Can you visit Australia in a week?

There's a 95 percent chance Senior Editor Christine Sarkis is thinking about travel right now. Follow her on Instagram @postcartography and Twitter @ChristineSarkis.

Christine Sarkis is an SATW-award-winning journalist and executive editor at SmarterTravel. Her stories have also appeared on USA Today, Conde Nast Traveler, Huffington Post, and Business Insider. Her advice has been featured in dozens of print and online publications including The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, and People magazine. She has also shared travel tips on television and radio shows including Good Morning America, Marketplace, and Here & Now. Her work has been published in the anthologies Spain from a Backpack and The Best Women's Travel Writing 2008. She is currently working on a travel memoir.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: The Trtl Pillow. It's easy to pack and comfortable, and makes it so I can actually sleep on flights.

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: Seeing the Aurora Borealis from the comfort of somewhere warm, like a glass igloo or hot spring.

Travel Motto: Curiosity is an amazing compass.

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: Aisle all the way.

Email Christine Sarkis at editor@smartertravel.com.

See recent posts by Christine Sarkis

Did you know that the flight time from the West Coast of the U.S. to Sydney is about the same as it is to Rome? Once you arrive, you’ll find a better exchange rate in Australia than in Italy, or elsewhere in Europe. Plus, flight options are on the increase, resulting from the new open-skies agreement between the U.S. and Australia.

But what if you don’t have enough vacation time? The Qantas website Aussieweek.com demonstrates the feasibility of visiting Australia in a week. It suggests focusing on a city and its environs—the way you’d plan a shorter trip to a city in Europe or Asia—and has brief videos to acquaint you with particular regions. Qantas also sells various week-long packages through the site.

Making the most of your time in Australia is also the theme of the new guidebook Night + Day Sydney (and Melbourne). The guide is focused on getting the most from every hour of your vacation, and offers tips on how to do it, with activity, dining, hotel, and itinerary suggestions geared to those who want to plunge headlong into the local scene.

Frommer’s also has ideas for seven days Down Under. Sure, it starts with the exclamation, “Impossible!” But it goes on to offer a practical plan for visiting some of the country’s most popular sights in one week. Not so impossible after all.

Have a great travel tip you’d like to share? Send your insider travel strategies to editor@smartertravel.com.

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