Which tour group? Australia Feb. March 2022

Old Jul 2nd, 2021, 12:12 PM
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Which tour group? Australia Feb. March 2022

So many tour groups! How do you decide?
Can you help us based on this information:
1. Active Seniors
2. Travel with a small group
3. Want ample time to eat/ explore on our own
4, Desire 3 - 4 star accommodations near places of interest
5. Experienced travel guides

Two full weeks in Australia and then New Zealand OR spend a month in Australia/?? Feb, March
Many, many thanks!
mrsgo is offline  
Old Jul 2nd, 2021, 05:44 PM
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Firstly, we would love to welcome you but it's highly likely Australia will not be open to international tourists early next year. Our vaccine rollout is woeful and although COVID numbers are very low, international borders are mostly shut (don't get me started on who can do as they please) and state border lockdowns are something Australians are increasingly frustrated with.

It doesn't hurt to plan though, you could look at AAT Kings, they've been around a long time. Also APT Touring are well known. This website might help -

https://www.australia.com/en/deals-a...-packages.html

Australia is a pretty easy country to travel around independently. Just be aware of the vast distances. You could easily spend a month here, if you only have two weeks, keep to maybe two or three destinations, such as Sydney and Cairns/Port Douglas or Sydney/Tasmania. You'd need to fly between these destinations.

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Old Jul 2nd, 2021, 06:02 PM
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Hello MrsGo & welcome to the Australian board. I hope we can welcome you to our shores next year too, but you might need to be flexible with the dates.

I gather from some of your other posts, you’re from the US. Not stalking you, but it helps to know where visitors live, so we can give some context & perhaps useful comparisons in our answers.

I’ll assume this is your first trip to Australia, and New Zealand which has its own Forum, so if I repeat information you already know, forgive me.

1. February & March are the hottest months in much of Australia, where the warmer parts are in the North. It’s also the wetter part of the year in the top bits of the country. This may or may not bother you, but you will need to be flexible in your destination & timing planning.


2. Australia is a big place. Name:  GA6264.gif
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Whilst we’re nearly as big as the US, our population is about 25.4m, mostly living around the eastern seaboard.

We have great cities, every Capital city has its own distinctive architecture, character, culture and, of course geographic & climate differences. That said, it’s out of the cities that the most of our iconic Australian sights, sites & experiences are to be found. With very few exceptions, they’re not close together and it takes time to travel between them.

Normally, I would recommend a month here, and I probably still would, but might suggest splitting your time between the mainland and Tasmania. A lot depends on what you want to see & do.

Most posters, including many returning visitors, would recommend a DIY approach in travelling within Australia, rather than organised group tours. Or a mix of independent and special interest small group tours for specific purposes. A wildlife tour in the Atherton Tablelands; perhaps a 2-3 day Great Ocean Road trip or a couple of days on a sheep & cattle station out of Longreach. Maybe a guided walking tour in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane … that sort of thing.

It is really very easy to plan & execute your own travel & accommodation etc., within Australia. And we love helping people to do it so they get the very best they can out of their own trip - tailored to their own travelling style, budget, what they want to see & do and available time.

You’ve said you’re active seniors - perfect! You’re old enough to know what you like, mature enough to know flexibility & compromise are essential ingredients for getting the best out of life.
And active enough to get out & enjoy it.

Even if you ultimately default to an organised tour, and there’s nothing wrong with that if it’s your thing, you’ll still need to know:
* What’s available & where.
* What each of you would like to see & do.
* Which of those you can realistically fit into your available time .

There is a lot of information on the internet et, but I’ll just start with these few links, to give you an idea of the first … what we have & where it is.

www.australia.com

That will give you somewhere to start.

Lastly, when our international border does open - you will need Visas to visit us. You can obtain an ETA ( Electronic Travel Authority) through the Australian Government website for $20.
Hopefully, Luigi or one of our other visa gurus will be along shortly snd give you the link. I’m posting on my iPad and will lose the post if I leave it now to search foe the right link.
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Old Jul 3rd, 2021, 04:29 AM
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Fantastic help! THANK YOU!!!!!!!
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Old Jul 4th, 2021, 12:27 AM
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Luigi gives advice in that other place!
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Old Jul 25th, 2021, 09:03 PM
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If you're wanting an eco friendly guide there is a site called The Green Travel Guide which showcases companies with ecotourism certification.

Many of these operators cater to smaller group sizes as its easier to be eco friendly that way.
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