If only it were as easy as clicking your red shoes 3 times!
Since one of my friends is making his maiden voyage soon, I jotted down a couple of ideas on how to make the best of the trip.
Feel free to add any ideas or good experiences of your own to the list.
1. Getting your ticket
Usually I start my search here at ITA. It is by far the best website to find the cheapest airline tickets, lowest prices guaranteed. You can search for a specific time, or glance at the overview for a weekend or month long period.
If you are flying from Belgium, look for flights from Brussels, but also check Paris, Amsterdam and London as these cities are not far and relatively cheap to get to.
First I check ITA for which airline has the cheapest tickets, then I go to that airline’s website to book. I often double-check the website of my other favorite airlines to see if they have any special promotion, especially Singapore airlines.
2. Before you leave
Make sure you have at least an Australian tourist visa – and an international passport of course. If you book through an agency, they will usually take care of the visa for you, but you can also apply for one yourself online.
Of course, be careful not to pack any hunting knifes, hand grenades etc. Do take note of any food, plant material (untreated wood) or animal products you put in your suitcase, as you will have to declare these upon arrival to Australian Quarantine.
I make sure to pack a little plastic bag with the following:
*tranquilizers – no tasers or anything, but there are plenty of natural derivatives of valerian you can find at your local pharmacy…believe me whenever you’re on a plane for longer than 14 hours, sedatives come in handy, wish you could hand them to other passengers too!
* earplugs
* eye shades (though you can ask any flight attendant for those, they should have spares)
* toothbrush and deodorant
And don’t forget to put some entertainment (books, puzzles, mp3 player) in your hand luggage.
Then, the day before leaving for the airport, check-in online. I like the fact you can see what seats are taken etc as this usually gives a pretty good indication of how busy it will be. Also, seatguru is handy for helping you select a good seat.
3. On the plane
When you step on the plane, switch to Sydney time right away. Coming from Belgium it is either +8 (summer) or +10 (winter). Switching to that new rhythm right away usually makes for no/less jet-lag. The key is to sleep/rest during your new ‘nighttime’ and block all light. And keep yourself awake during the new ‘daytime’ – if you do not have natural daylight coming in through the airplane window, switch on your reading light. Also coffee and coca cola are natural uppers, walk around a little, work your brain (sudoku – hehe – geek geek), etc.
And maybe this is just me, but my stomach never handles pla(i)ne food very well so I get a good meal, dinner or breakfast before boarding.
This wiki-how has some good tips as well. I know this all sounds like so much trouble, but it’s peanuts compared to being a jet-lag zombie for 2 days (up to 1 week if it really gets you).
4. Arrive in Australia
Sydney airport is quite small, which sometimes makes for long queues at customs. So I’d recommend skipping on the duty-free shop – or tally here a VERY long time, whichever you prefer.
Customs is a very standard procedure (unless you don’t have a visa ;-), next pickup your luggage and continue to the quarantine check. They are strict. Ever seen the TV show ‘Border Control’? Make sure you dispose of any items in your hand luggage that aren’t allowed in – you will be given a quarantine card to fill in on the plane that explains everything. Report anything you think might be relevant, it’s worse if they think they see something in your luggage and you haven’t reported it…
And then it’s out the airport, welcome Sydney and notice the palm trees, wahey!!!
If you need transport to the city, taxis are most convenient (around $30). There are also shared shuttle-buses (around $13 per person) that drop you off at your hotel. There is a train into the city which only takes 10 minutes, quick option, especially around peak traffic times, but expensive at 14$ per person.
If you’re lucky and me and Tokkie are picking you up, text me once you’ve landed and I’ll pick you up 😉
Hope this helps! And see you soon Kim, Jan and Geert 🙂
Some great tips, Jils! I’ll soon be flying to New Zealand, so I’m bookmarking your blog entry. 🙂
If I can add a tip: try to be nice to fellow passengers and cabin crew. On longer flights, you’ll be sharing a long time with them. If you’re flying alone, a chat with people next to you can certainly shorten the time a little. And if cabin crew has to offer something like a spare seat with more leg room, they’ll pick the nice people first.
Starting to joke around that the country you’re flying to is a great country if it weren’t for it’s inhabitants is not such a good idea though. Especially not on AA flights. 😉
Oops, yes I should add a section on being friendly and how to get into the lounge or other extras at the airport 🙂 So when are you going to New Zealand??? Bram and I hope to go there in January!
One of the extras at he airport is wireless internet. That’s usually ridiculously expensive (that’s speaking as a fonero – http://www.fon.com/en/info/whatsFon). But in those fancy lounges it seems to be freely accessible without the need for a password. So even if you can’t get into that Admirals or Presidents lounge, if you can get close enough you might be able to connect to one of those Wifi access points. I think Admirals and Presidents aren’t considered smart enough to use passwords. 😉
I’m going in November. 4 weeks of vacation, yihaaa! 🙂
Wow, very handy. Too bad the maidens suitcase is already packed. See you in 2 days.
Hi Illse,
Nicely done! Since we expect to travel to The Netherlands and back quite often the next 2-4 years, we have also adopted similar habits. I would also like to add that at Kuala Lumpur Airport the wireless internet is free and best reception is in the middle (it’s a small airport) and at the lounging chairs on the first floor above the departure hall (also nice to rest, one side even has a large TV).
We’ve also found that Quantas doesn’t always have the nicest cabin personnel and, because of the older planes they have, the leg room is sparse and the entertainment system is not always working/flexible. So, if you find a similar price with another airline, we would recommend the other airline, unless you fly with the new A380 of course (from January 2009)!
I would also recommend taking anti-histamine since you never know what’s in your (air plane) food.
Hope to see you soon!
Regards,
Kim