020·7962·9933
Given the need to change flights due to the Covid-19 situation your staff were first class and we were able to return safely all on time.
Quick response to my concerns over covid19. Flights rearranged efficiently. Thank you for your excellent service throughout.
Change of flights to Edinburgh instead of Copenhagen was really appreciated - thank you
With all the travel problems caused by the Coronavirus epidemic, and cancellation of my return flight by Qantas, Roray saved the day by getting me a seat on an earlier return flight.
Josh and Stella were outstanding during this hard time and got me home safe.
Marco and Troy are the team that dealt with my booking. They were both very helpful and couldn't do enough for an oldie like me
Great flights. Malaysian are excellent.
All I can say is this disaster has caused so many problems for people like us going to visit our family in Australia. But being told that we can be flown home on the 1st June is a bonus
Elizabeth did our original booking and she was brilliant. We regularly use DialAFlight and have recommended you often
Kylie checked day before leaving Sydney that all OK with coronavirus issues.
I would just like to thank Harriet for going above and beyond her duty to make things in this difficult time less stressful - even emailing me to make sure my dad got home safely which he did but only because she managed to get him on an earlier flight. I will be using you guys from now on as in my opinion you are a step above anyone else
I can’t thank you enough for the speed and the work you put in to get me back from Australia earlier this week when I was notified that my original flight with Emirates was cancelled.
Kieran was brilliant with how he went the extra mile
Excellent, always use and recommend
Due to the coronavirus situation flight times changed. I cannot thank or praise DialAFlight enough for their calls of reassurance and updated information. Well done.
DialAFlight provided an excellent service for my recent trip both in booking the trip initially and then in making adjustments as airlines started to close down operations. Importantly they were there to give good advice when it looked like I would be stuck in Australia. The 24 hr helpline was brilliant and very reassuring under difficult circumstances. I was recommended to use DialAFlight and in turn I will now thoroughly do the same to all my contacts. Thanks to all the excellent staff working at this difficult time.
Had to phone out of hours twice from Australia to re-arrange flight home and they were brilliant. Had it not been for them we would have been stuck in Australia due to flights being cancelled due to lockdown. Thank you DialAFlight for raising your game when needed.
Many people could not contact their agents and were having to buy new flights home. We were lucky. Many thanks
Gavin went beyond his duties and thank you for getting us home. Qatar were excellent too.
As the impact of the Coronavirus started to take its toll worldwide, Stephen contacted me to offer an earlier or later departure window from Australia. I was on a family visit and his speedy intervention was much appreciated.
Absolutely excellent in every way. Thank you so much for getting our son home safe and well at last minute. You are a brilliant team
Was very pleased when l had to see if l could get an earlier flight back to London because a connecting flight was cancelled. I was impressed that my call was answered quickly and at 5.30 am by a very polite lady.
The booking process was easy and thorough. Leo saved the day when KLM cancelled our return flight. We travel frequently to Australia but have always booked directly with the airline (8 times with Etihad or Emirates). In future, we will only use DialAFlight.
Thanks to Mason who got me home from Oz
Got us home from Oz after flight cancelled
Our return flight from Sydney to Singapore was cancelled due to Covid 19. Joey worked hard to contact Singapore Airlines and make sure we got home safely. Thank you.
No problems whatsoever - as always brilliant service and answers to any questions in a polite and professional manner
Francis was excellent and we were so lucky to get a flight home for my sister. He went out of his way to help. Can't thank him enough.
We had to cut our holiday short due to Australia shutting its borders. Rang Finn to sort out a new flight home and he went above and beyond and got us home a day before shutdown. Can't thank him enough for all he has done.
In these difficult coronavirus times the DAF staff were excellent. We needed to change our return plans. They answered the phone very, very quickly and efficiently and offered us alternative flights home. I can’t thank you enough as travelling with your company took all the stress out of a very difficult situation. Can’t rate your staff and company high enough
The Great Ocean Road. Its name alone sounds leagues cooler than any of the world's bucket-list road trips. And that's before you've even begun to appreciate the vast beaches, towering limestone cliffs, and sparkling eucalyptus forests that make this Australian coast road so special.
