How can you plan a trip to Sydney? My 18 mistakes.

If you have landed here for the first time:

This is going to be the last post in the Australia series.

I dedicate this post to all the people who are affected by bush-fire situation in New South Wales. When all this is over, I hope Australian people can bounce back strongly.

When I reached Sydney, my colleagues informed me about the ongoing New South Wales bush fires and since it was far away, luckily, it did not affect my trip. The bush fires are still going on. I would suggest you all to keep a check the local/international news for a specific country before you leave for a trip.

Let me start by telling my mistakes and then we will see how you as a family/individual can plan a trip to Australia.

My 18 mistakes:

Not keeping enough time gap between the flights: When you have less than an hour between the flights, you need to basically run towards your next flight as the terminals can be really far away. A safe gap of 3-4 hours is recommended from my end. If your first flight is delayed somehow, you would have to rush. Also, you can inform the airline by calling them just before you board. Web-Check-in can be a good option.
Not keeping enough food for the flight: I assumed that I will have enough time between the flights from Bangalore to Kuala Lumpur and Kuala Lumpur to Sydney for eating. As per schedule, I should have had 2 hours before next flight. This turned out to be a big mistake since my Bangalore to Kuala Lumpur flight got delayed and I had to go through security twice. Although I bought Snickers packet in Bangalore but that too was not sufficient at all.
Not pre booking meal: Inside Air Asia, people who pre-booked meals were served first and this added to my wait for food. They would first start with small snacks à pre-booked à left out people. I got my food after 3 hours in the flight. That too was too oily for vegetarian people.
Managing Jet Lag: In order to match to Sydney’s time zone, I did not sleep for almost 17 hours. This made me feel not so good. This is important to adjust your body to destination time zone. If your flight is landing at 8:30 PM as per destination time, then you should not sleep on 8 hour flight from Kuala Lumpur. If you are landing in the morning, you must sleep on flight to wake up according to destination time zone. You can use this website: http://www.jetlagrooster.com/. Some people need medications as well. Check with your doctor.
Not keeping extra cash: I calculated earlier that 300 AUD would be sufficient for 7 days with my stays and breakfast sorted out. I forgot to add SIM card and OPAL card cost to it. 30 AUD SIM, 50 AUD for OPAL, 100 AUD withdrawn at Airport immediately made me feel a bit uneasy with the reserve cash. The exchange rates at Airport at horrible. Never-ever exchange your money at Airport. We will see how much money you would need per person later.
Taking 30 AUD SIM card from Optus: I could have managed with 12 AUD Optus Plan rather than 30 AUD because I had wifi in my hostel. You would not need more that 10-12 GB for the entire trip. However, Optus SIM was working in Kuala Lumpur Airport and to my surprise in Bangalore Airport as well!
Not keeping SIM ejector pin: When you change SIM at the airport, do not remove the primary SIM where your bank-accounts are linked with even without network. I needed to use Google Pay next day and it popped me error messages that SIM cards are changed, since I removed my primary SIM. So, I had to find out a safety PIN to remove SIM slot.
Not starting early: Sydney is a place where people have life. That means, things start at 9 AM to 9:30 AM and close out at 5:30 PM. This is true for attractions, good restaurants and Blue Mountains. I was getting up at 9 AM, having breakfast till 9:30 AM, leaving my hostel at 10-11 AM. By the time I wanted to checkout some place at 6 PM, it was already closed. So, if you want to start exploring Sydney, get ready by 8 AM, eat your breakfast by 8:30 or 8:45 AM and leave for the day.
Not applying sun screen before going out: Sydney’s heat will burn. As soon as I got out of the hostel on Day 1, I was able to feel the heat. I had to go to Coles and purchase the Coles Sun screen. Use SPF 50.
Taking out cash from ATM using International Debit Card: As I had low cash, I ran out by 5^th day. On 6^th day, I took out cash using International SBI Debit Card using ATM in Canberra. This was a very costly affair as I was charged 4.5 AUD extra + my bank 3.5 % fee. Check with your bank as how much would be charged for taking out cash. I would suggest all to withdraw money from ANZ bank ATM at Airport. They were not charging much (or did not charge at all?). Also, Australia is a card friendly country. Withdraw only when you need to.
Not reading the Google Maps/enquiring about Ferry rates: From Sydney to Manly beach and other destinations, there are two types of ferries – private, fast ones and government operated slow ones. Blindly following Google Maps can cause problems as it might suggest you the fast ferry unintentionally. At the entry gate, they will swipe off your OPAL card and you may not realize it that it was around 9-10 AUD gone in seconds.
Not reading the rules properly on transport.nsw website: There is 50 AUD weekly cap on OPAL card. That means, if you spend 50 AUD travelling on OPAL card within a week, the rest of the rides you take using the same OPAL card would be free. This is applicable only on government operated ferries, buses and trains. This is not applicable for fast ferries (See mistake 10). Refer to this website for more information: https://transportnsw.info/tickets-opal/opal/opal-benefits
Not enquiring about reservations at restaurants: This might seem obvious to people who travel international frequently but I spent around 15 minutes deciding on a dinner location, went there, only to find out that they take reservations and the place was full. Before you decide the restaurant, check whether they take reservations. If yes, you need to call them first.
Not tapping OPAL card in-front of the ferry station: When you take a ferry at any place, you need to swipe your OPAL card at the very front while entering the ferry station and not at the very end. I forgot to do this and this cost me 30 minutes of time wastage waiting for the next one. The person who puts the stairs from boat to the station might ask for 2 AUD extra for getting to the ferry without swiping but that’s bribe, do not give it to save your time. Also, it can lead to inconsistent OPAL Card calculations. You would not like to break rules in a foreign country, would you?
There is always next ferry/bus/train: In order to catch a train, I had to rush and during this process, I hit the left shoulder of a person who was passing by. I regretted that I could not even apologize to that person as the door closed immediately after me getting inside. Do not do this. There is always next train/bus you can catch for your destination.
Not exploring Darling Harbour properly: I should have explored Darling Harbours for at-least 1 full day. I could have visited Madam Tussad Museum and Australian Maritime Museum. Writing this as a mistake is necessary because there are things in Sydney which you may not find in any other country. Explore it first.
Not enquiring about food portion: In Canberra, I ordered a vegetarian dish for 18 AUD and it did not fill me up. If you visit Canberra, you will be walking most of the time and hence it’s important to keep yourselves filled up. For Canberra specific mistakes you can refer to Canberra blog on Day 6.
Not enquiring about bus options: At Manly beach, there was a bus from Manly Wharf to North head Lookout and it showed up in Google Maps but when I reached out the bus stop, it did not come. I immediately jumped to conclusion that Google Maps is wrong and started walking towards my destination. Ask around, please.

