Disclosure: We get a commission for some links on this website. You don’t have to use our links, but we’re very grateful when you do. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or endorsed by our partners. Here’s our Advertiser Disclosure.
After earning a ton of points in 2015, we are finally getting around to some big trip redemptions in 2016. We visited Europe back in March. So, for our second big trip of the year, we decided to visit Australia and New Zealand. We added a layover in Beijing on the return. This page will serve as a table of contents for the entire trip. If you are considering a trip to any/all of these destinations, our experiences can help craft your itinerary.
We will provide all of our logistics and costs (points and/or cash). We will review all of our accommodations, except for the two nights we stayed with friends. Finally, we will recommend some awesome tours we enjoyed, provide the top 10 things to know, and give you some suggestions for a packing list. Bookmark this page, because we will update with links as we add new posts. Enjoy!
Complete Trip Logistics
This trip included a few different airlines to hop around Australia and New Zealand! We rented a car in Queenstown, which allowed us to plan our own itinerary and take some beautiful, scenic drives around the mountains and lakes. The table below lists out our costs in cash/points/miles for all methods of transportation.
Flight Booking Report
This post provides more information on how we booked the award flights listed below.
Australia
Getting There
Cairns – Hotel Spotlight: Doubletree by Hilton Cairns
- Day 2 – Qantas Business Class & Exploring Cairns
- Day 3 – Snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef with Reef Experience
- Day 4 – Daintree Rainforest, Mossman Gorge, & Cape Tribulation with Discovery Tours
Brisbane
New Zealand
Queenstown – Hotel Spotlight: Doubletree by Hilton Queenstown
- Day 7 – Hiking Queenstown Hill & Eating Fergburgers
- Day 8 – Biking the Wineries with Around the Basin Tours & Bungy Jumping
- Day 9 – Milford Sound Day Tour with Fiordland Tours & Glowworm Caves
- Day 10 & 11 – Jacks Point Golf & Exploring Wanaka
Australia (again)
Sydney – Hotel Spotlight: Park Hyatt Sydney
Melbourne
- Day 16 – Great Ocean Road Tour with the Little Penguin Bus
- Day 17 – Exploring Melbourne and Departing for Home
Beijing (bonus!)
- Day 18/19 – Air China Return Flight & Beijing Layover Tour – (Total Nightmare) – Maybe I will write about this one day.
If you enjoy the content on Loophole Travel, Like us on Facebook, Follow @loopholetravel on Twitter, and subscribe to our weekly newsletter!
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.