I found Australia to be quite similar to the US (other than the fauna, of course ). Sydney is like San Francisco. Adelaide and environs is like Napa wine country. Alice Springs/Ayers rock looks like Utah/red rock formations out west. Etc. Etc. So I found it not worth the lengthy trip/$$ when we have so many incredible/similar sights right here in the US.

Anonymous wrote:As I get older it’s a place I do want to check off the bucket list but the lengthy flights are what makes me somewhat ambivalent on if I truly want to go or not.

How tired were you after arriving? Was the trip worth the length of the flights?

When my parents went (late 60’s), they flew there and while tiring it was fine. On the way back, they stopped in Hawaii for three days and they said that made the trip home much nicer.

Make it part of a longer round the world itinerary. That’s what we did, US to Europe to Middle East to Australia to NZ to US. Worked well for us.

Evaluate pricing between Economy, E+, and Premium Economy. Its a very long flight. The extra leg room might make a big difference for someone average height or taller.

Op here. Thanks PPs! This is all good intel. The trip would be Economy. I could probably manage 10 days off work and then add some weekend hours in.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can stop over along the way if that helps (for some it does). I've gone twice, and stopped in Hong Kong or Singapore a few days on the way over.

Have you ever looked at a map?

We lived in Europe at the time.

Perhaps that would be helpful information for people when you suggest it, considering this is DC Urban Moms not Prague Urban Moms.

Only in first class.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can stop over along the way if that helps (for some it does). I've gone twice, and stopped in Hong Kong or Singapore a few days on the way over.

Have you ever looked at a map?

We lived in Europe at the time.

I thought it was. We overnighted in CA each way, we have family there. We had three days on a liveaboard dive boat, a few days in Cairns (rainforest jeep tour, trip to Kuranda), and a couple of days in Sydney at the end. It was a jam-packed trip, but I love being on the go while I'm vacationing. Not sure I'd do it if I'm looking for time to relax.

For me, yes. The nature elements are amazing. The penguins at Phillips island. Kangaroos are so much more common than what I had expected, I was shocked to see them hopping on by near the side of the highways. Kids will enjoy the koala encounters at various zoos/animal sanctuaries.

I really liked Melbourne and Sydney. Both vibrant cities with great food cultures. Climbing the Sydney harbor bridge is an amazing experience. Try your hand at surfing at Bondi beach.

Australia is a huge country, and I was barely there 2 weeks--there's so much more that's incredible.

Maybe? We were living in Asia when we went to Australia and NZ several times. It was fine with the significantly shorter flight times. I liked both places. But from the US? That’s a long haul.

Plan a long visit. If you’re always going to be wondering about it, you should go.