Hi to all you traveling experts...the only mileage flight I can get from US to Sydney is 1st of April and returning May 15th from Aukland. Can a single woman travel safely alone? Help with itinerary...best sites...midprice accomodations close to everything...How to get to Melbourne by the 5th of May...weather...the same in all locales...web sites to help me...intraussie flight arrangements...rent car...train...I am going with trepidation....all help greatly acknowledged...can I book local tours once I get there or should I do so from the States...THANK YOU!!!!!

You are coming at about the absolute BEST time, not too hot or too cold ( however you can never tell with Melbourne) <BR>Absolutely no problem travelling alone.<BR>Fly to Melbourne or take a train if you have the time to spare. The best sites are www.qantas.com.au or www.virginblue.com.au for air travel and I am sure others will tell you the sites for trains. Book tours WHEN you are here so that you can get the whole choice in front of you and also make sure that the weather is agreeable at that time too. Do a search of this site for information previously given for accommodation and/or anything else. Do a search within www.webwombat.com.au for Australian information or google, yahoo ( Australia) and you will find many, many ideas. <BR>Where is it you want to go? You said Melbourne but do you want to see the Barrier Reef? <BR>I would suggest doing a search first ( perhaps include Tasmania in that too) and then come back to us for specifics.

Hi, Johanna!<BR>I fully concur with Liz's advice... April is my favourite month in Sydney, with clear, sunny days and just a light cardigan needed for the evenings. <BR>It might be a good idea to get New Zealand over and done with first (after two or three days to savour mid-April in Sydney), as the best part of NZ is the South Island, and it will be starting to get quite cold towards the end of April.It won't be cold enough to be unpleasant, but you might just find that some of the roads to &quot;gems&quot; like Milford Sound will be temporarily closed on the day you are there... the later you leave it, the more likely this is to happen. The best way to see New Zealand is to rent a car and just drive... they have never heard of a traffic jam down there, so you won't have any hassle. By the end of April you will have seen the country from top to bottom. Then &quot;do&quot; Melbourne, where (as Liz pointed out) it is very hard to predict the weather at ANY time of year, and finish up with a few days in Sydney in early-to-mid May, which is still great weather. You can travel between Melbourne and Sydney by overnight or daylight train, which might be a pleasant way to do it.<BR>I don't think you will raise any eyebrows in either country by travelling alone, and by the end of your first day you will have bumped into twenty or thirty people doing exactly the same as you are. Come with confidence, and have a great holiday!

Thank you, Thank you... As of this date, I leave the US on 4/7/03 and fly from LA on Quantas to Sydney, fly 5/5 from Melbourne to ChristChurch and depart May 15 from Auckland back to the States. These were the only days I could use the miles for a free Business Class ticket. Will I need winter clothes then in New Zealand? Is 9 days too much to spend in New Zealand. I will take your advice and try to reverse my itinery. I do want to see the Barrier reef, ayers rock, queensland , Milford Sound., Tasmania. I have been jotting down the comments of others. Thank you for all input....Johanna

9 days is not long to spend in New Zealand but as it is all you have, I'm sure you will be able to do a quick tour of the best spots.<BR>Everyone has different tastes as far as destinations goes so it might pay to do some research about NZ and sort your itinerary out from there.<BR>Check out www.purenz.com<BR>This site gives you a good place to start and with plenty of links to other sites, I'm sure you will find this site useful.<BR>April / May is getting into late autumn/early winter and you will need some warm clothing for the NZ leg.<BR><BR>NZ cold is not too extreme though, you might encounter snow from time to time in the South Island.<BR><BR>Rental car is by far the best way to go, especially with only 9 days.<BR><BR>If you are coming from the US, you should find NZ a fairly cheap destination with our $$$$ being so low.<BR><BR>Enjoy your planning.<BR>