Austraia or New Zealand? Anyone have contacts there?

meanwhile · #1 12/26/09, 06:44 AM

Australia? Anyone in Australia or New Zealand??
My son and a friend arrived in Sydney, Australia this week. They were to meet up with two "friends" from school (all four are recently graduated) who had made all the hotel and transportation arrangements. The two "friends" have just canceled which means no hotel/trans for my son and his travel buddy.

They have found safe Youth Hostel in Bryon Bay area till Thursday. Can you suggest a safe and reputable travel agency or any other safe booking agency? They already tried Tourist Information in both Sydney and Bryon Bay and were told they do not book hotels nor help with tours.

Is there any way for them to rent a car if I were to co-sign? They are only age 21 and age 22 and have been told they cannot rent a car/truck till age 26? Is there a way to rent at the younger ages?

They have air flights booked on Jan. 12th to New Zealand. If anyone has suggestions for there too we will be grateful.

Thank you for any suggestions (yes yes - we already know that the "friends" are not really "friends") and referrals.
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UPDATED: December 26th. My son did find a bus trip and is in the Noosa area now. Any contacts would be appreciated. Thank you.

tyusclan · #2 12/26/09, 09:55 AM

Ronney is a member on here from NZ, who usually posts in the Cattle and Pig forums. You might send her a PM or an email, and she may have some suggestions for you.

WildernesFamily · #3 12/26/09, 10:36 AM

I would strongly suggest you tell them to stop at a bookshop and get either:

Frommers Australia or New Zealand

or

Lonely Planet Australia or New Zealand

They are guide books and will give information for all different areas. Prices and locations for youth hostels, hotels, restaurants, fast food places etc. These books will also tell you just about everything you need to know about renting cars, public transportation etc.

DH and I traveled a bit when we were much younger and these books are really an excellent help.

You could even go to Barnes and Noble or another bookstore where you are and pick one up so you have the info handy for them if they can't get to a bookstore to get one.

Good luck! I know what the poor guys are going through. We went from South Africa to England with family and the understanding was that we were going to stay with my BILs uncle till we could find our feet. On arrival at the airport we were told sorry.. no can do, you're on your own. We were totally unprepared for that, it was quite a learning experience.

o&itw · #4 12/26/09, 11:31 AM

There are a few people that post over on the sheep thread, from those areas.

Caitedid · #5 12/26/09, 12:34 PM

Meanwhile, Think what a marvelous learning experience this is for them. I had a similar experience when I arrived in Fiji for a two week vacation and found that the place that had seemed so nice and respectable when I was in Iowa was actually a run-down brothel. I found a tour company asap and just went with the flow, ended up having a lovely time. In NZ they can take the national train, which is a lot less confusing than driving anyway. Hope they have fun despite the rough start! Caite

culpeper · #6 12/26/09, 03:59 PM

I'm in Australia, but I live near Brisbane.

Try searching amongst these sites for info about Byron Bay (note spelling!).

http://www.google.com.au/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-GB%3Aofficial&channel=s&hl=en&source=hp&q=tourist+information+byron+bay&meta=cr%3DcountryAU&btnG=Google+Search
Check here for car hire. They will have some trouble. Age is not usually a factor, but it's the holiday season and many places are fully booked out.

http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&channel=s&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-GB%3Aofficial&hs=tqe&q=car+hire+sydney&meta=cr%3DcountryAU&aq=1&oq=car+hire+
They might get some advice from the Consulate:

http://protocol.dfat.gov.au/Consulate/view.rails?id=212

They could browse through here to find cheap accommodation etc:

http://www.google.com.au/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-GB%3Aofficial&channel=s&hl=en&source=hp&q=backpacking+in+Australia&meta=cr%3DcountryAU&btnG=Google+Search
I have PM-ed you, so they can contact me if desired while they are only a couple of hours from me.

Ken Scharabok · #7 12/26/09, 05:51 PM

Have them go to either the American Embassy or Consulate and ask for help. They are there to help in a variety of situations.

However, please do caution them when in a foreign country they are subject to local laws. If they get arrest there is little the Embassy can do except to put them in contact with attorneys and make contacts back home for them.

meanwhile · #8 12/26/09, 07:07 PM

Oh thank you everyone! Culpepper - I sent you a private message. Thank you so much. It helps to know people are nearby. For now, they are on a paid tour and camping for 3 days. After that, they will know if the Tour group is any good or just a "rip off".

Caitedid - yes, it is going to be quite a learning experience. When they called we said "THINK THINK THINK - breathe deep and then think!" We traveled England and Ireland earlier this year and we had to plan as we went along. I reminded my son to think about what we did.

That is good news that they can rent a car. The Travel agency they went to, at first, told them they are too young to rent a car. They took camping gear and tents, etc. and had planned to camp but were told, by Wicked Travel they cannot.....but....I will let them know to ask someone else. The Travel agency may have just wanted them to stay booked with them and not have their own car. If they had a car, they could "car camp" and just go where they want to go.

I will try the sheep section too.

Thank you very much.

