Explore Oz & NZ

Locations:

New Zealand Australia

Call:

0845 3 447 667

Product Details

"Around the world tickets" (a.k.a 'Round the World' or 'RTW' tickets) are a series of single flights built into one ticket. Valid for 12 months - this ticket literally takes you "Around the World" - making this one of the cheapest way to do a big trip to Australia.

How do they work?
Simple - choose the regions / countries you want to visit on your way to Australia and then on the way back. You can build your own ticket - for example - the most popular route is:

London - Los Angeles [USA] - Fiji - Cook Islands [Pacific Islands] - New Zealand - Australia - Singapore - travel overland to - Thailand - London

Price guide:
- Basic routes (4-6 stops) leaving off peak (April-August) cost as little as £800 (incl. taxes*)
- Many stops on many Continents leaving at peak times (Nov-Dec) could cost £2,500+ all-in
- Most people: leave Sept, Oct, Jan-March and pay £1,500-£1,800 (incl. taxes*)

* BEWARE! Watch out for 'Fr' or 'From' [e.g. Fr £566] and what look like really cheap RTW tickets. Once you include taxes and your travel dates the price will be similar to above.

Around the World via Australia &
New Zealand

The favourite destination amongst backpackers is easily Australia, closely followed by New Zealand. Nearly every around the world flight will bring you to their shores. From snowboarding and bungy jumping in the Adventure Capital, Queenstown, New Zealand to sun and surf on Bondi Beach in Australia, there's something for everyone 'Downunder'.

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"BUILD YOUR OWN" AROUND THE WORLD TRIP: 3 easy steps

1. Read below what gapyear.com users have to say about Australia & New Zealand
2. Find out what you can do and where
3. Decide whether to build this region into your RTW ticket

When you're ready to compare the routes you like, or if you're struggling and need assistance, simply call 0845 3 447 667 or enquire through our online system and we'll help you with the rest. Details at the bottom of this page.

1. WHERE CAN I FLY INTO / OUT OF IN AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND?

AUSTRALIA: Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Melbourne, Perth or Sydney
NEW ZEALAND: Auckland (North Island), Christchurch & Queenstown (South Island)

2. POPULAR ROUTES THAT INCLUDE AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND:

London - Bangkok [Thailand] - travel overland to - Singapore - Darwin - Cairns - travel overland to - Sydney [Australia] - Auckland [New Zealand] - Fiji [Pacific Islands] - San Francisco - travel overland to - New York [USA] - London

London - Tokyo [Japan] - Perth - Cairns - travel overland to - Sydney [Australia] - Christchurch travel overland to Auckland [New Zealand] - L.A. [USA] - London

London - Mumbai [India] - Singapore - Bali [Indonesia] - Sydney travel overland to Melbourne [Australia] - Christchurch - travel overland to Auckland [New Zealand] - Santiago [Chile] - travel overland to - Lima [Peru] - London

London - Bangkok [Thailand] - travel overland to - Singapore - Bali [Indonesia] - Darwin - Cairns - travel overland to - Sydney - Fiji [Pacific Islands] - Auckland [New Zealand]- Santiago [Chile] - travel overland to - Buenos Aires [Argentina] - London

London - Johannesburg [South Africa] - Singapore - Bali - Brisbane - travel overland to - Melbourne [Australia] - Christchurch [New Zealand] - Fiji - Cook Islands [Pacific Islands] - L.A. - travel overland to New York [USA] - London

3. THINGS TO SEE & DO IN AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND:

1. Clubbing in Sydney
2. Bungy in Cairns
3. 4x4 on Fraser Island
4. Sailing in the Whitsundays
5. Swim with dolphins at Monkey Mia
6. Watch a sunrise from Uluru (Ayers Rock - pictured).

The most popular trip:

Sydney - Cairns ("East Coast Jolly")

Trip we'd recommend:

Cairns - Sydney - Melbourne - Alice Springs - Darwin - Broome - Perth

Top Tip!

The best part of Australia is the West coast - it houses the Ningaloo Reef. a massive coral reef less crowded and (in our eyes) more beautiful than the Great Barrier Reef for starters. To get there you can either fly in as part of your RTW ticket (simply request Perth as a stop off airport) or using cheap internal flights when you get there [Virgin Blue, Jetstar] or drive in as part of your Aussie bus or rail pass, or by car [buy/rent your own here]. If you’re doing East and West, you might as well do top and bottom. A trip of a lifetime you'll never forget!

1. Whale watching
2. Ice climbing
3. Trekking
4. See the Lord of the Rings settings
5. Rafting, bungy, gorge swing, zorbing
6. Snowboarding & skiing

The most popular trip:

Christchurch Airport - Auckland Airport (or vice versa) with adventure sports in between

Trip we'd recommend:

Get a bus pass that visits all the key places on both the North & South Islands. Amazing!

Top Tip!

You may find yourself having to choose from New Zealand or 'another Pacific Island'. If that is the case, trust us and go for New Zealand - more to do and see and vs. the Pacific Islands it's the only destination you could stay in for over four weeks and not be bored. How much time to spend there? We'd recommend four weeks minimum. Two to three weeks is not enough to see the place, although it can be done.

What others say about this region...

Dan Francis: "I absolutely bloody love Australia - ALL of it. But if I had to pick a highlight The Blue Mountains were absolutely amazing - one of those places where everywhere you look there is a fantastic view. You have to resist the urge to take a million pictures - as it turned out I only took half a million..."

