Reading Time: 4 minutes
Australia-luxury-travel-guide

Planning on travelling to Australia? You are probably bubbling with anticipation as you think about all the things you could see or do. A mixture of excitement and anxiety engulfs you as you scour the Internet looking for useful tips.

Yet, nothing can truly prepare you for Australia. The incredible sights and sounds are something you are unlikely to forget for years to come. Nevertheless, certain mistakes can make your trip regrettable. We look at some of these below.

1.  Underestimating the Size

For reasons that are difficult to understand, many first-time visitors to Australia imagine it to be a small island that one could easily cover by road in a week. That is, however, improbable given that Australia is almost the same size as the contiguous United States.

Even if you just want to see the key cities in the East and South East such as Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra, the driving distances are substantial. If you are pressed for time, identify a couple of destinations that you can realistically cover.

2.  Not Understanding the Seasons

Australia is in the Southern Hemisphere, so the seasons occur at opposite times as they do in regions in the Northern Hemisphere such as the United States. Summer in Australia occurs coincidentally with winter in North America. The actual weather conditions, however, vary across different parts of Australia.

Around Cairns and other areas up north, summers are dominated by rain, while winters are dry and mild. In southern regions like New South Wales, winters are cooler. If you were planning on hitting Sydney’s beaches in June, you’d be in for an unpleasant surprise.

Uluru-red-mountain-australia

3.  Failure to Book in Advance

One of the things that makes travel exciting is spontaneity. But there’s a thin line between spontaneity and poor planning. You don’t want to leave things to chance when you are going to Australia, especially when it comes to the top sights and sounds on your bucket list.

Remember, Australia is halfway around the world from North America and Western Europe. It goes without saying that the flight is quite expensive. So if you plan to do some snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef, book your place in advance to avoid disappointment.

4.  Not Budgeting Adequately

Australia is expensive. Visitors, including those from wealthy countries, often experience sticker shock when they are confronted with the prices of virtually anything Down Under. Part of the reason is – Australia’s cities are regularly ranked as having some of the highest quality of life in the world. So the prices are in some respects a reflection of this.

If you don’t budget to spend at least twice as much for anything as you would back home, you could find your travel fund depleted pretty fast, and well before your departure date. You shouldn’t just save up for what you think you’ll spend but also have some extra cash with you to cater for the unexpected expenses that could throw your budget off the rails.

5.  Not Acquiring Travel Insurance

Few things can disrupt your travel budget when visiting Australia more than unforeseen medical expenses. Australia is expensive as it is, but the healthcare costs are a whole different ball game. Ergo, do not board your flight to Australia if you don’t have travel insurance.

The insurance covers not just medical emergencies but also the cost of lost luggage, bad weather and travel delays. No matter how extensively you plan your Australia trip, there’s never a guarantee that everything will go according to plan. Travel insurance provides a financial cushion when what can go wrong does go wrong.

6.  Fearing the Wildlife

Australia has a fearsome reputation for dangerous creatures. It’s indeed true that some of the most venomous fauna on earth can be found here. However, you are more likely to be hurt by a horse than you would by a venomous critter.

australia-travel-tips

What’s more, there’s an extremely low probability of running into these dangerous creatures outside the carefully controlled environment of zoos and parks. You almost certainly won’t encounter a deadly snake or giant spider in your Sydney hotel room, luxury villa or vacation rental. If you’re still undecided about your accommodation plans, here is where you can click to find out more on vacation rentals.

A trip to Australia can be memorable for all the right reasons if you steer clear of these mistakes.

Emily John
Information sourced by the author for luxuryactivist.com. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. Images are for illustration purposes only.