What do you wish you had taken??

nspofford

We are booked on the November 6 tour and are very excited to go. We will be gone a month since we are adding some days on before and after the tour. This will be our longest trip ever and I know packing will be a challenge. What is the one/two things that you wish you had taken? Thanks for any thoughts you have!

Cas2

We will also be on this tour and spending two extra days on the front end.

sweenpc

We took this tour in April. Dress is very casual during the day and dressy casual for some of the dinners. The hotels are well equipped and there are ample opportunities to purchase items left at home. My only advice would be bring sea sick medication if you get sea sick. There's a pharmacy close to the Langham in Melbourne that can fix you up but you can't purchase the medication in Port Douglas. Our trip to and from the Great Barrier Reef was very rough. The crew passed out ginger pills as we boarded but stronger medication was needed as many of the several hundred people on the boat were sick. Crew members were trained to spot those ailing and were quick to provide wet towels, etc., but better to avoid it if possible. It's a fabulous tour. I hope you are blessed with the wonderful weather we had. Safe travel.

nspofford

Thanks for the information. We just got our trip booklet this week with the detailed information and are very excited!! A great adventure!

Looking forward to meeting all our fellow travelers. We are flying in early and doing the all day Great Ocean Drive tour. Also, staying a couple days later in Auckland.

AshvEd

You will love this trip. Many great adventures and Tauck surprises. Generally the temperatures are quite extreme between Uluru and the South Island of NZ. Think layers and you’ll be OK. I wish I had not used a Scopolamine patch for possible sea sickness when going to the Great Barrier Reef. I had a bad reaction however don’t let my experience influence you if you have good sea legs.

nspofford

Thanks, AshvEd! I get very motion sick and sea sick but I've found Bonine, taken early, works really well for me. I intend to stock up before we go! Thanks.

Richardb

As others have said, you will love this trip. As for motion sickness, my wife swears by some wrist bands which she puts on prior to anticipated problems. Something to do with pressure points, not sure how they work but they do - every time. Without them she really suffers. Saves medication.
Good luck and enjoy.

British

Yes, we used those wrist bands on cross channel ferries on our daughter for sea sickness many years and it really works but you do have to wear them in exactly the correct position on your wrists, instructions are given.

AshvEd

We have used Bio-Bands for several years and they have kept us from getting motion sickness. That and a Bonine have kept the "blues" away.

nspofford

Thanks Richardb, British and AshvEd!! I had heard about patches for motion sickness but never anything you buy over the counter. Just looked Bio Bands up and will order some! Great advice! We leave November 2 to arrive Melbourne on November 4 (tour starts November 6) and I'm sure I'll be spending time every day until then getting through all the little details - the planning is fun for me (but drives my husband nuts!!). Thanks again!!

vbeachjan

nspofford wrote:

We are booked on the November 6 tour and are very excited to go. We will be gone a month since we are adding some days on before and after the tour. This will be our longest trip ever and I know packing will be a challenge. What is the one/two things that you wish you had taken? Thanks for any thoughts you have!

This is a great question! We're going in March 2018 and would love to know too. I'd rather have good tips on what to (or not to) bring than have an overpacked suitcase! (Bonine is now on my list.) We'll also stay a few days at the front and back ends.

We're hoping to do the Penguins from Melbourne and would appreciate advice on tour operators and specific tours.

Thanks and I hope you'll come back after your trip and fill us in!

BKMD

I was on this trip last year, about this time.

Bring (or buy there) bug repellent. You'll need it for sure in QLD and also useful on the S. Island of NZ.

If you are from SoCal, bring gloves for NZ.

In Sydney, about the midpoint of the trip, there's an opportunity for laundry, so you don't need to over-pack. About a block away from the hotel, there's a laundry run by a nasty Asian woman who does a good job and is reasonably priced (but don't let her get away with telling you that it's too much stuffed in one bag and charge you double). Drop it off one afternoon and it will be ready the next morning.

Both countries are just like home in that you can drink the water and find anything you may have forgotten, except a left-sided steering wheel :-)

Enjoy. It's a great trip!

Sandman1

Thanks for your advice, but what gives with the gloves? We are not from SO Cal so I think we are out of the loop!

BKMD

Sandman wrote:

Thanks for your advice, but what gives with the gloves? We are not from SO Cal so I think we are out of the loop!

When we were waking up in Te Anau, temps outside were in the upper 40s/low 50s. Everybody thought it was refreshing except the SoCal people who put on ski jackets, hats, and gloves :-) It's all what you're used to.

British

Gloves. Depends when you go, it can snow on NZ

joycesw

I always stick a pair of those one dollar thin gloves on my bag, pretty much wherever I go ( except Hawaii and Mexico)...they take up no room, and I have used them so often on so many different trips....didn't have them in Hanoi in January, and they would have saved me the embarrassment of wearing socks on my hands to keep them warm!

nspofford

Great ideas, everyone! Bug repellent is now on my list!

