New Zealand and Australia: The People Down Under

After you enroll, we’ll ask you to provide or update your personal information and preferences, which includes your health information, lodging and meal preferences for your program.

The Holland America ship requires online registration at hollandamerica.com at least 72 hours prior to embarkation. A list of instructions on how to complete registration is included in your final program mailing.

A passport is required for this program. It must be valid for at least 6 months after your return date.

This information about travel documents pertains to participants holding U.S. passports. Non-U.S. citizens should refer to their country's requirements to ensure they have the necessary documentation for travel.

Australia

• Your passport must have 1 blank passport page(s) for entry/exit visas in this country.

• A travel visa is required and it must be obtained in advance.

• The cost of this visa is not included in the cost of your trip.

Please note: Participants visiting Australia require an electronic travel authority that they must purchase themselves through the Australian ETA app prior to travel. Step-by-step instructions are at https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/electronic-travel-authority-601#HowTo. There is a $20 service fee for the ETA application.

New Zealand

• Your passport must have 1 blank passport page(s) for entry/exit visas in this country.

• A travel visa is required and it must be obtained in advance.

• The cost of this visa is not included in the cost of your trip.

• Your visa can be secured electronically. You may use the services of our designated visa service, Passport Visa Express, please see details on the process and the price at Passport Visa Express. If you prefer you may secure your electronic visa on your own, see the notes below for details.

Please note: Participants visiting New Zealand require a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) that they must purchase prior to travel at nzeta.immigration.govt.nz/. Links to the NZeTA mobile apps are also at this website. The cost for the NZeTA and the included International Visitor Conservation & Tourism Levy (which accounts for NZ$100 of the total) is NZ$117 via the app or NZ$123 online. Participants then receive their visa when they arrive at their entry point in New Zealand.

New Zealand is a clean, disease-free country and there are no additional vaccination requirements for entry into New Zealand. Vaccination requirements for New Zealand or Australia may change without notice. It is recommended that you check with your local medical practitioner. There are no snakes or dangerous wild animals in New Zealand. Sandflies are prevalent in some areas, but these can be effectively countered with insect repellent. The only native poisonous creature is the very rare katipo spider. Australia is also a remarkably healthy country to travel in, considering that such a large proportion of it lies in the tropics. Vaccinations are not required for entry unless you have visited an infected country in the past 14 days. Australia reserves the right to isolate any person who arrives without the required certificates. A yellow fever certificate is required from travelers over 1 year of age arriving within 6 days of a visit to any region in any country that has had an instance of yellow fever in the previous 10 years.

If Road Scholar is arranging your air travel to and from the program, and you travel on the scheduled start and end dates, you’ll receive free round-trip transfers from the airport to the hotel.

Arrival day is on February 13, 2026

Meet the group at Mercure Sydney in Sydney

Start of Trip:  11:30 a.m. at hotel followed by field trip to Bondi for lunch; 3:30 p.m. hotel check-in.

Getting to the site: For those participants arriving in the days prior to the program commencing, the easiest and most direct way to get from Sydney Airport to the first hotel is by taxi. Each terminal has its own sheltered taxi rank with supervisors on hand in peak hours to ensure a smooth flow of taxis for travellers. The signage in the airport will direct you to the taxi rank. The fare to the hotel will be approximately AU$50. Alternatively, participants can take the train from the airport stations into Central Station. The fare to Central is approximately AU$16 per person. From Central Station take the light rail and get off at the Paddys Markets stop. The fare for the light rail is around AU$3.50 per person. Once disembarking from the light rail, carefully cross the tracks and walk up past the new apartment complex. Across the grassy square patch is your hotel. Various rideshare services, such as Uber, are also available.

Your trip ends on: Monday, March 2, 2026 in Auckland at Movenpick Hotel Auckland

End of Trip: The program concludes with breakfast; 11:00 a.m. hotel check-out.

Getting to the airport: For participants making their own way from the hotel to Auckland airport, a regular SkyDrive Airport Express bus service (www.skydrive.co.nz) runs from Sky City to the airport. Sky City is a short taxi ride from the Movenpick Auckland. The SkyDrive bus from Sky City to the airport currently costs NZ$16. Payment (card-only) can be made to the driver on board. A taxi to the airport from our hotel will cost from NZ$65 - NZ$95 depending on traffic conditions. Ola, Zoomy and Uber ride-share services also operate in Auckland.

Information if you are purchasing your own airfare: Participants who have not purchased airfare through Road Scholar are responsible for making their own transfer arrangements to the first site at the beginning of the program, as well as from the last site at the end of the program. The Information Packet Road Scholar sends in advance of the program includes details needed to make your transfer arrangements. If you wish to purchase airfare through Road Scholar, please call (800) 241-1404. Please note: In the unlikely event Road Scholar must make changes to the program's arrival or departure details, we will notify all participants as soon as possible. Participants who have purchased Road Scholar airfare are protected against airline change fees; however, anyone who has not purchased Road Scholar airfare will be required to make their own adjustments and may incur fees imposed by the airline.