Ken Scharabok · #9 12/26/09, 11:50 PM

Years ago I spent about a week in NZ. Beautiful country, but unless you are into sheep, not a whole lot to see. We flew into Wellington. Rode the ferry over to a port on South Island for a day trip. Took train from Wellington up to Aukland for the flight home. North was fairly dry. Southern part of the North Island fairly lush. South Island mountainous.

Valmai · #10 12/27/09, 08:14 AM

I have left some links for you on this thread in the sheep section.
I understand it would have been a shock for them thinking everything was organised but they speak the language and the culture is not that different so as long as they have the right attitude they will have as good a time as the allow themselves to have.

meanwhile · #11 12/27/09, 09:03 AM

Thank you Valmai. I did get the links.

Thank you everyone. Yes, it was a shock but they are learning from it. They will be posting Travel notes on our Family Web site if you want to take a look.

Casey's Travel Blog:
http://www.meanwhilebackinsaluda.com/blogs/casey/

Meanwhile, Back in Saluda:
http://www.meanwhilebackinsaluda.com/

If it does not link right to Casey's section, just go to the Main Page, click on the School Section, then go to Casey's Blog.

Thank you so much. Thank you everyone for the messages and numbers. It has helped a lot. Thank you.

notenoughtime · #12 12/27/09, 09:44 AM

Oh the kindness shown here just warms my heart! I do hope they have a good time, what an adventure for wonderful memories.

stickinthemud · #13 12/27/09, 10:12 AM

Bless everyone on HT who gives good advice! I came here for perspective before DD went to Europe and got the help I needed to make the right decision. She had a wonderful time & I hope your son does too.

meanwhile · #14 12/27/09, 11:13 AM

Yes, this has been a heartwarming experience for me. We have phone numbers, web sites, names - everything they need to help plan the trip and get back on track. Thank you everyone. We hope to hear from them on the 29th and we already emailed all the information and numbers. They will be grateful too for the input and support.

Casey will post photos as they travel and anyone who wants to see can check out the links in my post above. Thank you everyone!

LandRover · #15 12/27/09, 07:19 PM

Australia and New Zealand have great setups for youngsters to travel about without any strict plans. A huge number of Europeans head over to those countries and spend several months or longer traveling about. They really shouldn't have too much trouble moving about and finding places to stay.

When I was 19-20 I spent about a year traveling through Africa - the experience will do them the power of good and teach them to take care of themselves in what is going to be a pretty safe environment if they keep their wits about them.

notenoughtime · #16 12/27/09, 07:31 PM

This is a silly question but I thought Australia and New Zealand was very similar to United States. What would things a person would be watching out for? Your normal stuff we watch for here in the States? We still leave our doors unlocked so I am clueless.

LandRover · #17 12/27/09, 08:35 PM

They are similar. They just need to keep their wits about them, not drink too much if they do at all, and show some common sense - which they seem to be ok with. Both countries are safer than the US. Talking to the people who run the hostels and to other travelers will provide them with all the info they need.

culpeper · #18 12/28/09, 01:09 AM

Australia and New Zealand are very different from the US, and from each other. For one thing, there are fewer Americans living here!

America doesn't have Australian Aboriginal culture or New Zealand Maori culture to investigate and experience. Americans drive on the right side of the road, Australia and New Zealanders drive on the left side. Laws are different. The people are different. The languages are different (though similar in many respects).

You don't get to see the Great Barrier Reef or the Blue Mountains or Uluru or kangaroos or koalas in America. You don't get to see the glow-worm caves and fjords and volcanoes of New Zealand, or kiwis.

Best of all, you get lamingtons in Australia and New Zealand!!

The differences, like the distances, are vast. Who wants to travel half-way across the world to see something 'just like home'??

Ken Scharabok · #19 12/28/09, 01:42 AM

To be contrary. I haven't been to Australia, only NZ.

Some of our states are larger then the entire country of NZ. We have the Appalachian Mountains and Rockies. We have the Grand Canyon. We have the wide expanses of the Great Plaines. We have the reefs off of Florida and the Florida Keys. The eroded away volcanos in HI are an equal match to what I saw going from Wellington to the South Island. How many beaches like those in Southern California does NZ have? Outside of China and Russia I doubt any other country can boast as to the number of quite different regions. We have out Native American Indians and Afro-Americans. I saw a lot of Wellington and a bit of Aukland. They pale in comparison to many U.S. cities. You have your indiginous animals, but how many buffalo/bison, elk, mountian lions and wolves are there.

The only difference I really noted was the cultures. We are becoming far more of a blended society.

Wylie Kyote · #20 12/28/09, 03:30 AM

As an Aussie who has travelled the west coast of the US we are not all that disimilar. We speak English, with a slight difference in accent. For an American it's just like going to a different part of the US. I had an American tell me, just recently that Australia was the most Americanized country he had been to, and LOVES it. New Zealand Maori's are the same race/culture as Hawaiins. I hope the Americans out here on vacation enjoy their stay, We have the best beaches and some great scenery. I enjoyed my US and south-west Canada vacation and could move to California in a heartbeat, if I/we had the money. I also served alongside US, Canadian, British and NZ servicemen and the US Canadian and British service personel always joined the fun lovin' Aussies and Kiwis.
Also, I'm a regular visitor on the KountryLife website. Wylie