Tips after a whirlwind trip across the continent to Sydney

A short trip to Sydney and back gives me the opportunity to write about Perth Domestic Airport parking, traveling with only hand luggage and folded clothes, Sydney Airport shuttle buses, airport hotels and add a bit of history with some modern philosophy. .

FLYING HEIGHTS

Despite the cost of living crisis, you can still buy a lot of travel for $2,400.

Round-trip economy class flights to Europe start at $1,500.

But last weekend I flew to Sydney and back with Qantas for $2400.

I know we booked the room late, but even so… (!)

AIRPLANE NEIGHBORS

On the way there, the narrow-body Boeing 737-800 is packed.

+ The man next to me has chicken wings over the armrest and he has to spread his knees wide so his stomach can fall onto the small ledge of the seat visible between his thighs.

+ In the only passage to the toilet behind, there is a queue of eight people. Those getting off have to squeeze past, and passengers sitting on the aisle are constantly being hit.

THINK AHEAD

But let me take a step back to something positive. Parking for the Qantas T4 is easy, and if you book in advance, it’s even easier and cheaper. Long-term parking doesn’t require much effort or hassle (as in T1), and short-term parking has good options. The more you pay, the closer you are to the terminal – which may be a one or two minute walk. I take the second level and it’s a three to four minute walk. And here’s the trick…the further out you book, the cheaper the options will be.

IMAGINE THIS

When you pull into the parking lot the cameras recognize the license plate I put in when booking and when I pull up to the barrier a ticket is issued. When I leave, I simply scan the QR code that was emailed to me after confirming my booking.

FAST WI-FI

…but let’s get back to the flight. Free Qantas Wi-Fi is easy to connect to and FAST. This is fast enough to continue streaming Ted Lasso on Apple TV. This is the third time I’ve watched this series about an American coach (Ted) who is invited to lead an English soccer team even though he knows nothing about soccer. If you want something positive (despite the foul language) and truly understand the power of true leadership, this is it. The way the AFC Richmond team is developing as a family is very similar to how our little Travel team is developing.

BRAINSTORM

Ted Lasso comes back into action when someone makes a bad suggestion at an ideas meeting: “Never bring an umbrella to a brainstorming session.” Unforgettable.

Another piece of Lasso advice: “Doing the right thing is never the wrong thing.” That’s right.

HOT, COLD

The flight offers two breakfast options for those served first (options are reduced as service progresses). Roasted vegetable casserole works, but this vegetarian version has two pork sausages that I leave out. The cold version is a mixture that includes a jar of yogurt.

FEELING OF LIGHT

Oh, how nice it is to travel with hand luggage. For me there is no luggage conveyor in Sydney. But since I’m here at an event tonight, I’m feeling pretty guilty that Casey, my trusty suitcase, isn’t with me. I brought his little cousin Justin with me. (Just in case.) Justin is holding my outfit for tonight’s black tie event, a laundry bag, night clothes, and a change of shirt to wear on the flight home.

UNCRESSED ROLL

To fold or to fold, that is the question. I usually fold it (neatly, on an ironing board), but not today. Since I’m traveling with just Justin, I lay my tuxedo pants on the bed, fold my evening shirt over them, then fold my tuxedo (folded in half first) along the back seam, keeping my arms straight. sides. Then I fold everything else I want to take with me into a towel (including my bathroom bag, also folded lengthwise), lay that end down, carefully roll it all together, and place the big sausage in Justin, putting the extendable elastic strap around it. . The job is done.

(When I take it out in Sydney there is not a single wrinkle left.)

ARRIVAL IN SYDNEY

Sydney is beautiful from the air. This is the arrival point. At some point, Indigenous Australians arrived, migrating south through the continent of Sahul, and became stranded in what is now Australia as sea levels rose following the Ice Age. There are approximately 29 clan groups in the Sydney metropolitan area, collectively called the Eora Nation.

The first European settlement in Australia came in Sydney after some 850 prisoners, their naval guards and officers led by Governor Arthur Phillip arrived at Botany Bay in January 1788. This was the “First Fleet” of nine transport ships and two warships. .

