Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

56
CHAPTER 2 . PLANNING AN AFFORDABLE TRIP TO AUSTRALIA
can rest your head and avoid being
bumped in the aisle.
• Get up, walk around, and stretch
every 60 to 90 minutes to keep
your blood flowing. This helps
avoid deep vein thrombosis, or
“economy-class syndrome,” a rare
but deadly condition that can be
caused by sitting in cramped conditions
for too long.
• Drink water before, during, and
after your flight to combat the lack
of humidity in airplane cabins—
which can be drier than the Sahara.
Bring a bottle of water on board.
Avoid alcohol, which will dehydrate
you.
• If you’re flying with kids, don’t forget
to carry on toys, books, pacifiers,
and chewing gum to help
them relieve ear pressure buildup
during ascent and descent. Let each
child pack his or her own backpack
with favorite toys.
14 Packages for the Independent Traveler
Before you start your search for the Austravel (& 800/633-3404 in the
lowest airfare, you may want to consider
booking your flight as part of a the U.K.; www.austravel.net) is an
U.S. and Canada, or 0870/055-0239 in
travel package. Package tours are not American company offering independent
packages Down Under. The follow-
the same thing as escorted tours. Package
tours are simply a way to buy the ing companies offer both independent
airfare, accommodations, and other and escorted tours: ATS Tours (& 800/
elements of your trip (such as car 423-2880 in the U.S. and Canada;
rentals, airport transfers, and sometimes
even activities) at the same time (& 800/340-5158 in the U.S., 416/626
www.atstours.com); Collette Vacations
and often at discounted prices—kind 1661 in Canada, or 0189/581-2333 in
of like one-stop shopping. Packages the U.K. through Adventures Unlimited,
Inc.; www.collettevacations.com);
are sold in bulk to tour operators—
who resell them to the public at a cost Goway (& 800/387-8850 in the U.S.
that usually undercuts standard rates. and Canada; www.goway.com); Inta-
One good source of package deals is Aussie South Pacific Tours (& 800/
the airlines themselves. Most major airlines
offer air/land packages to Aus-
2060; www.inta-oz.com); Maupintour
531-9222 in the U.S. or 310/568-
tralia, including American Airlines (& 800/255-4266 in the U.S. and
Vacations (& 800/321-2121; www. Canada; www.maupintour.com); Qantas
Vacations (& 800/348-8139 in the
aavacations.com), Delta Vacations
(& 800/221-6666; www.deltavacations. U.S. and 800/268-7525 in Canada;
com), Continental Airlines Vacations www.qantasvacations.com); Sunbeam
(& 800/301-3800; www.coolvacations. Tours (& 800/955-1818 in the U.S.
com), and United Vacations (& 888/ and Canada; www.sunbeamtours.com);
854-3899; www.unitedvacations.com). Swain Australia Tours (& 800/22-
Several big online travel agencies— SWAIN in the U.S. and Canada; www.
Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, Site59, swainaustralia.com); Swain Australia’s
and Lastminute.com—also do a brisk budget-travel division, Downunder
business in packages. If you’re unsure Direct (& 800/642-6224 in the U.S.
about the pedigree of a smaller packager,
check with the Better Business com); and United Vacations (& 800/
and Canada; www.downunderdirect.
Bureau in the city where the company is 917-9246 in the U.S. and Canada;
based, or go online at www.bbb.org. If a www.unitedvacations.com).
packager won’t tell you where it’s based, Travel packages are also listed in the
don’t fly with them.
travel section of your local Sunday