Travel From Australia
A trip to Australia needs careful planning as it is a long way from any other continent. Travel times are usually very long (22 hours from Europe and 14 hours from the US.) A great option is to include a stop off on the way or way back from Australia. Alternatively you could stay longer and visit another country in the southern hemisphere.
This solution won’t work for everyone though. You need at least 3 weeks to visit Australia so adding on a couple of 3 night stop offs will sadly reduce your time too much. One stop off for a couple of days however could be manageable.
Asia is generally the preferred stop off destination. This is particularly true if you are coming from Europe as most flights stop to refuel here. It means there is usually a very small cost for including a stop over to your flight. Here are some of the best stop off destinations:
Bangkok and Thailand
A great destination for travel from Australia, as there are a few flight operators which keeps prices low. Once you are there, prices are still reasonable cheap too.
For Bangkok I’d look to do the following:
1) A must visit is the Grand Palace. Whilst you can’t actually go into the Palace the buildings are beautiful and can be admired from the outside. This is the official residence of the King but is now only used for special occasions.
2) Visit The Wat Sai Floating Market by barge. You can pick one up outside the Grand Palace and try and get one that will take you to the Royal Barges Museum too. The boats here are beautiful and have been used for the King.
3) For the best shopping go to the Chatuchak Weekend Market It’s very large so its easy to get lost here. There is everything you could possibly think of here and it’s also a good place to eat as there are plenty of restaurants. My advice is to get there early as the heat and crowds get worse as the day goes on. It is open from 7am.
4) If you’d like to see the hidden gems of Bangkok and want to be a bit different then take a Segway Tours These are a two wheeled electronic device and are easy to use. A great way to see this city.
5) No trip to Thailand is complete without experiencing the Bangkok nightlife. Head to the city and take in a lady boy show or just enjoy a few drinks and watch the world go by.
If you would rather head to the beaches of Thailand then consider the area around Phuket. Jet Star fly directly to and from Phuket from Sydney and at certain times of the year there are special reduced fares.
I’d only recommend Phuket if you are a party animal. It’s a bit like an Asian equivalent of Ibiza. It’s a very big resort with hundreds of clubs and bars and restaurants. If you are after a quieter holiday then I would head to Phi Phi Island. This is a popular day trip from Phuket but a great alternative if you need some quiet time. It is near where they filmed “The Beach.”
There are plenty of other stop over destinations that can’t be explored in this article. Other recommendations include Singapore, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur. If you are heading to or from the US, then consider the beautiful islands of Fiji as an alternative to Asia.
If you do intend to spend a couple of months in Australia then I’d consider including a trip to New Zealand or even Bali to your plan. Both are only a few hours onward flight from Australia.
Jennifer Schellington has nearly half a decade of experience in travelling Australia and has recently had a baby. Her site, www.realaustraliatravel.com offers useful information for planning your trip to Australia as well as where to go and what to do. Click here for more information on Stop off destinations and travel from Australia