You can travel to Australia at any time of the year.

Australia is a big country, and the climate varies a lot across the eight states and territories; there are four seasons over most of the country and a wet and a dry season in the tropical north.

Australia is situated in the southern hemisphere, and their seasons are the opposite of Europe’s. So, when it’s summer here, it’s winter in Australia, and our autumn is Australia’s spring, etc.

Most people visit Australia during the British winter months in order to come down and enjoy the lovely summer on the other side of the world. The Australians go on holiday in December and January, so it’s busier during this period. If you’re planning a tour in this season, we recommend booking it well ahead of time.

Read more about the best time to visit Australia here.

You can check the average temperatures and rainfall in selected Australian cities here:

As a UK citizen, you are required to have a valid passport and a tourist visa (Evisitor) to enter Australia. It is your responsibility to apply for this visa well before your arrival in Australia.

This is done via this link: https://online.immi.gov.au/lusc/login. First you need to create an account and then you can apply for a visa. It is free to apply for a visa. The processing time is usually 1-3 weeks, but we recommend that you start your application a couple of months before your arrival. Your visa is valid for 1 year from approval for stays in Australia for up to 3 months at a time.
You must carry a copy of your approved tourist visa with you throughout your trip.

Detailed instructions on the visa process can be found here.

The rules on visas can change at short notice, and we recommend that you keep abreast of them on the Australian Government’s website.

Useful information can be found on the Foreign & Commonwealth Office’s website.

If you are not a UK citizen, it is important that you contact the Australian Embassy in London to check the visa rules for your nationality.

If you have health issues or a criminal record, you may have difficulty getting your visa approved. If this is the case, we recommend that you contact a professional visa service company, which, for a fee, can help and guide you on the correct way to complete the application form. If you are in doubt as to whether your visa will be approved, we recommend that you ensure that it is all in place before the plane tickets are issued.

Please note: It is your own responsibility to check whether you need a visa for transit airports en route.

Prior to your departure, you can download our App here to find your travel documents and the contact details for TourCompass and our local partners.

You will also receive the final itinerary and a voucher for your prepaid experiences.
The voucher contains important information about the meeting place and time of your excursions and transfers. In Australia, the meeting place/starting point may be somewhere other than your hotel.
Remember to read the voucher carefully and meet up at the given meeting places and times. Bring the itinerary and voucher with you on the tour, so your guides can help you on the way.

We normally include all admission fees to the national parks you’ll be visiting on your tour in the price of the tour. However, there are a few national parks where this is not possible, and you are required to book and pay for your national park pass online, e.g. Litchfield National Park in Northern Territory. Your voucher tells you where to buy your national park pass. We recommend that you do this before your arrival in Australia. Remember to bring your receipt for the national park pass with you on the tour.

We recommend that you download the WhatsApp app to your smartphone and add the phone numbers of our business partners. You can send messages and call them for free using the app when you have a Wi-Fi connection.

We advise you to contact a medical specialist, your GP or an authorised vaccination clinic. You can also read more about the rules regarding travel vaccinations here.

Please be aware of the rules about yellow fever – especially if you are entering via another country where yellow fever is present. Some countries require proof of yellow fever vaccination upon entry. Your vaccination certificate should therefore always be carried with you in your hand luggage when you travel.

Please read our general travel terms and conditions carefully, as these are part of the agreement terms for tours purchased at TourCompass. Tours purchased from us are covered under the “Package Travel Act”.

Click here to read our travel terms and conditions.

All the flights and flight-inclusive holidays on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. When you pay you will be supplied with an ATOL Certificate. Please ask for it and check to ensure that everything you booked (flights, hotels and other services) is listed on it.
Please see our booking conditions for further information or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate click here.

We always advise you to obtain comprehensive travel insurance when heading off on your dream holiday. It is also highly recommended to acquire cancellation insurance for extra protection. 

Click here to proceed to our page on insurance, where you can read more about our recommendations.

The currency in Australia is the Australian dollar. Click here to find the current exchange rate for Australian dollars.

Visa and Mastercard are accepted all over Australia. You can withdraw money in banks and cash machines (ATM) anywhere in the country.

Click here to get a general idea of the price levels in the country.

Tips are not obligatory in Australia – not even at restaurants and bars. If you’ve had a good experience with a guide or received excellent service at a restaurant, tipping is appreciated, but it’s completely up to you.

At the vast majority of our destinations, we are able to take allergies, as well as allergens or preferences into account when it comes to food, however it is important that you inform us of this when you book the tour.

