Australia & New Zealand with Globus: More Time, More Freedom
Want to see Australia and New Zealand without joining a fully escorted group? Globus Independent vacations give you planned hotels, selected sightseeing and local support, with time to explore as a couple or with friends.
Experience the Great Barrier Reef and New Zealand’s scenery without organizing every hotel and excursion yourself. Three-night stays in several destinations give you time to settle in, enjoy a leisurely dinner and leave some afternoons open.
How does it work?
You travel independently between destinations, with hotels, daily breakfast, selected excursions and transfers included where specified. Local Hosts provide advice and assistance in destinations covered by your itinerary; they do not accompany you throughout the vacation.
You should feel comfortable navigating airports and managing your own travel days. Included sightseeing provides an introduction; free time lets you explore further or simply rest.
Melbourne or Uluru? Choose your route
| Tour | Length and route | Main difference |
|---|---|---|
| Independent Australian & New Zealand Explorer | 16 days, Sydney to Auckland | Includes Melbourne |
| Independent Best of Australia & New Zealand | 15 days, Cairns to Auckland | Includes Uluru |
Explorer: cities, reef and New Zealand scenery
The Explorer combines Sydney, Cairns and Melbourne with Queenstown, Rotorua and Auckland. Highlights such as the Great Barrier Reef excursion and Milford Sound cruise are balanced by full leisure days in several destinations.
Explore Sydney’s harbor neighborhoods or Melbourne’s galleries and cafés. In Queenstown, enjoy a lakeside lunch and an unhurried afternoon instead of adding another excursion.
Our take: Choose this route if you enjoy cities as much as scenery and want time to discover them beyond the included sightseeing.
2027 itinerary map. Source: Globus.
Best of Australia & New Zealand: include the Outback
This itinerary adds Uluru to a journey through Cairns, Sydney, Queenstown, Rotorua and Auckland. The appeal is the contrast: tropical Queensland, the red desert landscape and Sydney Harbour, followed by New Zealand.
Free days in Cairns and Sydney leave room to explore locally, book an optional activity or recover between the bigger sightseeing days.
Our take: Choose this route if Uluru is a priority. Make the decision around your interests rather than the one-day difference in length.
2027 itinerary map. Source: Globus.
Plan it with Curlew Travel
We review flight connections, arrival times and hotel stays together, so you understand how much time you will actually have in each place. If one night in Auckland feels too brief, we can explore adding nights where available.
We also clarify internal flights, international airfare, transfers and optional excursions before you compare quotes. That gives you a clearer picture of both the cost and the pace.
Call Curlew Travel at (727) 789-1771. Johan@CurlewTravel.com. We’ll help you choose between Melbourne and Uluru—and plan the details around the way you like to travel.