We had a GREAT experience working with Dianne and her firm GoWalkAbout Travel. (…) She has deep knowledge of the accommodations, sights and adventures, earned over many years of experience, but happily finds the new and innovative.
Planning Your Trip From Alberta to Australia: What You Need to Know
Our Australia and New Zealand Travel Specialists in Alberta have over 30 years of designing customized itineraries to Australia, New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Tahiti, and Fiji.
We were born and raised in the Land Down Under. When planning your Australia and New Zealand Vacation, not only are you given our local knowledge, but you can feel assured that they will be with you from the start of your trip until the very end!
Here are some tips from our Australia and New Zealand Travel Experts on what you need to be mindful of when planning an Australia and New Zealand Vacation from Calgary or Edmonton.
Read Our Most Frequently Asked Questions
If you are a Canadian Passport Holder, you will need an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) when you vacation in Australia and New Zealand, attend a conference, or are on a business trip- your Australia and New Zealand Travel Agent can assist you with these. You must have at least six months of validity left on your passport from the date you arrive back in Canada and declare any prior criminal records upfront. We advise having the ETA visa issued before your airline ticket, so you have pre-approval.
The weather in Alberta can be an issue; it is essential to stay on top of things by checking the Calgary Airport and Edmonton Airport websites for delays.
Remember, even if the weather is fantastic in Alberta, your aircraft will be coming in from somewhere else. They could have delays from bad weather in another area of the country. Please leave plenty of time if you are departing from Calgary or Edmonton Airport and driving from regional areas, i.e., Red Deer, Lloydminster, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Stony Plain, Edson, etc. It is always better to be checked in early at the airport- so you can relax- than starting your holiday in Australia and New Zealand very stressed out! We advise three hours at an absolute minimum, even if your first flight is domestic!
Flying time from Edmonton/Calgary -Vancouver- Sydney, Australia is just over 17 hours in one direction without the stopover included. If you are only planning a trip to Australia with no other stopovers, Air Canada is your best choice to start you in Sydney, Melbourne, or Brisbane.
If you are traveling to New Zealand, connecting your International flight in Vancouver with Air New Zealand from Vancouver to Auckland is your best option. Flying time is approx 14 hours plus your flight from Alberta to Vancouver and connection times.
If you wish to visit The Cook Islands, Fiji, or The French Polynesian Islands, Air New Zealand has the best connections to these islands in the South Pacific. There are not always daily flights between some of these destinations and Canada, so you may need to at least fly one way via the USA. Your South Pacific Travel Expert will assist you with the best flight routing for your trip.
Jet lag always hits the hardest when traveling back to Alberta from Australia and New Zealand. Always allow yourself an extra day or two of rest time before starting back to work after your vacation! You will be thanking us for this suggestion!
Always plan your vacation to Australia and New Zealand, so you arrive a day or two early if you have booked a guided tour in either country. By arriving early, you will allow time to adjust to the local time zone and not stress if your flight is delayed. Of course, your Aussie and New Zealand Travel Experts are always there to assist you with any problems with our 24/7 emergency number.
Book early! We need time to plan and design a once-in-a-lifetime customized holiday Down Under. The earlier you book, the better chance you will stay in the best accommodation options and have your first choice on small group tours. Australia and New Zealand can get very busy with conferences and other events these days- plus, you need to be mindful of the little things like the weather and school holidays. Don’t worry; your Australia and New Zealand Vacation Specialist will guide you through it all and make it very stress-free!
Consider having a mixture of accommodations when planning a trip to Australia and New Zealand. There are tight luggage restrictions on some domestic flights these days, and if you are going for several weeks or more, you will need to do some laundry. We suggest a mix of apartment stays and hotels. If you are really after a treat, consider a luxury stay in the beautiful Whitsunday Islands in Australia or overnight on Doubtful or Milford Sound in New Zealand. We work closely with you to work out what suits your wants and needs when having a tailor-made trip designed to the South Pacific. If you are traveling with children, we can also assist you in making sure the accommodation suits your family’s needs!
