Australia/New Zealand Adventure – Wrap Up and Reflection

by Ann Silverthorn with Jim DeDad

Now that our Australia/New Zealand adventure is over, it’s time for some reflection, don’t you think? Well, let’s ask ourselves some questions:

1. Would we do it again? YES!
2. Was it worth the money? YES!
3. Was everything perfect? NO . . .

Discomfort is the Name of the Game

Last year, I was watching the reality show, Little People, Big World, and one of the sons, Zach, was talking about camping, not being super comfortable and things not being the same as what you’re used to.

I applied that wisdom to our Germany trip  in June of 2024 and tried to keep as we lodged in hotels without air conditioning, necessitating open windows and resulting in kitchen noises from below in one hotel and in another, a huge bug flying into the room. 

There is a certain amount of discomfort in every travel situation, and the more you can tolerate being out of your comfort zone, the better time you’ll have, I guess!

Still, I am not one who likes to be uncomfortable, and traveling always causes me a moderate amount of stress and anxiety. Jim is the opposite, so that’s probably why we are good for each other, but he puts up with a lot from me.

Such Long Flights!

My biggest worry about the Australia/New Zealand trip was the flying. On the way there, we flew from Pittsburgh to Houston (3.5 hours), Houston to Sydney (17.5 hours). I didn’t not have a lot of confidence in my ability to stay on a plane for so long, and I hoped I didn’t cause an international incident over the ocean. The long flight wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, although the last eight hours were rather agonizing. 

On the way home, we flew from Christchurch to Aukland (1.5 hours), Aukland to San Francisco (12 hours), and San Francisco to Pittsburgh (5 hours). After Pittsburgh, we still had a two-hour car trip home. Jim calculated that from the moment we stepped out of our hotel room in Christchurch until entered our home, 31 hours passed.

I should also add that inside of those flights, we also had eight while on our vacation. Australia is a big country, so it was like going from Philadelphia to Maine to Montana, then to Florida and down to Cuba. Looking back, these flights didn’t bother us much at all, even though I had the middle seat almost all the time and we never sat together, due to our names being different, and the reservations having been made as a group. Oh, also the early mornings weren’t too much fun.

What About the Jet Lag?

When we got home, people asked me about jet lag. I had downloaded an app that my doctor recommended (can’t remember the name of it), and I guess maybe it helped a little bit (preparing with light, sleep, and caffeine  for several days in advance), but the free version was for only one trip (and not a round trip). Many people say that the jet lag coming home is worse, and I’d have to agree,  and that could be because we were no longer on the go and could pamper ourselves with naps and early bedtimes, etc. I’d say we weren’t back up to par for at least a week after the trip. 

Bests and Worsts?

People also ask us about our favorite parts of the trip, and we have a difficult time answering that. Everything was so new, different, and exciting. 

 would say that Ayer’s Rock (Uluru) was my favorite sight, and being in the Outback, that we only ever read about. The huge monolith that is Uluru just pops up out of the otherwise flat land, like it was plopped there from above, when it really came from below, heaved upward from seismic activity. 

Being able to see the Milky Way in the night sky was a highlight and it makes me want to visit a star park in the US, or at least get out in the country where we can see the stars more clearly.

If we had to choose whether we liked Australia or New Zealand better, that would be difficult. What I can say is that I wasn’t all that excited about New Zealand, but it was part of the trip. New Zealand turned out to be absolutely delightful with its strange mountain structures and verdant greens. Since New Zealand is made up of two islands, it, of course, is more thoroughly green and most like where we are from in Pennsylvania. That being said, I’ve always had a fascination with the American Southwest, and so the interior of Australia was a fascinating sight. The coastal areas, where most Australians live is verdant and rich with history and culture.

I can tell you some things that weren’t my favorites. One was the flies in the Outback and another was the extreme heat. The clothes I had brought weren’t the best for heat, and it was hotter than the average temperature for that time of year. And of course, my hat was all wrong, basically baking my brain. So, if I could have done some research beforehand about those flies and would have been smarter about my hat, I would have been a lot more comfortable, I’ll bet!

Jim’s Thoughts

When I asked Jim about his reflections on the trip, he told me that he had been sorry to see the trip to come to an end, but he was also glad to get home. He was glad that the flights were broken up more on the way home.  He felt the trip was well worth the money, and he’s glad we did it now rather than when we are older. The activity level was just right for us now, but in a few years. . . 

Jim liked that we got to move around a lot and see many interesting things. We spent a lot of time in airports, but we didn’t mind it. It was different from traveling in Europe. He also observed that there is not as much public transportation in Australia compared to Europe.

Like me, he agreed that the people in our group  were really nice, with rich backgrounds, such as medical professionals, engineers, public servants, business people. 

Jim also wishes the big market in Melbourne had been open because he had enjoyed it a lot when he stayed in Australia in 1996. He also commented that Little Italy in Melbourne was extremely small.

Would we recommend this trip? And Collette?

Absolutely! Our guide was a wealth of information and very even tempered. Never ruffled that we could see even with some of the challenges that came up during the trip. 

Being part of a Collette group had its benefits also. Getting seated right away for breakfast (most-important meal of the day!), having all of our tours arranged in advance, premium transportation, etc. All were so well organized. Were all of the hotels perfect? No. I think they could do better there. They weren’t dives, but I think they could have stepped them up a notch, or arranged for better rooms within each property. 

Things Depreciate. Experiences Appreciate

So, we’ve been back for more than a month now and it hardly seems possible. We are reminded that the important thing is: Experiences, which may cost a lot of money are a great, long-term investment. Why?  Because unlike things, experiences appreciate over time. 

Some people are asking us where our next adventure will be. That trip is already in the works. Stay tuned!