IngridG

Hello:

I would like to ask everyone for some ideas of generally affordable tour operators in Australia where I can go over the next two months for a period of about two weeks and do the highlights. Will be flying from Atlanta, GA.

It’s been a while since I’ve used any tour operators and wanted to see if there any recommendations of decent ones.

Thanks!

Bokhara2

I think you’ll find most of the posters here are independent travellers.

Australia is particularly easy to plan, book & enjoy at your own pace, seeing & doing the things that interest you.

Another option that works well for many people is to fly between major places of interest and take small group day or few day tours there. This allows DIY exploration, plus experienced guidance in special interest areas.

I’ve seen positive reviews for Tuack, but have no personal experience.

You might also post on the TripAdvisor Australian Forum - it is much more active than Fodors.

If you would like to tailor your trip to your needs & dreams, there is a wealth of information & plenty of helpful volunteers on these forums to help you.

RoamsAround

First without some idea of your travel budget no one here can tell you whether or not you'll find a particular tour "affordable" since we don't know how much YOU can afford. Suffice to say, you are planning a trip to a destination that is halfway around the world from where you live. Airfare alone can run you somewhere between $1,500 and $2,000 PP - more if you want to fly Economy Plus or Business Class.

So too with accommodations - some tour operators offer a range of prices based on the "star rating" of the hotels.

So when asking for recommendations for any tour operator, hotel, etc. it is always best to some idea of your budget.

There are many reputable tour operators and a simple goole search using such topics as "Best Australian tour Operators" or "Touring Australia" will bring up numerous links. Start here: https://www.tourradar.com/g/australia-tour-operators. Since you want a "package tour" rather than plan your own itinerary you might also consult with a reputable travel agent in the Atlanta area - they will be able to guide you.

Australia is a huge country so with only two weeks you should concentrate on itineraries that visit only 2 or 3 cities or areas. So check out some of the various itineraries to see which ones appeal to you. You can then do some more specific searches to find the "best" operators that offer the type of tour that you want.

Tauck Tours, as mentioned by Bokhara2 is an excellent company (we've traveled with them numerous times) but you may not think they are "affordable" as they on the pricey side - but worth every penny.

You might also look into cruises that stop at several cities in Australia - we did that on our first trip to that country - our itinerary began in Sydney and we travelled along the east and northern coasts of the country stopping in Brisbane, Cairns, several islands in the Great Barrier Reef, the Thursday Island and finally ending in Darwin. It was a great trip.

There's lots of options out there but you have to start by doing some first hand research.

Once you have some specific questions about where in Australia you want to go and what you want to see the contributors here will be glad to help guide you.

tasmangirl

Plan your own tour. As Bokhara says it's very easy to plan a tour to Oz.
You have the control the amount of days you spend at each city and book day tours which pick you up from your hotel.
We did a week long cruise on Sea Princess from Brisbane up to Cairns and back which was great but we really did not have long enough in each place.
My pick would be Sydney and Cairns/GBR area. As mentioned Australia is HUGE so don't over plan too many places.

Bokhara2

Australia’s size comparison &otjer useful information

https://www.buzzfeed.com/simoncrerar...ustralian-maps

First thing -get your ETA/ Visa
https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/Trav/Visa-1