I would like to get information on airfare prices from
Canada to Sydney Australia or where to get information with
Canadian prices for airfare. I am travelling for 3 weeks in
Nov/Dec within Australia, Sydney (3 days), Kangaroo Island
& Adelaide (3 days),Oz Experience possibly to Alice
Springs, 3 day Safari Ayers Rock and on to Cairns, before
flying to N.Z for Dec/ Jan. I would like to hear from
anyone with suggestions if one should purchase Bus Passes
or Travel Passes in Sydney or N.Z, or take established
passes such as Kiwi or OZ Experience, and what to see and
do when you're on a tight budget and fixed time period.
Does anyone know if at that time of the year, what type of
shoes one should bring for walking in N.Z or Australia,
especially at Ayers Rock? Should I book all my
accommodation ( hostels or bed and breakfast) now? Does
anyone knows if there will be a problem with getting
accommodation in January in the South Island of N.Z?
All advice is welcomed and definitely appreciated.
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Quantas offers a "triangle fare" which is available in
Canada before you leave. This can be purchased in
conjunction with your ticket to Oz. Each ticket costs $120.
and will get you from any City in Oz to the next. This is
better than purchasing them there so I am told and saves the
hassle of running around to buy them there.
Try travel cuts. They have some really good deal,
especially if you are a student.
I am a dreaded Aussie Travel agent who also specialises in
NZ. I was recently there (last week) for a conference run
by the NZ tourism board and I can tell you Auckland up north
is a stay away zone. Kiwi's tradiitonally utilise their own
tourism areas and as it will be school holidays, you will
experience some problems, this is always the case. Being
the Millenium - well its anyones guess.
I had a look at my system for possible fares (specials) but
none in there. The pass some one is talking about up there
is probably available and it could be either a backpacker
type fare (which exist, but ask Qantas what the rules are)
or there are international add ons which MAY be cheaper but
advance purchase type fares are more likely to be cheaper.
Re bus passes in Aust, there is a Greyhound kilometre pass
or even a McCafferty's or there is Oz Experience (the Oz
version of Kiwi experience) and a couple of other small
limited operators. I (strangely) happen to sell them all!
Have a good time down here.
Canada 3000 offers some great fares to Oz.(as low as 1000
canadian return) from western canada, probably a little more
from TO. Phone em or go to their website and they will
forward their specials to you weekly.Remember that on any
flights in Oz you can get up to a 30 per cent discount right
at the flight counter by producing your passport and an open
ticket.(Thats one they wont tell you about otherwise.) Join
a hostel group when you arrive in Oz, usual cost about $25
but it will save you even more on car rentals or flights.
kbc is right - they are called an international add on fare
and can be good BUT if you plan the trip well and stay 4
days in a capital city, travel around in a circle ending up
in the same place, either book 21 days in advance OR take
their accommodation package for 3 nights excluding a
Saturday (or 2 nights with a Saturday) and subject to seat
availability you can get a 21 day advance fare added end to
end to make a circle fare around Australia.
See, I know my stuff and am happy to share it.
Sorry forgot to add to above that if you take the
accommodation you can try booking as late as 8 or so days
before travel on first leg.
The key Kiwi times to go away are.... December and
January. And there is suggestion the millenium buzz will
make it worse.
I would book accommodation as soon as you have a certain
schedule, and not after July/August.
I have travelled on three occasions to Australia and New
Zealand in the last five years--always between December and
March. I stayed in hostels and had no trouble finding
accom. or land transportation on short notice--and almost
always my first choice. But I would book Sydney accom
now. In general, if you know exactly where you will be on
a given date(FOR EXAMPLE, THE DAY YOUR OVERSEAS FLIGHT
ARRIVES)go ahead and book in advance. Otherwise book as you
go along. This allows for flexibility and the opportunity
to stay longer or leave sooner as whim will allow. I have
done most of the Aussie things you are planning. I would
wait to book travel until arrival in OZ. Do the 3 day
Straycat backpacker bus to Melbourne. Spend two days max.
there (it really is a lot like TO). From Melbourne take the
Wayward Bus along the Great Ocean Road to Adelaide. All
accom can be arranged on the buses as you go. I spent five
days on Kangaroo Island---a real highlight and highly
recomm. From Adelaide I did a 10 day camping trip thru the
Flinders Range , the Simpson Desert, and on thru Uluru
(Ayers Rock) to Alice. It is a spectacularly unique
landscape unlike anything you will have seen in Canada or
anywhere else in the world for that matter. Wayward Bus
has an Adelaide -Alice 10 day trip. If you are only in Oz
for three weeks, I'd go overland betw. Adelaide and Alice
and fly onward from there to Cairns. Remember that time of
year is the off-season for Cairns (the Wet, possible
cyclones, and the dreaded box jellyfish are in the water)--
so I would pass and go directly to New Zealand. I know all
the guidebooks (and some posters) warn about high season
travel and everything being packed out in January--but
compared to 350 million people roaming around North America
in July and August--NZ is, in my experience, uncrowded even
in the busiest season. One final note about Jan. on the
South Island, I stayed in the most highly rated hostels in
Queenstown and Milford booking them only a couple of days
in advance. And while you're in that part of NZ. check out
the Southern Explorer backpacker bus--highly recomm. for an
off the beaten track experience.