Yes! Like Canada, not all Australia and New Zealand regions have daylight savings. When on your flight, always listen to the flight attendants to check if the time has changed. Even states that sit above each other have different time zones during daylight saving within Australia, i.e., Sydney and Brisbane. Just think of how the time zones are split between Canada, and you will find they are pretty close to Australia.
Keep an eye on the Calgary Airport and Edmonton Airport websites on your day of departure! You must double-check the airport website departures to ensure your flight operates on time. You also need to watch the airport website where your International flight is departing from. Most airlines these days do not advise if there are any schedule changes or delays right before the flight date. If you discover your flight has been delayed or the flight number has changed, speak up to the airline delaying you or contact your Australia and New Zealand Travel Specialist for assistance. We may need to change your arrival transfer times!
Please make sure you leave plenty of time to connect in Edmonton or Calgary for those folk planning connections from Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, High Level, Cold Lake, or any other regional Airport in Alberta. There may be bad weather and delays in your area or in an area that your aircraft is coming from that could upset your whole itinerary. As you all know, often in these destinations outside of Edmonton and Calgary, there are limited flights. The last thing you wish to do is miss your major International flight departing from Vancouver or LA to commence your Vacation.
Make contact by clicking on the Contact Us box below. You can read how our process works here. We look forward to designing you a customized itinerary for your vacation from Edmonton or Calgary to Australia and/or New Zealand.
We can tailor-make you an amazing once-in-a-lifetime trip whether you are planning an action-packed family holiday, attending a conference, celebrating a wedding anniversary, taking advantage of that well-deserved graduation gift, Seniors escaping the Canadian Winter as a Snowbird, Tramping and Hiking in New Zealand, enjoying retirement and Golfing in New Zealand or at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club or finally getting to relax on that luxury romantic honeymoon.
Click the link below for more information on planning a vacation from Calgary or Edmonton to Australia and New Zealand with your New Zealand and Australia Travel Specialists.
What Our Past Travelers Have to Say
G’day Dianne. Thank you! You listened well and organized our trip extremely well. Pick up and delivery times were spot on. The hotels were all good to great. (…) I just wanted to let you know that we appreciated everything you did to arrange a wonderful trip.
42 Days, 2 Countries, 6 States, 1 Territory, 15 Cities/Locations, 14 Flights and not a single mishap. On top of that, we had a GREAT TIME! A TRIP OF A LIFE-TIME! Our six week adventure to Australia and Singapore was our most memorable vacation to date. (…) Dianne is a wonderful find and without hesitation we recommend her to family and friends. Dianne will certainly be organizing our next adventure.
(…) Dianne put together an incredible New Zealand trip for us – we travelled from one tip to the other, East and West included. I would have thought Dianne knew me from childhood as every spot we visited or stayed at – was exactly what I would have chosen myself (had I known the country). (…)
Dianne planned a fantastic honeymoon for us. (…) We gave her an idea of the things and activities that we like to do and she just rolled with it! We didn’t really know much about either place, so didn’t have too much of a preference of where we wanted to go, but with her knowledge she was able to send us to some amazing places. (…) Thanks for planning us a wonderful honeymoon!
(…) Everything went very smoothly, thanks to you and your organizational skills! We really appreciate everything you did for us! (…) I want to thank you (Dianne) for all the work you & your colleagues did to ensure that we had an enjoyable holiday.
(…) Dianne, there are so many things you did for us that I cannot list them all in a letter. However, I can say that I have never worked with a travel agent before who took as much time to deal with all the details – big and small. It was like we were part of your extended family and you took full responsibility for our wellbeing. I would recommend you to anyone looking for a great travel agent, and I wish you the best of success in the future.
(…) From the beginning, Dianne really stood out. She spent a significant amount of time on the front end learning what we were interested in and what we did not like about previous tours. (…) I would definitely recommend GoWalkabout Travel to any of my friends and family. Thanks again for our trip! We had a fantastic time!
It was a trip of a lifetime!! (…) Every thing was working like clockwork. (…) Thanks Dianne and it was a pleasure meeting you and you taking the time to meet us in Sydney.
We really enjoyed working with Dianne in planning our trip to Australia. She was very efficient and gave us great recommendations. Prior to our departure, she ensured we had everything we needed including packing tips, in order to have a great trip. We would highly recommend using her services.
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