Travel guides for Australians

Practical guides written for Australian passports, Australian banks and Australian licences - not generic travel advice.

Skiers on a wide snow-covered piste at Niseko Grand Hirafu with the cone of Mount Yotei behind, Hokkaido in midwinter

Ski

Skiing Niseko in December: which weeks are actually worth booking

Niseko opens in late November but will not sell you an early-December lift pass online. What that tells you, and how to get there from Sydney.

10 min read · Updated 20 September 2026

Blue-domed church and whitewashed buildings above the Aegean at Oia on Santorini, Greece

Visas

Do Australians need ETIAS yet? No - but Europe changed anyway

ETIAS is not live and nobody can sell you one. But the EU Entry/Exit System is live, and it has already changed how Australians cross the Schengen border.

7 min read · Updated 20 September 2026

Travellers queuing with cabin luggage at an airport security checkpoint, where medication rules are enforced

Health

Taking medication overseas from Australia: check this before you pack

Sudafed is illegal in Japan and codeine needs a permit in the UAE. The rules for flying out of Australia with medication, and the paperwork that protects you.

8 min read · Updated 30 August 2026

Chang Hwa Bank ATM on a Taiwanese street, where Australian cards attract overseas withdrawal fees

Money

Travel money for Australians: cards, cash and the fees nobody mentions

Foreign transaction fees, ATM fees and dynamic currency conversion quietly add 5-8% to an overseas trip. Here's how Australians avoid all three.

7 min read · Updated 3 September 2026

Open suitcase with a handwritten packing list, headphones, camera and chargers ready for an overseas trip

Essentials

Power adapters by country: what Australians actually need to pack

Which plug you need for every major destination, whether your Australian chargers handle the voltage, and when a cheap adapter is the wrong buy.

5 min read · Updated 3 September 2026

Insurance

Travel insurance for Australians: what Medicare actually covers overseas

Medicare does not travel with you, and reciprocal agreements cover far less than Australians assume. What you are actually exposed to, country by country.

8 min read · Updated 3 September 2026

Driving

International Driving Permit: which countries Australians need one for

Australia only issues the 1949 Geneva Convention IDP. Where it works, where it doesn't, and why driving without one voids your travel insurance.

6 min read · Updated 20 September 2026

Crowded Shinjuku street in Tokyo at night, where travellers rely on an eSIM or roaming for mobile data

Connectivity

eSIM vs roaming vs local SIM: what Australians should actually buy

Telstra, Optus and Vodafone roaming costs $5-$10 a day. A regional eSIM often costs less than that for a whole trip. Here's how to pick the right one.

7 min read · Updated 3 September 2026

Entry requirements

Do Australians need a visa? A country-by-country guide

Which countries Australians need a visa for, which need an ETA or arrival card, and which are visa-free. Updated for the UK ETA, EU ETIAS and TDAC.

9 min read · Updated 20 September 2026

New destination guides and side-by-side comparisons for Australian travellers - which eSIM, which travel card, which insurance is worth paying for, and what to sort before you go. Prices in Australian dollars, a few emails a year.