Essential Brisbane to Cairns

This trip includes accommodation in multi-share dormitories, where you won't be staying in twin share hotels, but rather cool hangouts with shared facilities. This means travellers on the same booking may be split between rooms due to the single gender dormitories. You may also be required to share with non-Intrepid travellers outside of your group. Single room supplements are available (on request).

This trip is made for travellers who value their independence but also want the benefit of a local leader and a group of like-minded travellers. The itinerary has plenty of free time where your leader will offer suggestions. Please budget spending money for optional activities you want to partake in and public transport to those activities.

There are some long travel days on this trip, but it’s all part of the adventure and a great way to get to know your fellow travellers. The overnight train is in comfortable economy seats and is not accompanied by a tour leader.

This trip is part of a longer itinerary. You might be joining travellers who have already spent some time together. If you have more time to explore, you might like to check out Real Australia.

1. A single room supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. If you are a single traveller this will give you a single room, if you are travelling as a couple a double/twin room will be allocated to you. The single supplement excludes Day 4 (Overnight Train) and Days 5 & 6 (Whitsundays Sailing) where you will be in shared accommodation and is subject to availability. Please speak to your booking agent for further information.
2. Accommodation on this trip is in multi-share hostels. Multishare typically includes 4-8 beds. You may be required to share with non-Intrepid travellers outside of your group. People travelling together may occasionally be separated due to single gender dorms. 
3. The overnight train is in economy seats and is not accompanied by a tour leader. Luggage weight allowance is one checked piece (20kgs) and one carry on hand luggage.

Below are some essential items for this trip. Please review the ‘Climate and Seasonal Information’ to ensure you pack appropriately for the weather at the time of year you are travelling.

- Lightweight clothing. You will need to bring a mixture of lightweight clothing and layers. Long shirts and pants are useful to protect against the harsh Australian sun. Clothes should be easy to wash and dry. Maybe bring a change of smart clothes for dinner in larger cities. Australia is pretty casual, shorts or a skirt and a top, with sandals, is our usual warm weather wardrobe.
- Comfortable, closed-in shoes. These will help to protect your feet from cuts and scratches when walking through bush/grasslands and will act as a protective barrier in the rare case of a bite or sting. A pair of sandals or thongs/flip flops are great for the beach.
- Sun protection. Wide-brimmed hat, sunscreen, sunglasses.

VALUABLES
Try to avoid bringing unnecessary valuables and use your hotel safe. It’s also a good idea to purchase a money belt or pouch that is easily hidden. We strongly recommend that you photocopy all important documents e.g. air tickets, passport, vaccination certificate, etc. and keep the copies separate from the originals. While not valid, a photocopy makes it much easier to obtain replacements if necessary.

MORE!
If you need some further tips for packing, you can always check out our ultimate packing list., https://www.intrepidtravel.com/packing-list, WATER BOTTLE
Please bring your own water bottle to refill along the way. Although it can be difficult to avoid bottled water when travelling, please use the water dispensers which are provided on some of our vehicles and at some of our accommodation. Your group leader or local representative will advise whether tap water is safe to drink in your destination, and if it is, you can simply refill it with tap water. When unable to avoid bottled water, it is better to buy the largest available and distribute it into your smaller bottle for the day. If you are walking or trekking as part of your trip you will need to carry at least 2L of water with you.

YHA Brisbane City, 392 Upper Roma Street, Brisbane, 4000, AUSTRALIA

Alternate Joining Point

From Brisbane Airport (airport code BNE), take the train to Roma Street Station (approximately 25 minutes). From here, it is a 10-minute walk to the hostel. You can use your contactless card for payment, or you can buy a single ticket and trains depart frequently. Alternatively, you can take a taxi or Uber from the airport directly to the hostel in approximately 20 minutes (depending on traffic).

YHA Cairns Central, 20-26 McLeod Street, Cairns, 4870, AUSTRALIA

Alternate Finish Point

Breakfasts included: 2

Lunches included: 1

Dinners included: 3

While we always endeavour to provide the best possible holiday experience, due to the nature of travel and the areas we visit sometimes things can and do go wrong. Should any issue occur while you are on your trip, it is imperative that you discuss this with your group leader or local representative straight away so that they can do their best to rectify the problem and save any potential negative impact on the rest of your trip.

We recognise that there may be times when your group leader or local representative may not be able to resolve a situation to your satisfaction - if this is the case, please ask the group leader or local representative to speak to their direct manager.

You may also choose to provide details in your online feedback, which we ask you to complete within 30 days of the end of your trip. Please do be aware that it is very difficult for us to provide any practical help after the trip is completed, so informing us while still travelling will give us the opportunity to resolve the issue in real-time.

For general contact details please use the following page: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/contact-us

In case of a genuine crisis or emergency, you can reach our local office on the numbers below:

1300 544 882 or +61 8 6219 5164

We've sourced our accommodation very carefully and picked the best possible properties in line with the Intrepid 18 to 35s style of travel. Our first accommodation choice is always as close to the main attraction of the destination as possible, however, sometimes we are not in the right centre of action, which means you may need to hop on a public transport to get to the city centre. Your accommodation will not always have private ensuite facilities or air-conditioning. 

OCCASIONAL ALTERNATIVE ACCOMMODATION
The style of accommodation indicated in the day-to-day itinerary is a guideline. On rare occasions, alternative arrangements may need to be made due to the lack of availability of rooms in our usual accommodation. A similar standard of accommodation will be used in these instances.

ROOMING ALLOCATION
Accommodation on this trip is on a multi-share basis. We pair up solo travellers with other travellers of the same gender as per the gender marker on each of their passports. 

CHECK-IN TIME
Throughout the trip we request that our accommodation prepares rooms in time for your arrival, especially if you're arriving prior to normal check-in time. However this isn't always possible which means you won't be able to check-in immediately on arrival at some properties. Instead, you can store your luggage and go exploring.

PRE/POST TRIP ACCOMMODATION
If you've purchased pre-trip or post-trip accommodation (if available), you may be required to change rooms from your trip accommodation for these extra nights.