Parents' 50th anniversary is approaching, and we would like to send them on a trip to Australia and possibly New Zealand. Both are in their 70s, and Dad has some limited mobility (walks unassisted, but leg pain). They would prefer a fully guided tour, but not rushed from city to city. (For example, we heard that Tauck was high-end, but from their website it seems that it's the typical one or two nights per city/keep them moving type of vacation.) Does anyone know of a five-star tour at a more leisurely pace? Thanks for any advice.

Hello ZiaMartina,

A person who seems to be very knowlegeable about travel to Australia and New Zealand is Melodie Kennedy of Kennedy Kruises & Travel. She posts on the Fodors Australia forum under the online name of "wlzmatilida." Not only is she a Certified Aussie Specialist, but she travels to Oz and NZ regularly, so she has personal and up to date experience. She's located in Menlo Park, California. I was going to say that she has clients all over the United States, but I notice that's not all that necessary, since you're in California too. She seems like a neat person. She was kind enough to answer a couple of my questions via e-mail for free. I am willing to bet Melodie knows just the right tour for your parents.

Another person to consider is Sally Watkins who is a regular contributor on here on SlowTalk. She is also a Certified Aussie Specialist.

Judy and Marta, Thanks for your replies. I'll follow up.

I don't know tour operators, as I plan my own trips, but, from their website, I agree that the Tauck trips provide tantalising tasters.
Australia is comparable in size to the US and there would be a lot of travelling between locations (including the transfers to and from airports).
I am not a modern city lover, so I would look for predominantly scenic/nature locations together with wineries and good restaurants. It does not take long to see the Australian Sydney Opera House, and Harbour Bridge icons.

Just joined - hope it's not too late to add my thoughts.

The flight from Los Angeles to Sydney is horrific, so even if you feel they could see Sydney in a couple of days, you should allow a couple of days for them to recover from the flight. If they're lucky enough to travel business class, perhaps one day would be enough.

Australian Pacific have excellent coach tours of Australia but I would imagine they're the same as all others for pace. My Dad did one when he was in his 70's (but he didn't have to contend with the flight beforehand). I think the website is aptours.com.au.

You don't mention how long their trip and that would play a big part in how much they should try to see. I speak from experience as I did a coach tour of Europe last year - if you try to see too much, they really won't remember it all and they'll get far too tired.

I feel at their age, seeing some of the east coast of Australia and New Zealand would probably be the best seeing the Australian outback involves too much travelling. New Zealand is compact and has beautiful scenery, especially the South Island.

Hope I can be of further help if needed.

Hi -- very wise to look for tours that do not do many 1 or 2 night stands in a row, or at all. How long will your folks have to spend? Knowing that, along with any specific destinations they want included, will be the first step in determing the best match of a tour operator and itinerary.

Best wishes,

Thanks for the follow up. How long for the trip? I'm not sure, but probably not longer than two-and-a-half weeks including round-trip air from Las Vegas (or Los Angeles, where I could take them to the airport and pick them up). They are retired and have no time limitations, but I'm concerned that much longer and they would be increasingly fatigued.
The comment about the overseas flight being exhausting is appreciated. (I have a lot of "miles" in the American Airlines awards program for upgrading my parents' tickets to business class, but American does not fly to Australia, and I can't use the awards miles to upgrade on a partner airline, Qantas. Does anyone have any suggestions?)
I also think the suggestion about staying in the Southeast and seeing New Zealand is perfect. First, they love tennis and have gone to many top pro tournaments. I want to be sure to plan the trip so that they can see about two days of tennis at the Australian Open in Melbourne next January. (Not the finals, but earlier rounds, when several matches are played each day.) Knowing my parents, that would be a highlight of the trip.
Next, they are not "outdoorsmen." While they would enjoy a couple hours at botanical gardens, etc., they would not like to travel a long time to see the outback or Ayres Rock (Uluru) or get on a small boat to the Great Barrier Reef.
Therefore, my best guess at this point is a few days in Melbourne, including the Open, and a few days in Sydney, with possibly a few days somewhere in between (Canberra and ACT?), and then five days or so seeing the hightlights of New Zealand.
I think they would appreciate having a couple hours in the morning and a couple hours in the afternoon with pre-arranged touristy things, and then either planned meals (with or without after-dinner entertainment) or suggestions where they should go for dining. (If dining wasn't arranged, I suspect that most nights they would eat at the hotel, and never know what else they might be missing.)
Is there a travel company that offers this type of tour? Maybe they will have to include the Open either before the packaged tour starts or after it ends, but I definitely would want to plan their vacation around the Open.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ZiaMartina,

Soul mates! I just love tennis and am off to the quarter finals of the Australian Open for the first time next week. It can be extremely hot in Melbourne in January but when we tried to book a package with Qantas, they would not guarantee where the seats would be (at their age, it is an absolute must to be able to sit in the shade), so we booked our tennis seats direct with Ticketek and the flights separately. If you like, when I get back I can let you know what our seats were like to give you some idea if you do decide to book independently. I was on the phone the minute the tickets were released and could only get the second tier but the first week should be better. The tickets include the cost of the tram from Melbournto to the 'Open' so try to pick a hotel near a tram stop.

