Travelling to Australia

Flights to Australia

The biggest carrier to Australia is currently Qantas, who work in partnership with British Airways. Together they offer up to 6 daily departures from the UK and a wide range of options for travelling in either direction around the globe.

A direct flight to Sydney from the UK can take 24+ hours, which is why many travellers decide to stop-over en route to Australia. Common stop-over destinations are Singapore, Dubai, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and South Pacific islands. Breaking the journey up will help to reduce the jet lag you’ll experience. Although a direct flight will stop for refuelling en route, you will only have a few hours at most to wander round stop-over airports before you have to get back on the plane and continue flying. This is a nightmare journey taken at one go and we would really recommend you spend a few days somewhere en route. You are already paying for flights halfway round the world – take the opportunity to see some more destinations on the way!

Round the world flights

Australia is usually included as a destination on round the world flight routes. It is a magnet for backpackers as it has so much to offer – a well-trodden and relatively safe & easy backpacking route, plenty of social life & drinking, decently paid work in abundance, sport, adventure, unique diving experiences, interesting wildlife, awesome scenery and to make things even easier – they speak English. For those of you feeling a little daunted by travelling this is an easy country to travel in – you will never be alone & you will find it very easy to meet other travellers & make friends.

For some inspiring examples of flight routes round the world, visit our RTW flight routes suggested by our team at STA Travel. You will see that most of the example routes include a stop in Australia. It is also quite common to fly into one end of the country and out of the other end.

Entering Australia – customs rules

Australia is a large and isolated island, currently free from many of the diseases and insect pests that occur in other countries. As a result, customs rules are very strict when it comes to animal and vegetable imports as well as the normal prohibited goods. No fruits, vegetables, meat or any other food products are allowed in unless they are factory-made and on the approved list of imports. If you mistakenly bring something in you can declare it without penalty. However, if you try to smuggle something in without declaring it you could be liable to heavy fines and even jail.

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