Neil Jones: "Queenstown rocks; go on, part with your cash and party hard. Go get your adrenalin fix by throwing yourself off a few bridges with the aid of a bungy rope. It's a blast, as is white water body boarding with its freezing water, near drownings and really messy rapids, not forgetting the fact that there's no bloody raft... what a rush!"

Australia

Tom Griffiths writes...
Standing in front of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge (they’re next to each other) within an hour of arriving in Sydney, snorkelling the Barrier Reef, watching the sunset at Uluru (Ayers Rock), doing a bungy in the rainforest, rafting the amazing rivers, driving the Coast Road, kipping on Frazer Island under the stars, staring at the rocks in the Bungle Bungle, feeding a chicken to a crocodile bigger than a bus in Crocodile Dundee country, watching a long, straight, tarmac road disappear off into the distance of red earth and small dry bushes, surfing on Bondi Beach, wading with the dolphins at Monkey Mia, getting stuck in the mud in the rainforest of Cape York, clapping the participants of the annual boat race in Alice Springs held on a river with no water, entering a town in the middle of nowhere which looks like it is straight out of a Marlboro advert and ordering a ‘pot’ of cold beer in the local bar... if these aren’t on the postcards by the time you have left Australia, then you haven’t got the most out of it. Everyone does Sydney to Cairns. But there is a shed pile more to Australia than that. The tip I tell everyone? ‘West is best’ - so make sure you don't miss it.

Tom's Top 5 things to do:

(Apart from Uluru, the Opera House, the Barrier Reef... these kinds of things are a given)

1. Whitsunday Islands and Whitehaven Beach
2. Fraser Island
3. Kakadu and Lichfield National Parks
4. Cape York
5. The entire coast of Western Australia

Summary

Wins hands down on most things. Great climate, loads of things to do (from adventure sports, beach-life, mountains etc.), great place to work and earn money. Affordable - more expensive than Thailand, but cheaper than most of Europe. City life, spot on. Don't need to say much more as it sells itself.

New Zealand

Reg Dilloway writes...
New Zealand is considered an extremely safe place for independent travellers. It’s also a popular destination for those seeking an adrenalin rush. Opportunities abound for thrill-seekers searching for a new challenge within some of the most awe-inspiring scenery to be found on this planet.

Try jet boat river rides through boulder-strewn gorges, explore cathedral-like caves deep underground, hike over the summit of active volcanoes and across huge moon-like craters. My favourite National Park is situated in the centre of the North Island, Tongariro National Park. The scenery in this area is so diverse and the views from the mountains are spectacular. Within a radius of 50 miles there are barren deserts, thick lush rainforests, active volcanoes, boiling lakes, underground caves filled with glow worms, crystal clear waterfalls and pristine lakes teaming with fish and wildlife.

Reg's Top 5 things to do:

1. Take part in loads of adventure sports in Queenstown and Lake Taupo
2. Raft on some of the whitest water in the world
3. Commune with nature in NZ’s spectacular national parks
4. Do the Tongariro Crossing, one of the best day hikes in the world
5. Hop on a backpacker bus (such as the Kiwi Experience or the Magic Travellers’ Network) for an easy, affordable and fun way to get around
New Zealand.

Summary

Similar to Australia, New Zealand rates high as a RTW destination. It has everything you could ever want and is even slightly cheaper than Australia, but still more expensive than Thailand. More importantly if you are into your adventure sports, welcome to the adventure sport capital of the world! We're not going to go on and on about New Zealand. The only thing we will say is that no trip to Australia should happen without a visit here, and no RTW route should miss this as a destination. Trust us on this one. Add it in.

AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND: SUMMARY

The downunder experience beats all others hands down in terms of adventure sports, things to do, suitability for backpackers, nightlife, beaches, summer fun, winter fun, affordability etc. etc. etc. This is the MOST popular dual destination, all we advise you to do is to plan your trips to both countries properly so that you can get the most out of your time there and spend your money on all the things you want to do. There is so much to do, see and get involved in that the only regret you may have is not planning your time and money properly. If you haven't done so, head into the NZ and Australian country sections to find out more. Have fun when you're there and send us a postcard!

IN ADDITION TO YOUR RTW TICKET YOU ARE LIKELY TO NEED:

1. For Southern Africa
Hop-on-hop-off bus passes: Baz Bus
Overland truck tours: Check out our overlanding section

2. For Australia
Hop-on-hop-off bus passes: Oz Experience (include tours) Greyhound OR (just bus)
Starter Packs: Work starter pack, Country starter pack
Visas: Working Holiday Visa, Non working Visitors Visa, Study Visa
Tours: (Ayers Rock, Fraser Island, Blue Mountains etc...)
- We suggest you include these as part of your Oz Experience bus tour
- If you are using Greyhound you can book direct using our Tours section

3. For New Zealand
Hop-on-hop-off bus passes: Kiwi Experience, NZ Travel Pass, Magic Bus OR Haka Tours
Starter Packs: Work starter pack, Country Starter Pack
Visas: Working Holiday Visa, Non working Visitors Visa
Tours: We suggest you include these as part of your bus tour and don't book direct

4. For General Travel
Discount Cards: Gap Year Card, VIP, YHA

5. For More Ideas - check out our First Timer's Guides

Explore Oz & NZ

Locations:

New Zealand Australia

Call:

0845 3 447 667

STA Travel is the World's largest youth and independent travel agency. With over 65 branches in the UK and over 450 around the World, you can visit them if you have problems overseas. The Gapyear.com team at STA Travel are on standby to help you plan your dream trip.