There was a Qantas sale to LA on the weekend so a few of us grabbed some flights over to watch some NBA and NHL playoff action.
A couple of questions.
I did have a media Visa but that expired over Covid. Do we just get a ESTA when we arrive?
Do we need anything else?
And I haven’t had a Covid Booster since Jan last year. I wouldn’t bother in Australia but should I get one for going to the US? I leave next Thursday. Will it kick in by then if I do have it?
You have to get the ESTA before you leave. (Or at least you did the last time I went to USA).
If you mean Thursday 27th, Covid booster should activate antibody responses by the time you are in USA. Worth getting to be safer.
Must apply for ESTA a minimum of 72hrs before departure.
Then does it come through before?
I remember people lining up at some electronic kiosk thing when they get there but I’ve never had to do it.
Can take up to 72hrs to be approved. Most I know have got it back within 24hrs. Qantas will not allow you to check in without an approved ETSA
What grog is good to buy at Melbourne airport (i.e. Duty free) on arrival?
came back in an hour.
Pretty much as it was. Visiting in the next few months is advised before tourists return in the second half of 2023.
Thanks for that. I was considering HK for a week in early November. Once I realised that what has previously cost me around AUD3500 (incl. flights and a week’s accommodation in Mong Kok) is now closer to AUD5500, I’ve got cold feet on the idea…
Hk is a disaster for travel ( currently ) because of their strict COVID controls which lead to air travel being decimated - Things are slowly returning returning to normal with Cathay at about 40% of pre-covid levels and I believe Qantas has just returned to HK - So therefore, airfares are ridiculously expensive - It’s not so bad for short haul flights but long haul flights are expensive, although prices are slowly coming down - For example, my partner is flying to Surabaya in May, but found it was cheaper to go through Bali and catch an internal flight. We are planning to fly to OZ in July, however we will not purchase tickets until June - In your case, I would hold off to August and September to book tickets.
Does Melbourne still have all the declaration cards to fill in?
Yes, all flights into Australia have IPC’s
So annoying.
Oh well, declare stuff as usual, hopefully then waived through as usual.
Luggage + carry on about 120kgs. Not bad!
Scotch and Gin is usually my go to. It’s about half what you’d pay at Dan Murphies say.
It’s sometimes cheaper to buy retail in low taxing countries than at duty free.
It’d be too late now, but as I walked through duty free at Tulla the other week I kept thinking, you can get that a lot cheaper in Japan.
And, in my experience, more variety.
ADD Pack it in check in luggage, avoid liquid volume restrictions on planes and one piece of baggage less to carry l
