Finally going to Australia!

[JoelleDavison]

Hellooo
In 8 days I'm finally going to the land down under! I live in Holland and I waited a little more that 19 months for this to happen, My SO and I met online and this will be the first time we meet in real life!
I'm getting really nervous and excited and I just wanted to ask if you have tips for the trip, because all the flights and waiting will be 46 hours in total, plus I have to wait 14 hours in china. that's what makes me freak out the most because I'm all by myself ): So if anyone has experience with long flights or waiting for a really long time on an airport, please share it with me (:
I can't believe it's really going to happen! ahh

XJo

[BlueCat]

Long airport stays are a real pain. What I do, I make sure I have a book to read, my ipod, a puzzle book (crosswords, sudoku, etc), so you can do those. Take your time to walk around and look at all the shops, really look, because you have so much time, so walk slowly :P Take your time to eat meals. I sit down, look around for a while, sit down a while more. If there's a computer for internet, I jump on there for a while. If you don't have to cart around your check-in bags with you. I find a spot, either on the floor or a couch it available were I can lay down. If you have a carry on bag, sleep on it. I warp my arms through the straps of my backpack and then sleep with my head/chest on it. If you can sleep, it helps to pass a lot of time.

Otherwise, if you're brave and adventurous and do your research, you can head outside the airport for the day. But I'm not quite game enough for that yet in places I've never been before by myself.

[notyourexgirlfriend]

I really hope you enjoy your stay here. Coming over this time of the year should be easier on you weather wise seeing as it won't be as hot as lava!

[Romeo s Juliet]

aww first of all congrats ehehhe

I do have some experience with long flights and long stays in airports I have traveled from Australia to all the way to Asia, and had to stay in the singapore airport for over 12 hours till my next flight.
first thing is long flights and stay times in airports are gonna stress you alot, so make sure you drink lots and lots of water, when you are in the airport waiting for the next flight.
secondly, make sure you keep active and while it is ok to relax in the airport, the duration of a long flight will make you go to sleep even without you knowing it :P so while its OK to relax in comfy chairs in a airport, make sure you dont over do it
it happend to me as i was sitting on a very comfy chair in the airport, it really made me fall asleep without my knowledge, luckily i woke up soon as i was alone with my hand luggage etc :P lol
so i suggest that you walk around and be active no mater how tired you feel :/ its for ur own good

and last but not least, its winter here in Australia :P so pack enough warm clothes
good luck

[Lilly9886]

Hello! I'm happy for you!!! It's exciting to go see your SO!! and then it's Australia too!!!

I also have some experiences with long flights...

what I always do is bring my laptop (I have a little Netbook) and hope that there is free (or cheap) internet on the airports!! make sure to bring the right "converter" or whatever the things are called, so you can plug the power for any electronical thing (ipod, phone, laptop,..) at the airport! I think they are different for China and Australia too..

Also bring books!

I also always try to bring a pillow (also for the plane) and when I was in China (Shanghai, Bejing) it was veeeeeery cold at the airport, so maybe you could also bring a little blanket or a sleeping bag in your handluggage?? so when you wait there (sitting or lying, sleeping or awake) you won't be cold.
btw, Shanghai has a carpet-floor I think (if I remember correctly) and it's comfortable to be lying there!

also, put your most important things (passport, money, credit-card, ...) in a little bag that you maybe can wrap around your waist or hand around your neck to put it under your clothes.. and don't bring nothing too important in your hand-luggage.. in case you fall asleep, nobody will be able to steal important stuff.. you can sleep more relaxed..

bring an mp3-player for music, or movies (you can also watch movies or tv-series on your laptop when you have power somewhere) - this one make time go by so fast!!

also, don't bring heavy, or big, hand-luggage.. it get very heavy to carry it around after a while.. :/ when you walk through the shops or restaurants.. just a handbag and a trolley or a backpack would be good.. they are easy to carry around!!

I wish you the best! Everything will be great and worth the airport-wait!!

[Victoriaa]

I've never erxperience with the long flights. I always travelled with the direct flights, but let me tell that you gonna love Australia. That is such a nice place to visit and there is so much to see in that country. like, Port Jackson, Uluru, Melbourne City Centre, Blue Mountains, The Twelve Apostle and many more i hope that you will enjoy there a lot.

[Alle1770]

BlueCat has it all down - make sure to walk reaaaaally slowly though aaaaall the shops! Strangely enough, even though you think you've been walking around in a shop for at least an hour, most of the time it's only 10 minutes! Long layovers are a pain in the ass indeed, but I always bring my laptop and make sure I've downloaded plenty of films and TV-shows to watch in case there's no free internet - there's almost always a socket somewhere so you can charge your stuff, but make sure to bring the right converter as Lilly stated as well.

Also, having a long meal passes some time as well - I have a tendency to just buy a sandwich or something if it's a short layover, but with longer ones you should be able to get a proper dinner at one of the restaurants - waiting for the food will pass some time too!

Otherwise, depending on how social you are and stuff like that, talking to someone and making a friend is awesome for passing time! Last time I had a long layover (12 hours) I met a guy my age on the plane - turned out he was going to Brazil and I was going to Argentina, our layovers were pretty much both 12 hours, and our gates were next to each other! So we spent all that time playing cards and other games, and just talking about our lives and why we were going where. If there's anything that actually makes time pass, it's having someone to pass it with

Best of luck on your trip, Australia is an amazing country!