Now that you've decided on how long you want to spend in Oz and have the visa you need it's time to decide how you're going to get there. There is really only one way, by plane. If you're into big adventure you could spend a few months traveling through Europe to Asia but you still have to fly from Asia to Oz. You have a few choics of airlines with which to fly from Ireland to Oz. Some have direct flights to Oz, other have stopovers with optional one and 2-day stopovers in some cases. Travel Sites

Then there's the decision whether to go economy or maybe up it a little and go for business class. I say this b/c it's a long flight. From my experience it takes between 1.75 to 2.5 hours for your first flight from Dublin to either London Heathrow or a European airport like Frankfurt Airport where you connect with your long haul 747-400 fight. The Long haul flight takes on average from 13 to 15 hours to fly either to Singapore or to some other Asian airport. It then takes another 6 to 8 hours flight to reach Oz depending on you destination. As you can see it's a long time to be on a plane. Some things you might want to check are

1. Where Do you want to sit?

Most people just take the seats the airline asigns them but with most airlines on long haul fights you can state where you want to be seated .The following site www.seatguru.com will give you the siting plan of a Boeing 747-400. I find that the last 6 rows on either side of the plane are good because they contain only 2 seats beside each other. This gives you more room. Trust me the last thing you need is to get stuck in a center seat on a 15-hour flight. Another great seat is seat 46A to 46K because it's beside the emergence exit and so has no seat in front of it. Lots and lots of legroom and no one waking you up every time they want to use the toilet or walk round. The one disadvantage of this seat however is, that you don't get the screen in the seat in front of you. However sometimes there is a screen that flips up from your armrest. If not I'm afraid you'er stuck with the little screen a few rows up. It can be a real pain to watch.

2. Personal screen or not?

Don't always assume you'll have your own personal screen in the seat in front of you. Some major airlines of the world that you think would have them don't. Check www.seatguru.com to see the seating , video , audio and power layouts of most world airlines . Sometimes you have to make do with the screen half way up the plane which, without a good pair of binoculars, isn't very nice to say the least. So maybe bring a good book with you to keep you occupied just in case.

3. Snacks

Bring a few snacks with you too because some airlines leave a long time between meals then at least if you get hungry you have a few of your own.

4. Travel Things

Bring your own travel cushion because those supplied by the airlines can some times be mistaken for a pin cushion and have a mind of they're own. A pair of warm padded socks makes things more comfortable too.

5. Exercise

Lastly, make sure you get up every few hours and have a walk round the cabin. It helps not only with preventing Deep vein thrombosis but also the very serious afflation of YAFA (Your Ass Falling Asleep)