In this website you'll find details for a big birthday bash in my "happy place." I am beyond honored that you're considering a trip to the southern hemisphere to hang out with me and the Aussies I love dearly.
Consider me your personal Julie McCoy, and lean on me for tips and plans and general coordination. My goal is to make this absolutely seamless for you... so you can pay, show up, and party.
The trip takes place in two segments. You'll handle the accommodation cost for the first segment. Jan and I will accommodate everyone for the second segment.
I've provided lots of options for group activities and alone time to explore.
You'll build your own daily agendas using provided a la carte options (many are free).
Brisbane is 18 hours ahead of LA, so you'll arrive on the island two days after you leave home. (Leave on the 17th, arrive on the 19th.) When you return home, you'll get that lost day back, arriving home just about the time you depart Australia... like it never happened.
If you participate in both segments, you'll be gone 10 nights.
If you choose only one segment, you'll be gone 6 nights.
Great Barrier Reef
NOV 21: Arrive Hamilton Island
4 Nights in Great Barrier Reef
Eastern Suburbs/Beaches of Sydney
NOV 25: Depart Hamilton Island -- Arrive Sydney
4 Nights in Iconic Bondi Beach
*Prices shown below are estimates that I pulled from the web. They're not guaranteed and I offer no refunds for errors.
For customer service issues, please contact Jan Bretschneider in our Customer Prevention Department.
$600 - $1,400 USD per person
(Estimates from Expedia)
$560 - $1,300 USD per person
(Estimates from Kayak + Expedia)
$660 - $1,450 USD per person
$166 - $300 AUD
(Aussies only. This route is included in the US flights shown.)
Flights to Hamilton Island are only offered in the early day. So if you arrive in Brisbane or Sydney in the evening, you'll need to stay a night there.
The flight to Hamilton Island is a local commuter flight, so you'll need to clear customs in Sydney or Brisbane before the connection. Allow time.
When price-shopping your flights, check routes with the Hamilton Island flight included, and then check Hamilton Island as a completely separate ticket from a regional carrier. It will likely be cheaper to buy it direct.
Connecting flights to Hamilton Island will be limited. I recommend booking that leg of your journey early.
We will be traveling immediately following the 2026 midterm elections. To the extent that you can, plan for disruption. If insurance is available or if you can wait to purchase, consider those options.
The airport transfer at Hamilton Island is so simple and quick we'll do it in golf carts. I will arrange airport transfers once flights are booked.
You'll book your flights on your own, but I'm happy to have calls and provide whatever insight or help that I can.
Between segments, we'll take a regional commuter flight from Hamilton Island to Sydney.
Several flights are offered each day so we can stagger our departures--I will help the group coordinate.
Flight time is approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Estimated price is $220 AUD.
If you're traveling home from Sydney, I've shown a couple options below.
And if you're traveling on to other spots inside Australia, I'm happy to discuss options with you, or hook you up with an Aussie who can give you the real scoop and some great options for extended adventures.
$600 - $1,000 USD
These tickets go on sale relatively often from United, Delta, Qantas
$300 - $800 USD
Look for carriers like Fiji Air, who sometimes offer rates as low as $299
Everything regarding trip planning will happen here, and I'll send out monthly newsletters with updates.
I'll provide links here for a large WhatsApp chat group and sub-chats by house and/or activity.
In the navigation menu at the top, you'll see pages for each segment of the journey.
I've included a full range of a la carte options for activities each day, so you can see how you'd like to spend your time.
The activities information is for discussion only right now. You will book and pay for your own activities closer to travel time.
For anything that happens in Australia, I've shown prices in Australian Dollars. Flights from the US are shown in US Dollars.
(Did I mention this is an estimate?? I offer no refunds or guarantees. I'm just a girl in the world.)
Tell me if you 100% in, 100% out, or on-the-fence.
If you're in or on-the-fence, let me know if a group house or a studio for two is your desired accommodation for each segment.
Tell me who you will be rooming with. (Make sure you ask that person first.)
I will reserve accommodations for everyone who's in or on-the-fence, for both segments.
Full refunds are available up until a couple of months before travel, so you have plenty of time to decide.
I need a form for each person--not couples.
Do this from separate phones or clear your browsing history in between submissions.