|
 As
soon as your visa is approved
it is time to confirm your plane tickets and prepare
for the long trip to Australia. The trip is very
long. From the moment you have a shower and get
ready to travel to the moment you get to your
accommodation and unpack you luggage many hours will
pass, with hardly any sleep and no laying down. The
trip is really very exhausting.
For
those who have never traveled by plane
do not forget to put your name, address, phone
number and any other information you might think is
important inside every piece of luggage. Do the same
on the outside, using the luggage labels given to
you by your travel agent or airline.
If possible write both your addresses, at
home and in Australia. All valuables, passport,
tickets, money, vouchers, camera and the keys for
you bags, should be carried in your hand luggage. Do
not put any valuable or important object inside the
bags you check-in in case they get lost. Try not to
fill your bags too much because if you have to open
them for customs inspections it will be very
difficult to get everything in again in a hurry. It
is a good idea to put something on your bags, for
example a ribbon or special label, so you’ll recognize
them easily and there will be no problems if bags
belonging to different people look the same.
When
you pack your bags
choose your clothes carefully according to where you
are going to live in Australia. Tasmania, Adelaide
and Melbourne can get cold even in summer. In this
case pack light and warmer clothes, including a coat
and socks. In
Australia clothes are a little more expensive than
in Brazil, but you should consider taking some money
to buy some there as the fashion is very different
and you might want to blend in the crowd.
In
Australia laws about food importation
are very strict to protect the local agricultural
industry from diseases coming from other counties.
Most processed foods (for example chocolate,
lollies, tinned fruit, jams, syrup etc) are allowed
but you’ll have to show them to customs officials
anyway. All
non-processed products, seeds (including beans),
fruit, plants, meat, dairy are not allowed in the
country. The Australian Embassy has a list of
products you can bring or not.
The
clothes you choose for your trip
should be loose and comfortable. Avoid buckles as
they could hurt you while sitting for a long time.
Remember that airplane toilets are very small and
you could have trouble with complicated and tight
clothes. The ideal would be wearing your pyjamas but
as this is not possible choose something similar,
comfortable and easy to put on. Do not forget a
jumper or warm coat, as sometimes it is cold in the
plane even with the blanket you can get from the
flight attendants.
Before
you leave home
to the airport, check you have everything you need.
The essentials 4 things are:
-
Passport
-
Wallet
containing money, international credit cards, traveler
cheques, international or translated drivers license,
vouchers etc.)
-
Airline
tickets with hotel and transfers booking if
applicable
-
Your
bags and suitcases not forgetting the number of
them you are taking including hand luggage.
You
must arrive at the airport 2 hours
before your flight is due to depart. Find out where
your airline check in area is and present your
passport and tickets. You will get receipts for each
of the pieces of luggage you check in. Be careful
not to dispatch your hand luggage with the other
bags! You will get your passport, airline ticket and
a Boarding Pass back.
After checking in go to the Federal
Police sector where your passport and hand luggage
will be verified. Do not carry ant pointy objects
like scissors, nail clippers, needles etc as due to
terrorist threats they will be confiscated. After
going through the Federal Police will be in the
international departure area. Find out what gate
you’ll be using to board the plane and wait until
your flight is called. You’ll need only the
Boarding Pass to board the plane.
During
your flight,
when you are not asleep, try to get up every two
hours and go for a little walk and stand for a while
to improve blood flow in your legs. Deep Vein
Thrombosis or DVT is a blood clot that can form
inside your leg veins if your do not move for long
periods of time. DVT is very dangerous and can be
fatal if the clot travels into one of your vital
organs. Do not worry too much for DVT is more common
in elderly people but you’ll hear about it in the
plane and it is better to be aware of it.
Try not to consume alcohol, as it decreases
in oxygen in the blood and might make you feel
unwell the next day.
Before
landing in Australia
you will have to complete a questionnaire about what
you are bringing into the country, if you’ve been
to a farm or specific part of the world lately and
how much money you are bringing into Australia. If
you have food in your luggage check Yes, do not lie
about it. Do not take any food from the plane,
especially fresh, dairy or meat products.
When
you arrive at your destination
follow the “Baggage Claims” signs and find out
from where you will be collecting your bags. With
your luggage go to Customs, presenting your passport
and the completed questionnaire. If you are bringing
food into the country go to the Red Sector of
Customs, as the officer will have to check your bags
and might confiscate anything that is not allowed
in. In this case nothing will happen to you.
Meanwhile if Customs find any forbidden product not
declared by you in your luggage you might have to
pay a fine of up to AUD 50,000 and will have a legal
problem. Not a good way to start your stay in
Australia! There are limits for the importation some
articles without duty: 200 cigarettes and 1 litre of
alcohol, for example. If you bring more than this
amount you will have to pay duty.
Welcome
to Australia!
Some
important details:
-
Drugs are prohibited in Australia and there
are dogs at the airports trained to sniff any drug
you might be carrying in your luggage.
If are caught with drugs you might go to jail
or be deported, depending on the quantity. For those
who use prescription drugs it is advisable to bring
the original doctors prescription and also the
medicine inside the original packaging. If you need
to buy some more of the same drug you will have to
go to a General Practitioner or GP who will give you
a new prescription that you will present at the
chemist or pharmacy.
The information in the medicine box will help
the GP find the same medicine in Australia.
-
Be
aware of weight limit for luggage you can take
in the plane. Every airline has a different limit
and might charge you a very high amount if you have
excess luggage.
Read
the continuation of this topic at After
Arrival and some other information
about Studies in Australia. |
