About Before You Fly

The problem

Planning an overseas trip from Australia means answering the same scattered questions every time. Do I need a visa? Is there an arrival card, and is it free? Will my licence work there? What adapter? Is an eSIM cheaper than roaming? Does Medicare cover me?

The answers exist, but they're spread across a dozen government sites, forum threads and comparison sites built for American or European travellers - which matters, because the answer depends entirely on the passport you hold. An Australian needs an ETA for the UK, an ESTA for the US and a paid visa on arrival for Bali. Australia only issues the 1949 Geneva Convention driving permit, which is worthless in Vietnam. New Zealand treats Australian citizens and Australian permanent residents completely differently.

None of that is on a generic travel site.

What we built

One place that starts with the question that actually matters - where are you going - and works out from there.

Every destination page tells you what Australian passport holders need, links to the official source, and then lets you compare the things you'll have to buy anyway: eSIMs, travel insurance, travel money cards, airport transfers, activities. All priced in AUD.

Who writes this

Before You Fly is researched, written and maintained by Jamie, an Australian who has travelled to 81 countries and counting - and made most of the mistakes this site exists to prevent.

Eighty-one countries teaches you things no brochure does: that a visa you didn't know you needed gets checked at the departure gate in Sydney, not on arrival; that the adapter question has three different answers depending on whether your gadget has a motor in it; that the cheapest eSIM on paper is worthless if it won't activate on an Australian account. After enough trips spent re-solving the same problems - the wrong plug in a hotel wall, the arrival card discovered in the aeroplane queue, the roaming bill that arrived after the tan faded - Jamie built the site that should have existed all along: one place where an Australian can get ahead of a trip instead of catching up to it.

The comparisons are not abstract. Jamie personally uses products from every provider recommended on this site: the eSIM providers in the connectivity tables have been bought from and used overseas, activities have been booked through the platforms listed, the travel cards compared have been spent on in the countries they're recommended for, and the insurance recommendations are informed by policies personally taken out. When something disappoints, it either carries that criticism on the page or it doesn't appear.

Kept current, and provably so

Travel rules change without notice, so this site is built to notice. Every morning, an automated check re-reads the government page behind every destination and compares what it says about visas, fees and durations against what it said yesterday. When nothing has changed, the review date on the page moves - because the source was genuinely re-read that day. When something has changed, a person confirms it before a word on the site moves. Every fact page shows its last-reviewed date and links its sources, so you never have to take "up to date" on faith - the date and the source are right there to check. The full process is in our editorial policy, and every source and API the site relies on - and how often each is checked - is listed on the data sources page.

Guides carry Jamie's byline, and every fact page names its reviewer.

The positioning

Going overseas? Find out what you need. Compare it and get sorted.

How we stay honest

We make money from affiliate commission and clearly labelled advertising, and we've written down exactly how and what we won't do. Drawbacks get published, and where the right answer is "don't buy this", we say so.

Not a substitute for official advice

We're an independent commercial site, not a government service. Always confirm entry requirements with Smartraveller and the destination's own immigration authority before you book or fly. Every page links to both.

Get in touch: hello@beforeyoufly.com.au

Last updated 2026-09-04.