Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP here who has promised DD9 a trip to Australia. Thank you for all this great advice.

Our plan is to go during our summer, choosing specific dates based on airfare cost. Focus will be on wherever she can see/hold/learn about koalas.

If you had 20 days total, would you spend a few in Fiji or Tahiti? Or focus on Australia? We are east coasters who may not make it to Oceania again

I'd do New Zealand and Aus with that much time. But I believe that you can get a free stopover in Tahiti on Air Tahiti when flying to Aus. You may want to check their promotions at the website. Book early to save money.

If you do that spend the greater part of the time in NZ rather than Australia.

Anonymous wrote:NP here who has promised DD9 a trip to Australia. Thank you for all this great advice.

Our plan is to go during our summer, choosing specific dates based on airfare cost. Focus will be on wherever she can see/hold/learn about koalas.

If you had 20 days total, would you spend a few in Fiji or Tahiti? Or focus on Australia? We are east coasters who may not make it to Oceania again

I'd do New Zealand and Aus with that much time. But I believe that you can get a free stopover in Tahiti on Air Tahiti when flying to Aus. You may want to check their promotions at the website. Book early to save money.

Anonymous wrote:Can PPs talk more about preferring our summer break for this trip?

Also would flying from west coast cut costs?

As opposed to what? If you live in DC what would you do? Drive to CA?

Anonymous wrote:NP here who has promised DD9 a trip to Australia. Thank you for all this great advice.

Our plan is to go during our summer, choosing specific dates based on airfare cost. Focus will be on wherever she can see/hold/learn about koalas.

If you had 20 days total, would you spend a few in Fiji or Tahiti? Or focus on Australia? We are east coasters who may not make it to Oceania again

There are lots of small zoos for holding koalas. They smell pretty bad! They actually have them holding onto a trunk while you touch them. You don't get to cuddle them like a puppy. Some zoos are starting to ban this practice.

If your daughter is 9, this isn't her only chance to visit. She has many years ahead of her, and who knows where she'll go or live.

Are you saying Fiji or Tahiti because of the airlines you're considering? To be honest, I liked Kauai more.

NP here who has promised DD9 a trip to Australia. Thank you for all this great advice.

Our plan is to go during our summer, choosing specific dates based on airfare cost. Focus will be on wherever she can see/hold/learn about koalas.

If you had 20 days total, would you spend a few in Fiji or Tahiti? Or focus on Australia? We are east coasters who may not make it to Oceania again

Anonymous wrote:What would be a realistic budget for a family 5 to go to Australia - probably for 2 weeks over winter break in December - presumably to see the greatest hits but we are ok with Airbnb fwiw.

Kids would be 18, 16, and 13 at the time of trip. And this would be in 4.5 years! But I need to start saving sooner than later.

Is $30K too low ball of an estimate? That was my best guess. But I have no experience and I am essentially basing that estimate on vibes only

We spent abut $35K for 5 of us to fly to South Africa for a blow out safari. I think 35K is quite expensive - unless you plan to really go luxury. yes, the airfare will cost but thereafter I don't see where the additional $20K will go in 2 weeks. Airbnb could be $4-5K. Rent a car. And the rest if just eating a shopping. Most of what Australia has to offer is the great outdoors, which is free.

Let's say $10K on airfare, $6K on lodging, and another $6K on expenses? That's only $22K.

We went last summer to Sydney, Melbourne, and Great Barrier reef. It was great and winters in Sydney/Melbourne are so mild like 60-65 degrees. That’s warm and we didn’t even need a jacket unless we were on the ferry.

BGR up north is warm and summer weather.

Anonymous wrote:Why Australia?

Just asking as someone who has been there many, many times. It's a very long way to go to end up in a country that is very similar to the one you started in. Lots of places in the world that are far and you feel it when you land. But perhaps that's part of the appeal?


Anyway, yes, in 4.5 years you will need at least $35k+

I’m an Aussie living in the USA and disagree with the statement that it’s like the US. Yes they speak English in Australia but it’s not like the US. December is hot and crowded. It will be a very expensive time to travel there. I’d try to go in the summer of USA as it’s cooler and way less touristy.

Last week tix were on sale for about $1000 each but not at Christmas. If you want to hit the Great Barrier Reef and NT, go in our summer. Check summer break (their winter) school schedules as well. You’ll save a ton by avoiding those. Restaurant costs are lower than in DC, in my experience. Hotels aren’t too outrageous. I’d do their summer if you want Tasmania but then I’d avoid Far North Queensland. I think our Northern summer is a great time, but for Tassie.

Our summer is Australian winter. I have friends who do a custody exchange every Christmas break.

Anonymous wrote:Can PPs talk more about preferring our summer break for this trip?

Also would flying from west coast cut costs?

It depends on what you want to do. If you want to go to the tropical north plus Great Barrier Reef and Uluru plus red centre, then you should go in the Australian winter. Otherwise you hit monsoon season and can’t swim in north plus to hot in centre. Sydney can be lovely and swimmable in their winter but no guarantee.

I always fly via the West Coast and do not know anyone who has flown the other way. You usually connect in LA, SF or Houston. Think it’s also possible to go via Vancouver but that’s riskier if you miss the connection. Best to avoid Australian mid-year school break which is usually about 3-4 weeks.

One of the biggest unknowns this far out is what the exchange rate will do. At the moment it favours the US dollar. Now it’s $0.65 per Aussie $ but 8 years ago it was $0.80.

Can PPs talk more about preferring our summer break for this trip?

Also would flying from west coast cut costs?

Thanks - I’ll take all of this under consideration! The good thing is - I’ll use any money save for *a* trip even if we change locations.

I was recently priced out of Galapagos so I wanted to save for longer this time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:December and January is the most expensive time to fly there. This is the time Aussie expats will be travelling back home to spend Christmas without their families and Aussie families will travel here, especially to ski. You will also encounter premium costs incountry as the school summer break typically is about mid-December to end-January. To get the most reasonable fares, you need to have booked near the beginning of the year but even so, the flights would have been expensive. For flights less than 25 hours, it will be more than $3,000 per person.

Also, in terms of the amount of time, remember it will be about 30 hours door to door each way and you also lose a day on the way over (ie if you leave on 15th, you arrive on 17th).

* with their families

Missed you said this would be in 4.5 years. Suggest you look at going in the US summer break as flights should be cheaper and it’s the right time to go to the centre and the north. These places are too hot in the Aussie summer (plus you can’t swim in the tropics at that time).

Do a safari instead.