Telephone & Wi-Fi:

It is expensive to use data and roaming abroad if it is not already included in your mobile subscription. You can contact your mobile network operator and find out which services are included in your subscription, as well as the prices you can expect to pay in different destinations.

If your subscription does not already include international data and roaming, we recommend that you use the free Wi-Fi which is usually available when you are at your hotel or a restaurant. You can then call and write home for free via various services such as FaceTime, Messenger and WhatsApp.

However, if you want to be online all the time, you can purchase a local SIM card on arrival in Australia, and use it instead of your own SIM card in your phone. You will then have an Australian phone number and data on your trip. You can top up along the way if you need more data.
Telstra offers the best coverage in Australia.

It is now also possible to buy an eSIM card for most phones, where you keep your own SIM card in your phone but still have access to data during your travels. The eSIM card must be ordered before departure and activated on arrival in Australia.

Electricity:

The domestic mains power supply in Australia is 240-250 volts AC. It is important that you bring an adapter, as the Australian plugs have three thin pins (two angled and one straight).

Make sure you pack all your important and indispensable things in your hand luggage. This applies to items such as passports, visas, vaccination cards, travel documents, insurance documents, credit cards, money, computers, mobile phones and cameras, as well as information about your health and vital medicines.

Visitors are not permitted to bring plants, seeds, fruit and other plant products into the UK from their travels outside the UK, unless they are accompanied by a plant health (phytosanitary) certificate. These rules also apply to smaller quantities of plants and plant products.

Read more about the rules here.

Please note that our tours are generally not suitable for people with impaired mobility. Please contact us for information about your options in relation to your specific needs.

Most airlines have electronic tickets (e-tickets).

It is important that you check your name for spelling errors, as the name on the reservation must be exactly as it appears on your passport. If your name needs to be corrected, please contact us as soon as possible. Please note that this may incur a fee from the airline.

The airline will assign you a seat on the plane when you check in. If you have specific requests, you can make a seat reservation on the airline’s website or app. Please note that most airlines require payment for a seat reservation.

It varies when airlines open for seat reservations, but as a general rule, you can book seats from the time of booking and up to 48 hours before departure.

We also point out that the airline has complete control over all seats on the plane and that they are therefore entitled to make changes to the reservation at any time.
If you do not make a seat reservation before departure, the airline will assign you a seat at check-in.

Your passport and your booking reference, which appears on your itinerary, are required to check in.

We recommend that you download the airline’s app on your phone. In the app, there is an option for online check-in, which opens 24 to 48 hours before departure. The app also allows you to stay informed of any flight changes and other important information about your flight.

Please note that the flight times may have changed in relation to those listed on the travel itinerary you received when you booked your holiday. It is always the flight times in the airline’s app or on the airline’s website that apply.

We recommend that you arrive at the airport to check in at least two hours before departure. It is a good idea to check the airport’s website for the latest updates.

We use many different airlines for our destinations. You can check the exact rules for hand luggage and checked baggage on the airline’s website or in their app.

If domestic flights are used in your itinerary, please be aware that baggage permissions may be different from how they are for your international flights. In general, you can always purchase more baggage allowance locally.

If your baggage is delayed, please contact the staff in the baggage reclaim area to report your missing baggage.

It is important that you have your baggage receipt when completing your PIR (Property Irregularity Report).

Please note that you must not leave the baggage area at the airport until you have completed the report.

In the event of delayed baggage, we ask you to contact our partner, who will ensure that your guide/driver waits for you.

Should any changes occur in connection with your flight reservation before departure, we will of course contact you to let you know.

Should your flight be delayed after check-in, the airline is responsible for rebooking your flight. They will typically book the next possible flight and arrange any meals and accommodation if necessary.

Our partner checks for any changes in arrival times and will naturally still wait for you, even if your flight is delayed.

If, due to a delay or cancellation, the airline books you on another flight number after you have arrived at the airport, please contact us on TourCompass’ emergency number.

Immigration:

When you arrive at your final destination, you will go through immigration, where your passport and any entry documents and visas are checked. In many places, you will be required to provide fingerprints, and a photo of your face will also be taken for biometric recognition. You may also be asked questions about your travel plans in the country and possibly where you are staying.

Customs:

Once you’ve cleared immigration and picked up your luggage, you will head through customs. If you have nothing to declare, you can go through “nothing to declare”. If, on the other hand, you have something to declare, it is important that you go through “declare”. It’s your own responsibility to check the customs regulations that apply in the country you are travelling to.

