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Sydney Lowfare! We just wanna have fun in Sydney, Australia. It's time to plan for your 2015 holidays or invite friends and/or relatives to either go to Sydney or visit Manila. With the current promo from Cebu Pacific Air you can visit Manila (AUD 99) or visit Sydney (Php4,999). But you have to hurry as Sale Period is until October 31, 2014 only or until seats last. Manila to Sydney          Php   4,900   ALL-IN Manila to Sydney at Php4,999 All-in Manila to Sydney fare is one way, inclusive of base fare, Web Admin Fee, Australia Airport Passenger charges and 7 kg hand-carry baggage allowance but exclusive of Php 550 Terminal Fee, Php 1,620 Philippine Travel Tax to be paid at the airport upon departure from Manila and checked-in luggage.          

If you are travelling to Australia and New Zealand between 26 January - 5 April 2015 for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015​ , you only need to apply for an Australian visa. Two countries - one visa Australia and New Zealand will co-host the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 which is being staged between 14 February and 29 March 2015 . Under a new Trans-Tasman visa arrangement, eligible visitors will only need to apply for an Australian visa to travel to and between both countries for the period of 26 January and 5 April 2015. New Zealand will grant a three month visa on arrival to visitors holding an eligible Australian visa for the duration of the tournament.

"Even with insurance you are required to pay for any treatment received in the Emergency Department" If you will be visiting Australia or will be sponsoring your relatives and visitors to visit you in Australia, the following information will give you a brief information about the treatment costs for visitors in Australia. If you do not have a Medicare Card Each occasion of service attracts a fee This may include a consultation with a doctor, pathology or blood test and/or x-rays (medical imaging)  This picture is one of the ads taken in one of NSW hospitals

I just booked my parents-in-law to visit us here in Sydney thru Cebu Pacific from October 11, 2014 to October 4, 2015. Yes. That is a week less of being 365 days or 52 weeks or 12 months or 1 year. If you will call an airline or try an airline online booking system now, and try to book or reserve a flight for a duration of 12 months or 1 year, you will most probably not be able to do it immediately. How I did the booking? From the time their tourist visa was granted last July 2014, one of the challenges is to find a flight booking that is cheap and can be booked for 1 year or close to that. A direct flight from Manila to Sydney will be a plus only but not required. With the advent of Cebu Pacific flights offering Manila-Sydney, all other airlines seem to have been eliminated from our options. Cebu Pacific became our priority and number 1 option. However, booking a desired flight is not that easy back then.

September 9, 2014 - This marks the start of Cebu Pacific long-haul service (Manila-Sydney) in Australia. The airline is the only low-cost carrier operating the route. Filipinos based in Sydney are really fortunate. They need not to to travel via Darwin (Jetstar), Singapore (Scoot) or Malaysia (Air Asia) just to avail of a low-cost or a budget airlines. The arrival of Cebu Pacific is an alternative to another Philippine carrier, Philippine Airlines, which also operates on the same route. Last month, I was able to book my parents-in-law to fly Cebu Pacific in going to Sydney. They will be here to be with us as they were fortunate to be given a one-year visa as tourists. Cebu Pacific lowest all-inclusive year-round fare for Sydney is as low as P12,150. Seat sale fares go as low as P4,999, all-in.

NSW, Australia is now experiencing an upgrade for the public transport system. The NSW government has just implemented the new electronic ticketing system, Opal. With Opal system, commuters need the credit-card-like, opal card. The Opal card is an easy, convenient way of paying for your travel on public transport. It has been successfully rolled out across all Sydney ferries, Sydney Trains, NSW TrainLink Intercity services and a number of bus services.

Have you ever tried picking your own mandarins? Well, if you are in NSW Australia, you must try Mandarin Picking with your family or friends. It is a nice activity during May-July. One of the famous citrus orchard is Ford's Farm. They have four(4) varieties of Mandarins; they are the Satsuma, Imperial, Emperor and Hickson Mandarins. Other citrus available are Tahitian Limes, Lemons, Cumquats and Kaffir Limes all for picking. Satsuma is a juicy and seedless fruit. My sons love it. In fact, they are eating the fruits while we are picking. The farm also offer sheep feeding. In the entrance, they are selling hay for feeding the sheep. One paper bag costs 50cents. Ford's farm also have other products like honey and jams. http://www.fordsfarm.com.au/home/products Location: 1275 Singleton Road, Laughtondale (via Wisemans Ferry), NSW 2775 Just input the address in your SatNav device and make your setting avoid "unpaved roads" and you will be fi...

Medical costs in Australia is expensive. Really expensive! I decided to write this blog since I went digging into this topic myself before when I was a new migrant. If you do not have Medicare or Reciprocal Health Care Agreements (RHCA ) - you better get a travel insurance and/or a private health insurance . Australian citizens and Permanent Residents (PR) have Medicare while visitors from United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, Belgium, Norway, Slovenia, Malta and Italy have Reciprocal Health Care Agreements (RHCA) with Australia.  Visitors from these countries are entitled to some subsidised health services for essential medical treatment while visiting Australia. Travel Insurance Vs. Private Health Insurance A. Which is Cheaper? You can buy a travel insurance from your country you are departing from. This is usually cheaper than buying health insurance in Australia. B. Short Term or Long Term? Some visi...