Designer Bus Tours for Youth: A Magic Carpet

Oz Experience, a popular alternative backpacker bus service in Australia, has introduced a new fleet of coaches, a site on the Internet and new summertime packages with the world’s largest student travel service.

The Oz Experience long-distance coach transportation service drops off and picks up travelers at hostels and other budget accommodations. The driver/guides also make stops at interesting points along the route, from national parks and rafting concessions to smaller communities off the beaten track.

Passengers can design their own tours, stopping where they choose for as many days or weeks as they want.

Although rates for some of the 21 passes were increased this season, the price for the popular Sydney-Cairns route remain unchanged. The “Bruce” pass, which costs $239, covers this east coast route with stops at inland communities such as Bingara, Nundle and Dingo. Travelers can take between nine days to six months to complete this journey. This is also one of a number of national passes that are discounted by 5% to holders of Hostelling International memberships, International Student Identity Cards or VIP Hostel Cards.

In recent months, Oz Experience has introduced a fleet of brand-new coaches; all vehicles are now less than a year old.

Information on the numerous Oz Experience passes is now available on the Internet at: https://www.ozex.com.au.

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STA Travel, which has 17 offices in the United States and more than 100 affiliated offices around the world, is introducing special summer packages to Australia and New Zealand for student-style travelers.

The packages are designed to take advantage of low winter season in South Pacific (our summer holiday period is a low-traffic season there). The packages are a joint creation associated with the Australia Tourism Commission, New Zealand Tourism Board, Tourism Victoria and Tasmania, the Queensland Tourist and Travel Commission and Oz/Kiwi Experience.

The Reef and Rain Forest package to Queensland Australia costs $1,035 and includes round-trip air fare from Los Angeles to Cairns, an Oz Experience bus pass for travel from Cairns to Sydney and return air fare from Sydney to Los Angeles.

The Essential South package costs $1,000 and includes air fare from Los Angeles to Melbourne, an Oz Experience bus pass for travel from Melbourne to Sydney and air fare from Sydney to Los Angeles.

The Geyser and Glaciers New Zealand Package costs $1,165 and includes air fare from Los Angeles to Auckland, a Kiwi Experience pass for travel from Auckland to Christchurch and air fare from Christchurch to Los Angeles.

The Kangaroos, Kiwis and Coconuts package starts at $1,625 and includes air fare from Los Angeles to Cairns, an Oz Experience bus pass for travel from Christchurch to Auckland, a flight from Auckland to one South Pacific island stopover and a return flight from that island to Los Angeles.

Departures from the U.S. must be no later than Aug. 31. You can book toll-free by calling STA at (800) 777-0112.

STA has added an extensive South Pacific section to its Web site at https://www.sta-travel.com. On it you will also find a contest for students and anyone under 26 to win two free airline tickets on Air New Zealand from Los Angeles to Sydney, Australia.

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Budget travelers to Queensland, Australia, now have the opportunity to spend the night in their own “nest” in a curious little patch of rain forest in northern Australia for $19 per person per night.

Created by Tina and Joell Bacon, Tentative Nests sits in six acres of rain forest, about 1 1/2 miles from the village of Kuranda. The nests are actually tents on platforms, set a few feet above the ground, and large enough to include an enclosed veranda and outfitted with floor-level mattress beds.

You can get further information from Tentative Nests at 26 Barron Falls Road, Queensland, Australia.