Tuesday, December 23, 2008

5 Useful Tips for Women Traveling Solo to Australia

Did you know that Australia is one of the world's most popular holiday destinations for single female travelers? It is not difficult to see why. The climate is warm, the locals speak English, it is safe and the weak Aussie dollar allows you to travel very cheaply.

As a professional travel writer, I meet many single women. Most are in the 20 to 50 age group and they all love the personal freedom and independence solo travel allows.

Single traveler, Sue from Madison Wisconsin said: "It allows me to explore and discover cities and attractions that interest me. I have recently traveled in the Kimberley region of outback Australia and being single allowed me to meet many different people. If I had been traveling with a partner or in a group, this would have not been possible".

If you are planning to visit Australia, here are 5 useful tips.

1. Avoid flights that arrive late at night.

There is nothing more daunting than arriving at a strange city late at night. Very often public transport is irregular and taxis may charge you an arm and a leg.
If you can arrive before noon you have plenty of time to arrange transport to your accommodation in daylight hours.

2. Take advantage of free public transport.

Most cities have free transport within their city blocks. Melbourne has free trams and buses. The Melbourne City Tourist Shuttle travels around the outer rims of the city. The red and gold city circle tram covers mainly the streets of the central business district.

Perth has an excellent system of free CAT (central area transport) buses covering the CBD and attractions outside the central city area.

If you must take a taxi, try to organize it with your accommodation and ask them how much you should expect to pay.

3. Stay at Youth Hostels or Backpacker Hostels.

The great advantage of Youth Hostels or good backpacker hostels is the opportunity to meet others in safe congenial surroundings, but still remain independent.

Very often they arrange group outings or excursions and you have the choice of a single room or a shared room. When I travel around Australia, I always stay at youth hostels.

Some are in amazing locations. If you love the beach, 2 hostels stand out. The hostels on Great Keppel Island in Queensland and Dunsborough in Western Australia are right on the beach.

If you are planning to visit Melbourne and want to be close to the vibrant city nightlife, Urban Central at Southbank is close to all the action.

4. Mix with the locals.

If you want to experience the real Australia, go to areas where the locals gather. Aussies love their sport and great meeting places are football and cricket matches. If you are in Sydney, enquire about cricket (summer) or football (winter) at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Melbourne residents love their football and in this southern city they worship a unique brand of football called Aussie Rules. Enquire about football matches at the Melbourne Cricket Ground or the Telstra Dome, then go along and enjoy the entertainment. At half time, why not do what the locals do? Buy a meat pie and wash it down with a cold beer!

5. Unwanted attention.

Many single women encounter this problem. Here are some suggestions:

If you get unwanted attention from men, don't say you'll meet them later and try to get rid of them. They will turn up. Say "no" politely and firmly.

Wear a wedding ring and say you've got four kids, if anyone asks. If you're only 23, make it two kids, but the message is the same. Yes, you shouldn't have to, but sometimes it's the only way to fend off unwanted advances.

What do you want to know about Australia? You'll find all the answers including great budget accommodation, in Australian travel expert Graeme Lanham's new book. Available at: http://www.traveltipsaustralia.com within minutes! For a limited time, claim your 3 FREE special reports, valued at $57.

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