Vbeachjan: We are not doing the tour out of Melbourne you are looking at, but are doing the Great Ocean tour. We weren't sure what tour operator to go with so I sent a note to the hotel concierge and they provided tour operators they would recommend.

This is what they recommended. Not sure what tour you are looking for but maybe this will help.


Great Ocean Road & Phillip Island

Gray Line Day Tours - www.grayline.com.au/australia-sightseeing/melbourne-day-tours
AAT Kings Day Tours - www.aatkings.com/tours?category=victoria&duration=one-day
Bunyip Day Tours (smaller vehicles) - www.bunyiptours.com
Wildlife Tours/Autopia (smaller vehicles) - www.autopiatours.com.au
Localing Tours (private drivers) - www.localing.com.au
Vinetrekker Day Tours (private drivers) – www.vinetrekker.com.au

I felt more comfortable using a company they recommended rather than just choosing off the internet. Good luck!

J White

Just returned from this trip and it’s fabulous. With respect to the great ocean road tour, I arrived a few days early and did a private tour with Localing. I actually booked 2 days with them. The first day my tour guide was awful and completely distracted. I felt like it was a complete waste of money. They changed the guide for my second day for the great ocean road tour and it was a fabulous day - probably one of the best days of the whole tour.

Can’t think of anything that you need to bring which isn’t suggested by Tauck. Enjoy! It’s a very busy tour but lots of fun.

There are several places to do laundry along the way and the soap is provided.

Jm1212

We did this trip in last February to March. Fabulous! I would do it again! Be prepared for extreme weather from Hot in Uluru to cold in South New Zealand. I found most of our group dressed casually through out the tour even on dinner nights. I wish i brought an extra pair of jeans, capris, short sleeve t's. Bring swim gear for Silky Oaks because you will want to take advantage of their pool. You can relax in the pool and do your laundry at their near by facility. You will find that the hot topic on this trip was where can we do laundry?
Hotels are first class and have lots of nice shampoo, lotions etc. Every hotel had white terry robes.

Days are full of activities and you start early in the morning and come home exhausted The downside is living out of a suitcase and moving from hotel to hotel. The good thing is that Tauck takes care of your luggage.
We really didn't want for much Tauck tour director was organized, scheduled bathroom stops, bottles of water were supplied, buses were comfortable and clean.

Breakfast in the hotels were beyond expectation, lunches and dinners will not disappoint.

Make sure and take plenty of sun screen and use it daily. The sun rays are intense! Rain parka and layers will work in the south of New Zealand. Bring comfortable shoes for lots of walking.

lovestravel

We were in Australia and New Zealand several years ago in May. New Zealand was much colder than I'd anticipated, so I ended up buying two sweatshirts while we were on the South Island.

sweenpc

Re the Little Penguin Tour, we used The Little Penguin Bus tour and really enjoyed it. Pick up for us was across the river from the Langham, an easy walk. Be sure to book the Penguin Express with Guided Ranger tour and dress warmly if you go. I believe the amount on the web site is AUS dollars. We found them on Trip Advisor. https://thelittlepenguinbus.rezdy.com

vbeachjan

nspofford wrote:

Great ideas, everyone! Bug repellent is now on my list!

Vbeachjan: We are not doing the tour out of Melbourne you are looking at, but are doing the Great Ocean tour. We weren't sure what tour operator to go with so I sent a note to the hotel concierge and they provided tour operators they would recommend.

This is what they recommended. Not sure what tour you are looking for but maybe this will help.


Great Ocean Road & Phillip Island

Gray Line Day Tours - www.grayline.com.au/australia-sightseeing/melbourne-day-tours
AAT Kings Day Tours - www.aatkings.com/tours?category=victoria&duration=one-day
Bunyip Day Tours (smaller vehicles) - www.bunyiptours.com
Wildlife Tours/Autopia (smaller vehicles) - www.autopiatours.com.au
Localing Tours (private drivers) - www.localing.com.au
Vinetrekker Day Tours (private drivers) – www.vinetrekker.com.au

I felt more comfortable using a company they recommended rather than just choosing off the internet. Good luck!

Thank you for the information! We booked with aatkings, which was highly rated on tripadvisor.

CatLover8

What kind of footwear do you need? Are comfortable sneakers sufficient or do you need lightweight hiking shoes? What about for the great barrier reef - do you need sandals for that?

AshvEd

Sneakers were sufficient for hikes, walks, and GBR as long as they have good traction on damp surfaces. Some wore beach sandals to GBR. It’s a fabulous trip.