Travel to Australia

It takes around 24 hours to get from the UK to Australia but the trip is definitely a worthwhile one. While there are no direct flights to Australia, there are plenty of airlines offering indirect services from most of the UK's major airports to most of Australia's cities. These include Qantas, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Emirates. With so many airlines offering flights, it's worth shopping around for the best deal before buying your flight to Australia.

Australia is huge, in fact it's about the same size as Europe! As such it's not easy to travel around in a short period of time so you're best off booking domestic flights if you plan on visiting more than one destination. Budget airlines such as Jetstar and Virgin Blue offer reasonable prices (and in some cases low-fare Airpasses) if booked in advance. For those who have longer to spend exploring the country, train or bus travel is a reliable and comfortable option. Both rail and bus companies offer discounts for multi destination trips, so it's worth looking into this.

Alternatively, consider hiring a car or campervan during your holiday to Australia - the roads are well kept and well sign posted - but just be aware that you can end up travelling for many, many hours before finding any trace of civilisation!

Australia is not as cheap as it used to be, but it is still possible to find cheap hotels in Australia if you compare prices online and book well advance. Alternatively, if you're staying in Australia for more than a few weeks, renting an apartment can work out much cheaper. Or if you plan on travelling around, a mobile home or campervan can make for a memorable home on the go.

You don't have to spend a fortune seeing the sites in Australia and many of the highlights the country has to offer can be explored for free such as some museums, the stunning beaches, beautiful parks and rainforests and even the Outback. If you decide to book guides and tours, shop around for the best deals. Often tour operators will offer discounts to fill last minute places which is worth bearing in mind.

Eating out in the tourist hotspots will always cost more than smaller, more out of the way restaurants as will drinking in bars. Look out for Happy Hour promotions for cheap drinks and check out local supermarkets for high quality, fresh and more affordable produce.

• Sydney
• Melbourne
• Adelaide
• Perth
• Brisbane
• Darwin