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About Traveling To Australia By
size, English-speaking Australia is the 6th
largest country in the world and it extends
on to include a group of islands - one of which
you might be familiar: Tasmania! Other countries
close by include New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Zealand,
and a few more. So if you're thinking about
traveling to Australia, you might appreciate
knowing a few answers to some questions that
people usually ask before making a trip to 'The
Land Down Under' based either on rumors they've
heard or the experience of others.
Answers About Appliance Compatibility
For instance, you might appreciate
knowing what personal appliances of yours will
work in this country, like a blow dryer or some
other appliance that you need to 'plug in somewhere'.
You should note that although the country is
closer to American culture than most of the
others, the outlets in Australia are not the
same as the outlets in the U.S.
If you're an American traveling
to Australia, you're going to need to get some
socket adapters and you might also need to get
some voltage adapters so that you can get some
of your electronic appliances from back home
to work. This is of course assuming that these
adapters are not already in place at the hotel
that you stay at (like if you were to visit
with a relative or stay with a friend).
If you want to bring along
some VHS videos (like home videos) with you
on your trip however, you won't have a problem
displaying these because all VHS videos play
on Australian VCRs. And if you can manage to
get your hands on a DVD player that works in
any location of the world, then you'll certainly
have no problem with displaying these disks
either.
Other things like CD players
and personal computers should work fine too,
but your current telephone won't work at all
unless it can operate on a GSM-900 frequency.
Should you decide to stay at a hotel, these
accommodations should already be put in place.
They're really only relevant if again, you decide
to visit with a relative or stay with a friend
- or anywhere that might not support or use
American-based electronics.
Answers About Tipping
Tipping in a foreign country
is always a concern, as we're often not too
sure how much to tip or if even tipping is part
of the custom. Although it's customary in the
United States, it's actually an insult to tip
a serviceman in other parts of the world. And
what makes the issue even more confusing is
that the rules about when to tip, who to tip,
and how much to tip change all the time. Fortunately,
the tipping rules in Australia are pretty simple.
If you want to tip, feel free but note that
most service charges are already included in
any bill that you pay.
Answers About Touring the
Land
Because of its immense size,
touring about Australia is nothing short of
extreme temptation- so you may appreciate a
little lesson in its geography. For instance,
If you plan to rent a car and create your own
personal excavation, understand that most cities
are situated around its coast. As you travel
inward, toward the center of this continent,
you enter areas that are less populated and
the more inward you go - the more remote things
become.
Although this certainly presents
a circumstance of uncharted adventure for you,
you're strongly advised to stick to the cities
along the outer limits unless you bring along
an experienced guide. As long as you stick to
the populated areas, you'll be fine and you
may come to enjoy some of the most attractive
sights in the world like:
The Great Barrier Reef - located
off the northeastern coast of Australia, it's
the largest coral reef in the world.
The Red Centre - home to the
largest monolith in the world; otherwise known
as the Ayers Rock.
Sydney - a popular city that
offers Opera House entertainment plus the Bondi,
Chinaman, and Manly beaches.
Melbourne - another city known
for its stylish architecture, dining, and shopping
Canberra - the most modernized
center of the world that serves as Australia's
own capital as well.
Of course, you wouldn't want
to miss Australia's own unique plant life either
- a sight that you simply won't find anywhere
else in the world. And because Australia is
rich with distinctive plant life, you're bound
to catch sight of some unusual animals that
you've probably only seen in books!
This certainly isn't an extensive
list of all your concerns, but hopefully it
answered some of your thoughts about traveling
to this great land.
Travel by Bus
Australia's main cities can
be well traveled by buses, as they frequently
tour these areas on a regular basis. Moving
about within urban and rural cities (up to 30
miles from city limits), you can visit some
of the popular tourist attractions with discount
tickets or ticket purchased directly from the
bus driver.
Travel in Australia by Taxi
Traveling by taxi provides
an extremely convenient way to move about when
traveling short distances to important centers
and residential districts. Like traveling by
taxi in the United States, you can flag down
a taxi anywhere in Australia including airports,
train and bus stations, or even on the street.
Traveling in Australia by
Car / Budget
Car Hire
Traveling by car rental
in Australia is an inexpensive mode of traveling
around the cities - especially since some car
rental services in the area discount rentals
that are arranged for three days or more. Rentals
require a driver's license and a credit card
that's issued to a driver between the ages of
23 to 70.
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