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Now, let’s come to the main part regarding planning your journey: [research and read all the points before proceeding to book]

Find out about Australia’s specific weather from here: https://www.australia.com/en-in/facts-and-planning/weather-in-australia.html and https://www.tripsavvy.com/australian-seasons-1462601.
Sydney as usual has 4 seasons which are almost opposite to what other people experience:
a. Summer : Mid-November to February.
b. Autumn: February to Mid May.
c. Winter: June to Mid August.
d. Spring: September to November.

Avoid autumn season as it rains here.
Check your passport; it should be at-least 6 months valid. If not, apply for renewal of your passport.
Watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWfehDDkFzw [Hindi] to understand the process. The following steps can also be done simultaneously with the following steps.
From here, open following 2 websites on 2 different tabs:
a. Google Flights: https://www.google.com/flights?hl=en
b. Skyscanner: https://www.skyscanner.co.in/

If you are flexible with the dates, use Google Maps explore option and let Google suggest you the best a week or 2 weeks plan:

Round Trip flight prices to Sydney for 14^nd June to 21^st June from Bangalore for 1 people [Your dates can vary]

From Chennai for 7^th June to 15^th June:

Once your dates are decided, try to see the same prices from Airlines website directly. It’s recommended that you book directly from Airlines website. If you are able to book refundable and cancellable tickets that’s better(I don’t think it’s possible with Air Asia)
Next step is to find a good location to stay in Sydney. My recommendation is to stay closer to Sydney Central because you will find trains/buses to other location/cities from here:

If you are alone, use https://www.hostelworld.com/ to find hostel which should be at-least 8.5 stars rated and should have free wifi and breakfast.

The hostel which I stayed in: Mad Monkey Backpackers On Broadway.
Sample prices for 1 people:

Total cost of stay for 1 person with breakfast: Rs 16541
If you are coming as a family, I would suggest Airbnb:
Once you book your stay (hostels or hotels) and flights to Sydney, you need to apply for Australian tourist VISA. I have described the detailed process (documents, websites, what you need etc.) in Part 1 of this series here: https://abhinavspace.com/2019/12/01/my-7-day-solo-trip-to-sydney-from-bengaluru-part-1/.
You do not have to go through a broker or any travel agent. You can do it on your own. You do not need to send your passport anywhere.
It’s good to have travel history before travelling to Australia as suggested by other bloggers/youtubers but it’s a myth because in my case I did not have previous travel history.
Visa approval might take more than 25 days, so plan well in advance. Also, Australian Embassy might seek additional documents from you, so it’s best to apply as early as possible. The key here is to show that you have enough money when you travel Australia. How much? I would say at-least 1.5 to 2 lakhs.
Once your VISA is approved:
a. Get travel insurance. It’s important. Do not skip this step.
b. Make a file on your computer: “Emergency contacts list – for Australia” [Put on Google Drive and get at-least 3 hardcopies depending upon number of people travelling]
In this file, you have to put information:

