Organized trip to Australia by Marie.
Today, I welcome Marie who followed my blog before going to Australia, I interviewed her so she could share her feedback on her Australian experience during an organized trip.
Can you introduce yourself to the readers?
My name is Marie, I am 20 years old, I am a third-year undergraduate student, my goal is to become a primary school teacher. I have been learning Japanese for 4 years and I would like to go to Japan in the coming years, I was supposed to go last year but because of what happened in Fukushima, I was scared and I did not go.
What has been your travel experience abroad?
I have been to the Caribbean 4 times, twice to Guadeloupe, once to Martinique, and I also went once to the Dominican Republic with my parents. I traveled abroad without my parents for the first time last year to Italy and I went with one of my best friends. Otherwise, I also went to Madrid, Spain this year. A few weeks ago, I went alone to Australia for 3 weeks but everything was with 2 tour operators on an organized trip.
You went to Australia, why did you choose this country and how did you organize everything?
I wanted to go to Japan last year and this time I wanted to go to the other side of the world so I went to Australia. I searched on Google and came across several websites for trips to Australia. I compared the different sites and made my choice based on the circuits offered and the activities I was supposed to do.
Where did you go in Australia?
I was on the east coast in Sydney, the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Fraser Island, Whitsundays, Cairns, Port Douglas then in the center of Australia in Alice Springs, King Canyon and then I went to Darwin to return to France but I was only outside and inside the airport.
What was your favorite place in Australia?
Brisbane, because I fell in love with the city, the bridge, the setting, I felt good in Brisbane, because I could see myself living in this city.
You told me you stayed in Australia 18 days, that seems a bit short, how was it?
It was too fast, I would have liked to enjoy the cities longer, but I had a goal to do as much as possible in a minimum of time because I only had 3 weeks free. I think I won’t have another chance to go to Australia because it’s expensive and very far so I preferred to do as much as possible because it was my first big trip abroad to a country outside Europe.
What was your budget?
I spent 5000 euros for this vacation, but the tour only cost 3000 euros because the agency took a lot of commissions with the different options but next time, I will inquire before doing the same thing. What I should have done was to gather more information and look on English sites that had the same service for less. I will not make this mistake again.
Why did you choose to go alone?
Honestly, I was not afraid to go alone but going to Australia is very expensive so it’s hard to find someone to go with.
I understand, I myself went alone. What would you have done differently?
I wouldn’t have gone with an organized group but I would have gone with my friends to better enjoy the interactions with the locals.
Why do you think you would have had more with locals with your friends?
We would have been more interested in the local culture. My stay in Australia was too fast and we didn’t enjoy each city much because we stayed in each city for a maximum of one day and we had very little free time.
What advice would you give to readers who want to do the same?
Get well informed about tour operators and prices because I could have saved money by inquiring directly with American tour operators but I learn from my mistakes.
Thank you Marie for sharing your experience with us.
