly the leader stops dead and as the rest crash into him he says "Hang on, fellas, there could be sharks here!"

Silence.

Then one of them spots an old fella sitting further up the beach, idly dangling an old surf rod in the water.

So they up to him, and say "G'day mate, etc, etc," then "Tell us china, are there any sharks here".

"Nah, nah, no sharks here, mate".

"Beauty!" they yell and head for the water again, flat out.

Until, just as they get their feet wet, they hear the old bloke continuing the conversation in the usual long, slow, FNQ style "The crocs ate all the sharks years ago".

Re: What travel agency to use to come visit you people down under?

lurker172602 — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 06:43:25 GMT

It’s a big country

Re: What travel agency to use to come visit you people down under?

kopenhagen5 — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 06:53:02 GMT

The visa you might be thinking of is the Electronic Travel Authority for tourism obtainable for less then 90 days.

You could probably get a good deal going into one of your discount travel agents locally to get airline tickets and keep things open.

Unless they throw in a few nights stay in a package.

Then when you get here there are good backpacker hostels or inexpensive motels outside of the city areas.

Jump online to find a cheap second hand bike with registration and roadworthy near to where you might fly into.

https://www.bikesales.com.au/

Then you are set. If you are only going to be here 4-6- weeks then maybe stick to Qld and NSW.

In other words fly into Qld and bike around going up north then ride down to Sydney along the coast, sell the bike and see Sydney flying out from there. Just a suggestion.

Edit - lurker, long time.

Re: What travel agency to use to come visit you people down under?

davidc4430 — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 07:39:26 GMT

tell em your an expert fruit picker they'll just wave ya through.

Re: What travel agency to use to come visit you people down under?

zanadoo_56 — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 11:48:05 GMT

Thinking about the Oz TV show Border Patrol a few things come to mind.

If you have anything to declare, read the whole form carefully and do it.

Bring enough money (or prove you can access enough) to enable you to enjoy your holiday.

Make sure all the paperwork (visa, passport etc) is correct...100% correct.

Don't bring anything that even remotely suggests you might look for work (even temporary) if you do not have the right visa to do so.

If you've got friends, family etc here have their details handy.

This one is mostly for Asian visitors but you never know.....don't bring any weird food. Quarantine might not like it.

I used to think about visiting some internet friends in the UK (just a pipe dream....it was never going to happen) and could picture myself on the UK version of Border Patrol where I'd be asked what famous places would I be visiting (ie was I a genuine tourist) and I'd say none. My arthritis meant walking around old castles or the famous streets of London wjould be impossible.

At that point on the program I'd be marched onto the next plane back to Oz. 🙂

Re: What travel agency to use to come visit you people down under?

springyzone — Thu, 12 Jul 2018 00:58:13 GMT

I watch those shows too, zanadoo.

It has inspired me to use packing cells for most of my things. Keeps the suitcase looking very tidy.

I'd hate to have to open a suitcase on camera and have all my stuff tumble out.

Main thing I think is to read the form and declare anything you even remotely suspect might fit into their categories. That way, they can check if they wanrt to and decide.

Basically if you try to avoid food and wood, you're pretty right.

If you have prescription medicine, keep it in its original chemist box with your name on it etc and it's worth having a letter from the doctor with a list of what medication you are on and why. I guess that really only applies if you're getting older and have quite a few medical conditions though. When we travel, my husband has almost a whole carry on full of his medications and we've never had the slightest trouble as long as customs can see it.

Re: What travel agency to use to come visit you people down under?

zanadoo_56 — Thu, 12 Jul 2018 02:41:29 GMT

If the last part about the medicines was intended for me (the OP sounds younger and fitter) its not an issue because I don't travel overseas. I never have and now I'm so decrepit it is likely I never will. I couldn't manage the walk from the carpark to the airport terminal these days. I've never applied for a passport. There was a brief time in my teens where visiting the UK was a vague possibility and I was quite enthusiastic....until I found out my parents would go (it was a once in a lifetime job offer) but we kids would stay behind in a boarding school. As my parents often used boarding school as a threat for disobedient behaviour you can imagine how well that went down. Anyway, in the end no one went to England.

I hope if the OP chooses a travel agent it's a good one. That's another thing I've seen on those TV shows - travellers getting the wrong advice or filling out the wrong paperwork.

Re: What travel agency to use to come visit you people down under?

piggysplace — Thu, 12 Jul 2018 20:45:59 GMT

I talked to a tavel agent this morning. air fare is about $2k or $8k for first class. I asked if she could find me a boat trip. Seems nobody travels by boat any longer. Cruises are targeted to local areas and I haven't found any cruise ship that goes from Long Beach (los angeles) to Oz.

I wouldn't mind a cargo ship or such (see movie Fastest Indian) or even some other sailing vessel. The thought of 15 hours caged on an airplane, having to breath their farts and other expulsions, just doesn't sound fun. I went to Hawaii and the people nearby were sick, and guess what, got sick and messed up my vacation.

Re: What travel agency to use to come visit you people down under?

imastawka — Thu, 12 Jul 2018 21:15:24 GMT

If we have cruises that go to Hawaii, then why can't you join the boat for the trip back here?

There must be cruise ships leaving Hawaii for here. Try googling it.

Re: What travel agency to use to come visit you people down under?

davidc4430 — Fri, 13 Jul 2018 00:30:38 GMT

i found a company who might help you

looks like a well run organisation

Re: What travel agency to use to come visit you people down under?

this-one-time-at-bandcamp — Fri, 13 Jul 2018 00:43:06 GMT

Coming, as a kid from the States to Oz, we took a liner to Hawaii, then a Pan-Am clipper to Sydney. Returning, we sailed on the Oransay to San Francisco. Those were fun days, for a 10 year-old. Met my first girl friend on board, her name was Gail Le Bas De Plumetot, the daughter of a French consular official.