• Sunscreen is not enough.  Baseball caps won’t do a lot. You need to get a hat, preferably a UPF protected one.  We ordered ours at Wallaroo Hat Company.
• For Americans especially, you drive on the left side of the road.
• Do NOT tip.  This is not limited to waiters and waitresses.  It is for everyone…you should not tip taxi drivers, bellman, valet drivers, etc.  In fact, the Uber app in Australia does not allow you to tip.
• While the cities are wonderful, visit towns outside the main cities.  Australia is a HUGE country and has many different sides to it.
• Research Tasmania and contemplate visiting.  Hobart is a beautiful city on the harbor but the wildlife and national parks are what makes it a worthwhile spot.
• Because of the size, do not expect to see much in a week.  We had three weeks, and while we thoroughly enjoyed every minute, we know that we didn’t even scratch the surface.  We knew that going in, but we work and live in America.  It wasn’t possible for us to take off more than 15 days for one vacation.
• If you are limited with time, skip New Zealand.  Save it for another vacation.
• An entree on a menu is what Americans call an appetizer.  It is NOT your main dish.
• If you eat meat, try kangaroo.  You won’t find it other places.
• Wear comfortable shoes. You will be walking a lot.
• It is not a cheap vacation at any time of year.  If this is a once in a lifetime trip and you do not have money to burn, start saving some before you plan it.  Knowing Australia (especially Sydney) was number one on my bucket list, I had started saving many years before we went away.  This let us fly over in business class, visit during Christmas-mid January, enjoy NYE in Sydney and not break the bank.
• Seasons are opposite from the United States.  If there is a specific area or site you want to visit, do some research to make sure you are going at the appropriate time of year.