Very strict rules apply in Australia to what you are allowed to bring into the country in the way of fruit and fresh food, for example. We therefore advise you never to bring these items with you. There are large waste bins and signs on your arrival, so you can easily see what you can bring in, and throw out anything that you cannot. If you are in any doubt as to whether you have something with you that you are not allowed to import, it is better to declare it and thus avoid a fine. We recommend that you read up on what can be brought into Australia here.

To be admitted into Australia you must have completed a “Passenger Card” (IPC). This card contains information about you and your health status, and this is also where you must state whether you have anything to declare. You will be issued with your Passenger Card on the plane before arriving in Australia.
Read more about the card and how to complete it here.

On your arrival, you will be met by a guide/driver who will be ready to welcome you with a TourCompass sign.

In the unexpected event that you are unable to find your guide/driver, please contact our local partner using the emergency number provided in your travel documents.

Normal check-in is typically from 2 pm, and you cannot therefore count on getting your room earlier. If you’d like to check in early, this can be arranged for a fee when you book the tour.

When you check in, the receptionist will generally register your credit card and may reserve an amount. This is not an additional fee, but customary at hotels to ensure payment of any consumption from the minibar and the like. When you check out, the amount will be automatically released if you have not made use of this.

It is very normal for hotels to take a copy of your passport. In some places, this is a requirement of the local authorities.

Check-out is normally by 10 am. If you’re not travelling until the afternoon or evening, you can have your luggage stored until it’s time to leave. If you would like a late check-out instead, this can be arranged for a fee when you book the tour.

In the event of unforeseen circumstances such as bad weather, blocked roads or otherwise, it may be necessary to change the order of sightseeing tours and attractions in your itinerary.

Self-drive in Australia:

On some of our tours to Australia, part of the tour involves a self-drive. Australia is a relatively easy self-drive country, and having your own car and deciding where and when you make a stop gives you a tremendous sense of freedom. In Australia, you drive on the left side of the road, just like back home. You can read more about driving in Australia here.

We use AVIS car rental in Australia. Here are a few things you need to be aware of when renting a car in Australia:

• The minimum age for car rental is 21–25, depending on the model of car. You must have held a driving licence for at least 12 months.
  There is no maximum age for renting a car.
• When picking up your rental car, you are required to present your passport and driving licence. If your driving licence is not in English, you must obtain an international driving licence and bring it with you on the tour, together with your actual driving licence (temporary driving licences are not accepted).
• A security deposit is payable at the start of the car rental. This amount will be reserved/deducted from your credit or debit card*. Remember to bring the actual card (not on your phone).
  *If you have a debit card, the following requirements for the card apply: It must be issued by an approved bank and have the Visa/Mastercard logo and your name and the card number on it for it to be accepted.
• Rental cars may only be driven on official asphalted roads and gravel roads. They must not be driven on beaches or through streams, dams, rivers or places where there is flooding. The car must not leave the mainland and be taken to smaller islands.
• Our car rental includes: Liability insurance (CTP) and comprehensive insurance without excess (LDW), roadside assistance (mechanical problems), free mileage, 1 extra driver and one-way rental fee (if applicable).
• The car rental does not include a GPS, so we recommend that you purchase an Australian SIM card with data on arrival in Australia so that you can use navigation services such as Google Maps. It is now also possible to buy an eSIM card. Read more about this in our section on telephony in Australia.
• Add-on covers: It is possible to purchase additional insurance to cover side mirrors and tyres. This is done at the car rental office. It is also possible to purchase additional roadside assistance insurance, which covers things other than mechanical problems. This might be lost car keys, tyre changes, etc.
• Child safety seats must be ordered when you book the tour, but are paid for at the car rental office when picking up the car. Read more here.
• In the event of breach of the rental contract or breach of Australian law, the insurance cover will lapse. You can read the entire rental agreement here for 2024/25.
• View the different car models here.

We have a 24-hour emergency hotline so that you can always get in touch with us should anything unforeseen occur during your tour. You will also be sent the telephone numbers and emergency telephone numbers of our partners at the destination. In some cases, it may be easiest and fastest to contact our partners due to time differences, if, for example, you find yourself in a situation where your pick-up for an excursion or transfer is more than 15 minutes delayed.

We rely on happy travellers, and we would therefore very much like to hear from you after your return home. Send us an email at info@tourcompass.co.uk or call us on tel.: 01279704135.