The first and most important thing to consider is that Australia is a long, long haul from the Northern Hemisphere. It is a nearly 15-hour nonstop flight from Los Angeles to Sydney, made even longer if you come via Honolulu. From the East Coast of North America, add five-and- a-half hours to that! If you’re coming from the States via Auckland, add transit time in New Zealand plus another three hours for the Auckland– Sydney leg. If you’re coming from the United Kingdom, you’re in for a flight of around 12 hours from London to Asia, and then possibly a layover of quite a few hours (which is not a bad thing if you can find a hotel room to rest in), because flights to Australia have a habit of arriving in Asia early in the morning and departing around midnight; and finally another eight- to nine-hour flight to Australia. Still keen? Great, let’s go!