And today it’s me, arriving on a sunny morning, the light reflecting off buildings, highlighting parks and lighting up waterways with a beautiful blue.

Sydney is always a great place to come to.

FREE SHUTTLE

I arrive at Domestic Terminal T3 and stay overnight at the Rydges Sydney Airport Hotel. Thank God for good airport hotels. It’s right next to the T1 international terminal and I take the free bus there. The bus runs every 15 minutes and the purple counter is located right outside the domestic terminal. The bus ride from the domestic terminal to the international terminal takes about 15 minutes, followed by a three-minute walk to the hotel.

RIDGES HOTEL

I repeat, thank God that there are good hotels at the airport – they save your life when you have long layovers or “overnight stays” between flights. And the Rydges Sydney Airport Hotel is one of the best I know. We paid just over $400 per night, which is a ton of money, but always factor in the costs of ridesharing, taxis, or public transportation when considering a less expensive but less convenient hotel.

The room at Rydges is beautifully decorated, with sink and basic amenities, separate powder room, large walk-in shower, white towels, minibar, tea and coffee making facilities (mugs!), walk-in closet with iron and board, comfy queen-size bed size”. Large bed with white cotton sheets and a sofa, TV, desk, armchair and table.

View of the parking lot, but who needs a view when staying in a hotel? (Not me.)

TRAIN

I’ll mention here that if I were staying in central Sydney (I’m usually in the Darling Harbor or Rocks area as I like to be in the middle of the action) I’d take the AirportLink train. Without a doubt. It’s easy (I walked ’round and back’ to try it for you) and about $20 to central Sydney, depending on the time of day. airportlink.com.au

EXTERNAL VOICES

Sunday morning, I woke up and was glad to be in my comfortable room. It’s just a pity that the cleaning ladies knocking in the neighboring rooms (it’s clear) use their own extraneous voices inside (it’s not clear).

But there IS still a MUG for English breakfast tea.

STOP SELECTION

I walk to the shuttle bus to go to the domestic airport. Don’t get off at the Virgin stop, get off at the Qantas stop.

FAMILIAR COMPETITION

It’s not that I come to Sydney Domestic Airport Terminal 3 often, but it always feels so familiar, calm and intelligently laid out. It has one long lobby, lots of space, a nice muted cacophony, several shops and cafes.

(I advise anyone to never order banana bread from the coffee shop next to Luke’s Bar & Bistro. How much sugar and saturated fat can you cram into one square?)

VERA PROIDA

…and we return to the joys of the Boeing 737-800. Seriously, I recommend avoiding at least the last eight (and preferably 10) aisle seats when choosing where to sit on this type of plane. Honestly, I’d rather have a middle seat than one of these.

But I win big. Here I am in 6A (seat selection at no extra charge!) with (drum roll) an empty seat between me and the person sitting in the aisle. And for my (considerable) money, it beats business class any day.

FREE VISIT TO ATTRACTIONS

A good trick on flights from Sydney to Perth is to try to get a seat at Window A, on the left side of the plane when you’re looking forward. The flight line is pretty much direct to Adelaide and then across the Great Australian Bight, returning to land at Esperance. At one point I look out over the Yorke Peninsula and Kangaroo Island in South Australia and upon arriving in WA I have a clear view of the Dampier and Esperance archipelago.

TRAVELER’S CREDO

…and back to Ted Lasso and some classic quotes:

+ “Be curious, don’t judge.”

+ “I think you can be so sure that a person is one thing that sometimes you completely miss who they really are.”

+ “I promise you, there is something worse than sadness, and that is being alone and sad.”

+ “I believe in hope. I believe in faith.”

…and I think all of this applies to travel and to us as travelers.

… and it’s so strange to hear the last comment. I wrote and previously performed a musical and vocabulary piece called “Faith,” which begins with the words “I believe in faith.”

We have a special post about this on The Pod Well Traveled this week. You can listen to it here.