am planning a trip in 2011 to austrlia
 

i plan on going in either sept or october.

is it possible to get a flight that i don't have to get of the plane.

it will be my first trip by my self
and having to change planes kinda scares me.

any adviice for a 42 year old female?

thanks in advance

d
stardiva

ohh and i might add that i want to leave from toronto

I think you will find that all of the airlines will stop first in either Los Angeles or San Francisco before continuing on to Australia.
Since you have over a year before this trip, perhaps you can do a little practicing of changing planes on other trips before you go to Australia, first with a friend and then later on your own. That should help to give you the confidence you need to do it when you finally do go to Australia.

Actually, the U.S. dollar is weaker against the Australian dollar than it has been in the past. A year ago, U.S. dollar would buy 1.33 Australian dollars. Now, one U.S. dollar will only buy about 1.12 Australian dollars.

Sorry, this was a reply to another question, not yours.

You could fly Vancouver to Auckland New Zealand - with Air New Zealand - Auckland is a much smaller and less intimidating airport than either LA or San Francisco, and you would find it much easier to transfer to an ongoing flight from there to Sydney.

I flew from San Francisco to Sydney last Fall and was worried about changing planes (and terminals) in Sydney for our flight North. But it was very simple. Everyone at the Sydney airport was so friendly and helpful. I was directed to baggage claim, then Customs, and then to a check-in desk precisely for passengers transferring to a domestic flight. Then someone showed me to the door to the shuttle to the Domestic Terminal. It all went so smoothly, and I am convinced my comfort was due to the helpful attitude of all airport personnel and Australians in general.

If you are concerned with changing planes in LA or San Francisco, I'll pass along the advice of my cousin who travels often internationally (from Australia): Choose to do so in either San Francisco or fly to New Zealand as prue suggested above. Avoid LAX if possible.

Ditto on avoiding LAX...horrible place that one.

Another vote for SFO. We've had smooth transitions through customs and immigration every time and from what I've heard there's less "attitude" on the part of Homeland Security personnel compared to LAX. In addition you don't have to navigate between terminal buildings as in LAX.

In general there's no need for a first-time traveller to sweat over connections, especially in the English-speaking countries you'll be travelling through. Airport and airline personnel are used to dealing with inexperienced and sometimes woefully confused passengers. All you have to do is ask. And try to give yourself reasonable time so you're not rushed and flustered.

A few other tips:

* Read the customs declarations you'll be handed by flight attendants carefully, answer all the quesions properly and declare anything you're carrying that might cause a problem with customs - for example, Australia and NZ are strict on certain food products. If you think something you have might be suspect, declare it; failing to do so might incur a fine.

* Keep a photocopy of all important travel docs in your baggage - passport, tickets, travel insurance policy. Allow time to obtain a passport, if you don't already have one. You can apply for a visa to enter Australia online at www.immi.gov.au/e_visa/evisitor.htm. Take VERY good care of your docs, credit/debit cards etc. If you get into any real trouble there's always the Canadian High Commission in Canberra and Consulate-General in Sydney.

* Consider travel insurance, bearing in mind that Medicare Australia and Medicare Canada have a reciprocal agreement (but this won't cover medical evacuation if the worst happens). You should be able to shop for insurance online to make comparisons and get the best deal.

* Check the baggage weight limits you're entitled to - the airlines can advise on this. If you fly within Australia you may be limited to the genenral international weight limits of 20 kg for checked (cargo hold) baggage and 6 kg for carry-on (cabin) baggage. Make sure you don't carry prohibited items on board.

This is probably starting to sound intimidating but really not a problem if you plan properly and allow yourself time. Compiling a written checklist and itinerary helps no end.

Happy travels.

Hi. I remember my first trip and it was a bit daunting, however there are lots of people to help you at airports so you'll be fine. I have travelled many times to canada, and there is no direct flight. I have flown there via New Zealand, Los Angeles and Hawaii. Perhaps like others say, you might like to fly through Hawaii as it is not as daunting and big as LA. If you catch the same flight all the way through they can check your baggage right to the end so you don't have to worry about it. As you'll be continuing with the airline, after your stop at Hawaii, the airline will leave enough time for you to get on your next plane. It seems a bit scary but you will be ok. Usually before the plane lands, they run a little movie about what to do if you are transferring to another flight (called in transit) or what to do if you are disembarking here.

As the OP has not returned to acknowledge the assistance provided by other posters she may not be reading.....

Hi Neil,

I understand what you mean by LAX 'attitude'. As you may be aware I was there in March this year and was really quite astounded by the customs officers.

Not a hello, a smile, how de doo dee, zip, nothing. They may as well have been statues for all the interaction that occurred.

I thought it was quite a poor show really and quite unnecessary to have such a hard nosed approach to incoming tourists.

PS Hope you feeling well!

I don't know where they find those goons at LAX, but I sincerely hope visitors don't think they're representative of Americans. For what it's worth, they're just as nasty to us as they are to overseas visitors. Being an entry point for so many international flights, you'd think they'd try to make a good first impression, but nah, they seem to go out of their way to do the opposite. It's shameful and downright embarassing.

Which reminds me, I was barked at by a Customs guy in SFO a few months back for having my spouse's passport, but not my spouse, who'd fallen behind a few steps. I was so tired and cranky I wanted to hit the jerk upside the head, but wisely thought better of it. It was just so unnecessary.

Hi Mel,

It's quite unbelievable to me that people have to be so sullen and unfriendly. Now you've got the fingerprint thing to do - no instructions - they just grab your hand and expect you to know what to do. First impressions weren't good but of course, we know that's not typical - we had a lovely time interacting with the locals and found everyone to be very friendly and extremely helpful.

Glad to hear that LAX didn't ruin your whole stay! If I were a visitor entering the US from overseas and were treated like that, I'd consider getting right back on the plane! I'm not one to be bullied, but it seems they've given those folks entirely too much power and your average passenger is afraid to react for fear of being detained. I'm thinking maybe we should all band together and write some letters.

<<your average passenger is afraid to react for fear of being detained>>

That's it in a nut shell Mel. I consider myself to be a reasonably friendly person who likes to interact with people and for example when having my passport checked they look at the picture and then at you and you go "yes well, I was actually having an extremely good hair day the day they took that photo" everyone has a little laugh and off you go - no harm done.

I'm with you on the letter writing - should we address them to Barack - he doesn't have a whole lot on his plate at present!!

I think some of the LAX guys must have had special "snark" training. Definitely had personality by-pass surgery. Luckily, they're not all painted with the same brush.

On my first trip, I didn't know about the fingerprinting and nearly fainted when I was instructed to do it. Immediately beforehand, the "charming chap" looking at my immigration form had beligerently demanded to know why I'd used different pens to complete it. I'd had to look up my passport number & inserted it later when I had access to my bag. He grunted something, snarled at me that I could be in big trouble & told me to put my thumb/finger on the fingerprint pad.

I thought the lunatics had taken over the assylum & that I was surely headed for Guantanamo Bay! Stupid goat. (refer "Hens' Party thread)

Next trip, I was waiting for the Attitude .. and got a nice chap who was very pleasant & actually wished me a good stay.