i. Consulate General of India, Sydney: Their Address, Operating Hours and Telephone Numbers.
ii. What to do in-case your passport is lost?
iii. High Commission of India, Canberra
iv. INDIAN CONTACT NUMBERS: Include your relatives contacts, home address and someone from your office (if you are working)
v. Your stay information: Address in Sydney and Contact Information.
vi. National Emergency Contact numbers in Australia
vii. Airlines normal and emergency contact information [To inform them if you are stuck in security/immigration/in-between transfers and you are getting late]
viii. Travel Insurance contact information.
ix. Your ATM, Credit Card, Debit Card, Forex Card issuer contact numbers. You must know how to block them in-case they are stolen.
If you have opted for the cheapest option in Air Asia, then you might not be allowed to take more than 7 kgs on the flight. You would have to be meticulous in planning your clothes and stuff you want to take with you.
I also prepared a checklist of documents and stuff I carried for 1 person as follows:

List of important documents:

List of important contacts:

List of stuff I took with myself:

This is very specific to 1 person (male) travel and will obviously vary if you are female solo traveller or travelling with family. The number of items can be reduced as well. I also watched videos on youtube
a. How to use packing cubes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fJp1naw7lc
b. How to fold your clothes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em4lbLf09M0.
The purpose of sharing the list is to ensure that you can also make an excel sheet like this for international travel.This list also does not include the dry fruits/food you should carry with yourself for in-flight consumption.
Find out the places you want to visit in Sydney. For this I would recommend the following videos:
a. 32 cool places to see in Sydney: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcAgO9OlM7c [This is the only video you need to see. For 1 week trip you will not be able to cover more than this]
b. The American Tourist Guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koRKV1U5z9g.
c. 13 things to know: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vbv0QQCnhJw

If you are inside the city, your destinations will be around the following places:
I would suggest, start from 6-7 AM morning and head out towards Royal Botanical, then get pictures at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair, then walk to Sydney Opera House, then towards the bridge.
Then head out to Darling Harbour and explore attractions there which start from 9 or 9:30 AM. There are enough attractions there to cover that area.
If you want to cover beaches first, Bondi, Coogee and Manly beach are good options. There are lot of beaches in Sydney which are not crowded at all where you can enjoy your peace time as well.
Not all attractions are free. Please pick up Sydney Official Guide while going towards immigration.
Blue Mountains at Katoomba,Sydney Opera House, Harbour bridge, Bondi beach, American Maritime Museum are must see attractions. Rest all are optional depending upon time you have.
Once you land up at Airport, buy OPAL Card (50 AUD), SIM Card (Optus with 10-12 GB plan) and some cash from ATM. If you are single, use bus. If your destination is far away and travelling with family and luggage, use Airport Link Metro train.
Save cost on flights, travelling in city and stays, but not on food. Do not eat burgers only if you are vegetarian. If you feel the cost is going up for food, you can cook on your own in your Airbnb/hostel. Most of them will have kitchens.
Arrange your currency via Forex Card or trusted money exchange shop. If possible, take both card and cash. There are websites like bookmyforex.com which you can use. Remember cash is the king.
If you wish to see how I spent my 7 days, you can see them here:

– Day 0 and 1 – My 1 week trip to Australia
– Day 2 – My 1 week trip to Australia
– Day 3 – My 1 week trip to Australia
– Day 4 – My 1 week Trip to Australia
– Day 5 – My 1 week trip to Australia
– Day 6 – My 1 week trip to Australia
– Day 7 & 8 – My 1 week trip to Australia

About the cost of trip:

For me the total cost was 78K INR.

I would try to give a rough idea of the basic costs involved:

a. Flights: 35K per person round trip
b. Stay: 16K – single(use hostel) or with family (use Airbnb) for 7 days
c. VISA: 7K per person
d. Food: 1.5K – 3K per person per day
e. Attractions: 1K to 4K INR per person per priced attraction

For 2 people, the cost would be around 1.5 -2 lakhs INR depending how you choose attractions.
For family of 2 people and 2 kids, the cost would be around 3 to 3.5 Lakhs INR. Do not go with kids who are very small as they might not remember anything.

I would like to visit Australia in future to visit Melbourne. I have also benefited from a facebook group: Tourist Helpline and suggest you all to join it. Thanks to Varun Vagish(The Mountain Trekker) for being and inspiration.

I have already written in great detail about my trip to Australia and I hope you all benefit from this information.

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How can you plan a trip to Sydney? My 18 mistakes.

Published by abhinav1592

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