The Final Leg

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Travelling home, everything went to plan.


• Got to airport in plenty of time
• Plane on time
• Car started (if not first time)
• Decent drive back



It is usual to conclude a blog with summary advice for other a similar trip, Here goes

Advice for the Newly Retired contemplating a holiday in Australia

Travelling Business Class minimises jet lag and should prevent the long flight spoiling the holiday. Hunt around for a good bargain – we went for Royal Brunei that significantly undercut some of the big players. Check out Trip Advisor for feedback on airlines. Use seatguru.com to select your seats

Add variety to holiday – we did a mixture of staying with friends & family; driving and staying in motels; staying in up-market hotels.

Don’t be too ambitious. We spent four weeks doing the SE Australia – every connecting flight is a wasted day.

The Australian dollar is very strong and so the cost of living appears high. Be aware and just don’t think of the cost.

Take half as many clothes as you original planned – remember Australia really is casual. Lugging large suitcases isn’t fun and there wasn’t a shortage of modestly priced laundries.

We went in their spring, mid-Oct to mid-Nov. This was ideal for us as we only experienced a couple of days in the 30s – but we should have taken some warmer clothes for the evening. If you like real heat go at Xmas time!!

If you need to phone home when away then use Skype – we spent less than £1 and made a number of calls back to England and some to Australian numbers.

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