I'm looking at a tour company called "About Australia" for a 16 day tour of Aus/NZ. We normally are very independent travelers, but I like the fact that they book all the airfare, transfers, sights and hotels. Has anyone used this tour company, or any others you can highly recommend? We are in our early 60's and actually have a deposit on a Oceania cruise for that region. But this tour is much less expensive (of course doesn't include food, as on the cruise) and I think would be a more authentic experience.

are these the people you are talking about, Maggi?

http://www.aboutaustralia.com

you say it's cheaper than a cruise [and i can well believe it] but is it cheaper than organising it yourself? I'm trying to work out a similar trip to Aus/NZ in november/December this year and I can't yet see the advantage of using a tour co rather than doing it ourselves.

for example, I've found a package for 6 nights in Brisbane with tickets for the 1st test [cricket!] for £862 each - that's approx £1,700 or approx A$2,500. Even if the tickets are A$100 each [ie A$1000 total which I think is way over the top] I've found very nice accommodation [recommended here] for A$155/night ie A$930. so that's a saving of at least A$500.

Yes annhig, that's the company I was looking into. And, you're right, I've been looking into planning it ourselves. But I'm so unfamiliar with the area it seems a formidable task. To make matters worse, we are traveling with another couple and it's a huge expense and responsibility to do for someone else. Using AboutAustralia's tour of Aus/NZ as a guide, I've priced out all the individual flights from Quantas and approximated the hotel costs. Of course, on the cruise the food is included, so I don't know how much that will cost. Neither do I know the hidden expenses, ie transfers, taxis, tours, etc. The costs of the land tours on the cruise are exorbitant! I don't think we want to drive over there, since it's on the left. (Different for us, but not for you, lol.) Good luck with your planning!

Hi Maggi,

i'm not suggesting that you should necessarily try to do what the tour company offers - they tend to move quite quickly, IME. and i agree that it is hard work getting to grips with a new area - my brain is quite frazzled.

if you don't want to drive, but feel that the cruise is too expensive, then the tour may be a reasonable compromise. AND you don't get the flak if it goes wrong - and being my family's travel planner i know all about that.

good luck with your planning too - let us know what you decide and how it works out.

Thanks, Annhig. Let me know how your planning goes too. I have til September to get a refund on my cruise so I have some time to read responses and let it all sink in.

I love cruising, but I believe that a cruise around Australia is good only if your goal is a cruise with a little bit of Australia thrown in. If you really want to experience Australia, you need to do a land tour, whether it be with a tour company or a self-tour.

I took a look at the 16-day tours from About Australia. Maybe I missed the one you are planning on taking, but the only ones I saw were a combination of Australia and New Zealand. I would urge you NOT to try to see both countries in such a short amount of time. If you only have 16 days, spend them all in one country or the other.

Finally, I can see the attraction for doing a tour when you are having to plan for another couple as well. However, I will say that self-touring is very easy in Australia due to the ease of booking online, the great amount of help you can get from guidebooks and online (e.g. on Fodor's) and the lack of a language barrier. Also, I wouldn't be too worried about driving on the left. You'll pick it up quite easily--even I did!

"I believe that a cruise around Australia is good only if your goal is a cruise with a little bit of Australia thrown in"...that's the conclusion I'm coming to as well. There are days "at sea" that would be wasted time IMO. Yes, the About Australia 16 day tour is both Australia and NZ. Points well taken, thanks!