Australia Is Closer Than You Think
In every survey of where Americans dream of traveling, two countries trade the top spot: Italy and Australia. Italy gets booked. Australia gets postponed.
I have been to Australia five times, and I am taking my own family back this year. So let me take the three beliefs that keep postponing your trip and hold them up to the light.
The distance myth
From Los Angeles, the flight to Sydney runs about 3.5 hours longer than the flight to Rome. From Texas, where I live, there is a nonstop from Houston that puts you in Sydney in one sleep, and the trip home rides the jet stream in as little as 15 hours. Once you count layovers on a typical Europe routing, the totals land closer than anyone expects.
Every worthwhile place is far from somewhere. Australia is not uniquely far. It is uniquely postponed.
The time myth
The idea that Australia has to be a month, once in your life, does more damage than the ocean does. You do not need a month. A well-designed 7 to 10 day itinerary, Sydney and the Great Barrier Reef, say, is a complete and unhurried vacation.
Nobody tries to see all of Europe in one trip, and nobody should try to see all of Australia in one either. Choose one or two regions. Go back for the rest. Plenty of people do. According to Tourism Research Australia’s International Visitor Survey, 43 percent of American visitors are already on a return trip, and the ones I talk to are glad to have started sooner.
The cost myth
People price the airfare and stop reading. Price the whole trip instead. On comparable dates we checked, a top-tier European hotel ran $1,000 to $1,200 a night while its Australian equivalent ran $500 to $700, with the exchange rate working in your favor the entire time you are on the ground.
Australia also does not carry America’s tipping culture, which makes daily costs pleasantly predictable. Business-class airfare costs more than Europe, yes. Almost everything after the plane costs less.
One more number, because it explains the rest. American visitors to Australia skew older: 45 percent are over 55, according to Tourism Research Australia. The regret I hear most is not the cost of going. It is the years spent not going.
What an advisor changes
A travel agent books what you ask for. An advisor challenges the assumption that kept you from asking. We compare destinations on their merits, maximize the days you actually have, and build the version of Australia that fits them, whether that is a harbour suite and the Reef or a hosted round on Melbourne’s Sandbelt.
If Australia has been living on your someday list, consider this your signal. It is closer than you think.
Good questions
How long is the flight to Australia from the US?
Nonstop from the West Coast, about 15 hours to Sydney; from Houston, a single nonstop of around 17 hours out and as little as 15 home. Counting layovers, total travel time is comparable to many US to Europe routings.
Is Australia more expensive than Europe?
Usually the opposite once you land. Luxury hotels frequently cost half their European equivalents, the US dollar is strong against the Australian dollar, and there is no tipping culture.
How many days do you need in Australia?
7 to 10 days covers one or two regions properly, for example Sydney plus the Great Barrier Reef. 12 to 14 adds the Red Centre or Melbourne.
