Even with the convenience of the internet, allowing one to find hotel accommodations, airline tickets, and book car rentals without the help of a travel agent, organizing a vacation package to Australia and/or New Zealand is best left to the experts. Although “off-line” travel agencies are still of value, there are a few websites that you can visit online where you can select from various combinations of Australia vacation packages or create a custom package, all with the help of those who know about travel to down under.

The Qantas Vacations travel site is a great place to start. They specialize in travel to the South Pacific, Australia and New Zealand, in some areas being one of the biggest purchasers of rooms and services which allows them to offer lower rates. With Qantas Vacations you can customize your trip down to the last detail, from the shortest day trip to the fully escorted multi-day tour, and you can select options to travel alone or with a group (a group tour is highly recommended). One great feature about the Qantas Vacations website is the level of detail they offer regarding the destinations. The website offers detailed information and highlights of Australia’s states and territories, travel tips, and detailed itineraries for the pre-configured vacation packages. You can select from vacation package options that cover a certain area of Australia as well as Australia and New Zealand vacation packages covering both of these countries in a multi-day tour and even including other parts of the South Pacific such as Papua New Guinea. Feel free to chat online or speak with a Qantas Vacations travel agent toll free in the United States (their head office is based in Los Angeles, California).

About Australia is another website dedicated to vacation packages to Australia and New Zealand, also offering complete, customizable itineraries. About Australia specializes in independent travel (as opposed to escorted tour) vacations, though group tour options are also available. On the website you can browse a wide variety of complete, pre-configured Australia vacation packages (which can be customized and tailored to your travel preferences) or you can view packages based on price. About Australia’s itineraries are highly detailed, offer additional “insider tips” regarding lesser known aspects of Australia, and give information on what is or isn’t included in the package as well as optional activities that could fit into the itinerary for an additional cost. About Australia focuses on the western and middle sections of Australia as well as New Zealand and Fiji. You can call toll free in the United States to speak with an agent to build an Australia vacation package and get a firm quote.

Down Under Endeavours offers vacation packages to Australia and New Zealand as well as Fiji and Tahiti. From the home page you can click on the location of interest which will take you to an introductory overview page, at the bottom of which is a map of the location. The nice feature about this map is that you can mouse over on various cities and areas and click on the various types of vacation packages available for that area. Down Under Endeavors will customize any package to your specific needs with the help of their highly knowledgeable travel agents. You will find an extensive lineup of vacation packages and a wealth of useful information on this website.

There are a few useful websites that specialize in vacation packages to New Zealand. Discover New Zealand, based out of Auckland, New Zealand, and New Zealand Vacation Planners, based out of Queenstown, New Zealand, are two agencies dedicated exclusively to New Zealand vacation packages. Both have a comprehensive lineup of vacations (holidays) to choose from or you can customize your own. You can choose from independent tours, self drive options, escorted tours, and you can likely find a great itinerary from the pre-configured packages found on the websites. Horizon Holidays is another good website, geared towards residents of the United States and Canada, with a wealth of information about New Zealand and a varied lineup of tours and vacations. At Across NZ you will also find many vacation itineraries to choose from as well as extensive important information on traveling to New Zealand.

The websites mentioned above make browsing through itineraries, planning and booking Australia vacation packages as easy as possible, with the help of travel agents who specialize in travel to down under. The first two – Qantas Vacations and About Australia – are truly “one-stop shops” that will allow you to book just about any itinerary you could imagine in Australia, New Zealand, and other areas of the South Pacific. There are other sites besides the ones mentioned on this post (which can be found by doing a Google search for Australia vacation packages or New Zealand vacation packages) that also offer vacations and tours, but most seem harder to navigate, are not as user friendly, and often require that you book items like accommodations and activities separately (through different operators). I don’t recommend sites such as Trip Advisor, Orbitz or Expedia to find vacation packages since they mostly deal with individual components such as hotel accommodations and airfare, although there may be an advertisement for an Australia vacation package that links you to a more useful website. If you need to book airfare separately from your vacation, consider Qantas Airways, United Airlines, and Air New Zealand (to New Zealand only) for flights from the USA.

For the most part, the vacation packages to Australia and New Zealand are all inclusive, but some may not include airfare. The itineraries will often mention optional activities that can be added to the itinerary for an additional cost, or that you would pay for once you arrive to your vacation destination, and some also offer different levels (usually three) of accommodations (from economy to luxury). As I mentioned in another post regarding what to look for in Australia vacations packages, be sure to review the inclusions do determine what else you will have to pay for on your trip (such as meals, transportation and entrance fees to optional activities, tips, etc.).

I suggest that doing your research with various agencies is a great idea, at the very least to get some good ideas for planning your ideal vacation. Some websites have more information than others. Be sure to take a look at the sidebars with links to other pages with information regarding culture, health and safety, weather and climate, driving times, and useful insider tips – you will find valuable information that you can use to plan and have the best trip possible. As always, to book and experience the best Australia vacation package possible, it is best to speak with a live agent who specializes in travel to down under.

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