Can't offer any suggestions regarding the upgrade - they make it near impossible these days! I've flown Qantas (economy) to the States a couple of times but my husband prefers United. I think 'cattle class' is just that whichever you choose.

I must admit four weeks would be my minimum for such a long flight, but my husband does it for two when visiting our son in New York. I just hate flying. If you decide on the two and a half weeks, I think I would restrict their trip to Melbourne, Sydney and perhaps the South Island of New Zealand (unless they have to fly out of Auckland), otherwise they'll be on the go too much. Canberra is a nice well set out city and Parliament House is interesting but in the time frame, they maybe could do without another airport/stopover. This is just my opinion of course but being not too far behind them in age, less is better!

As far as Sydney goes, if you can afford a hotel with a view of the harbour - go for it. Anywhere near Circular Quay is great. If you can't find a tour which spends a few nights in each city, they may be better off doing it independentl, spending a few days each in Melbourne and Sydney, just doing local trips as we do speak the same language and the currency isn't a problem. They could then take a guided tour of the South Island of New Zealand.

Hope these thoughts help.

ZiaMartina, from what you've described, it sounds to me as if your parents might enjoy a cruise. When you described your parents' needs and wants, it struck me as a possibility. There are cruises of varying lengths. A Google search brought up a 14-day cruise that went to Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart and a few New Zealand destinations -- to quote just one example. Oh, by the way, what I just mentioned was a local cruise, obviously. In the case of a cruise like that, there still would be the flight from the USA to Australia.

When my parents have flown between Australia and Canada, they've stopped in Hawaii for a night or two, and they've found that very helpful.

More good suggestions. Hadn't thought about a cruise, but will look into it. down under, after the Open, please do let me know your thoughts about seating. (I know they would prefer sitting in the shade and along the baseline rather than on the side.) Thanks again.

Firstly let me congratulate your parents for having such wonderful kids who would give them such a great gift for their 50th! Our 40th is next year and we'll be lucky to get a card!

Secondly, I apologise for the 'typos' in my last effort - was in a rush!

Regarding the Australian Open, I too would prefer baseline seats but the first tier is taken by corporate seating. You might like to visit www.australianopen.com and on the right hand side there is a spot where you can buy tickets. Pretend you're buying them for this year until you come to where they have a plan of the main arena which will show the seating. There are two part covered arenas, the main being the Rod Laver but they have great matches on the Vodaphone arena too.

The idea of a cruise is great but it could be difficult to find one to fit in with the Australian Open. I think the cost could be prohibitive, but maybe a couple of sections of an around-the-world cruise which visits New Zealand and then Melbourne is a possibility. Alternatively, they may be able to visit Melbourne first, fly to Sydney, then cruise to New Zealand. Just avoid P & O's Pacific Sun.

I've been to Australia 5 times, always flying coach class. I agree that it is a difficult trip for any age. The thought of going for only 2 and a half weeks would not appeal to me. At the least you should try to stay for 3 weeks. The extra few days will make a difference as you won't feel so rushed to get moving too fast. The recovery time from the flight is usually at least 2 full days for me, sometimes longer. It is hard to describe to someone who hasn't done it how long and hard the flight to Australia will be. Doesn't mean you shouldn't go, but factor it in and be gentle on yourselves.

IMHO, 2 weeks (subtracting half a week to get recovered and get your bearings) isn't long enough to go to Australia and NZ on the same trip. You should pinpoint an area of Australia and concentrate on that.

I would say that if they go to Canberra they might check out the War Museum. I went there when I was in my late 20's (in the early 1980's) and was very surprised at how interesting it was. I am not the type who would usually go to a War Museum but I went along with some other folks & found it was so well done and interesting...folks who remember WW2 would find it even more interesting. Some Australian friends recently went there with their teenaged daughter and even she liked it.

Am I correct in understanding that you just can't use the AA miles to upgrade on Qantas, not that you can't use them to fly on the partner? I have used AA miles to fly on Qantas before.