The highway hugs the underbelly of the state of Victoria, linking Melbourne to the east with the old port city of Warrnambool to the west, threading through a series of seaside towns.
Once settlements for gold rush diggers, these ports now throng with wetsuit-clad holidaymakers in summer (Nov to Feb) and have their own wild charm in winter.
Coaches 'do' The Road in a day, but I opt for a small group tour, which spreads the journey over a night or two and is happy to go off-piste.
'Our tours are all about the detours,' says our guide Jeremy, a walking library of stories, anecdotes and Aboriginal folklore.
Jeremy scoots around Melbourne to collect me and the Scots – a 60-something couple from Aberdeen who are nearing the end of a six-week visit to Oz. And then we're off.
Our first stop is Geelong. It was the old mayor of this port city who, in 1918, decided to build a tourist route to rival California's Big Sur. He enlisted 3,000 ex-servicemen and set them to work, ignoring the government's fear that such a road 'would encourage invaders'. (The country was still licking its war wounds).
HARD YAKKA
For 15 years the soldiers toiled away with their picks and shovels, hacking into the craggy hillside.
Hard yakka, as the Aussies would say. Peering down sheer cliff faces, I imagine such a soothing ocean-scape must have offered better post-traumatic rehabilitation than any therapist.
My neck aches from looking out of the window as we travel west towards Torquay, birthplace of surfing brand Quiksilver. We're here over Easter, prime surf season, and the annual Rip Curl championships – the longest running surf contest in the world – are in full swing.
Jeremy slows down the van to let a woman cross the road, her salty hair dripping on to her face, and tanned arms holding a surfboard. 'That's Stephanie Gilmore,' he says casually. 'Six-time world champion Australian surfer.'
I get the impression that such a sighting is commonplace so I give a breezy nod, but my inner surfer is dancing with excitement. Onwards to Anglesea, where I see my first kangaroo over on the local golf course.
These animals are so robust, Jeremy says, that 'they do little more than blink when hit by a golf ball'.
A few minutes further on is Kennett River, where I stand with my arms outstretched holding handfuls of sunflower seeds as four iridescent parrots land on my head and shoulders. 'Would you like a turn?' Jeremy asks the Scots, but they're too busy oohing and aahing over a koala snoozing in the nook of a tree above us.
Next is Lorne, with its strip of surf shops, second-hand bookshops and organic juice cafes.
A young hipster in Ray-Bans and bare feet strums Van Morrison on his guitar while overlooking the sands where children trip over the cords of their boogie boards.
Their professional counter-parts, meanwhile, sit straddling surfboards well out to sea, bobbing nonchalantly on the swell, waiting for a wave worth riding. Engrossed in watching them, I trip on a cockatoo taking a stroll along the promenade, its little yellow mohican perfectly coiffed.
APOLLO BAY
We spend the night at Beacon Point Ocean View Villas, luxury cabins in the hills above Apollo Bay, and feast on fresh fish at Chris's Restaurant with a front row view of the waves in the dusk.
The next morning we reach the legendary Twelve Apostles – a cluster of giant limestone stacks protruding from the water, their bottoms nibbled by the waves.
The Twelve Apostles provide stark evidence that the coastline of Australia must be eroding at a rate of knots. An arch called London Bridge, sculpted over the centuries, collapsed so suddenly a few years ago that a group of tourists found themselves stranded on the seaward side and had to be helicoptered to safety.
Our final stop is Loch Ard Gorge, where the wreck of the Loch Ard ship was tossed ashore by a fearsome storm in the winter of 1878. Jeremy takes out an old wooden chest from the van – inside which are black-and-white photographs of the only two survivors of the disaster, a newspaper article about the wreckage, and a handful of rusty spoons from the ship.
Turning these barnacle-clad utensils in my hand, I muse that over two days, my notion that Australia offers little by way of history has sunk faster than the vessel itself.
Amazingly, it is simple old-fashioned service that sets us apart from other travel firms. And yes, we really do answer the phone within 5 seconds!
Check out the reviews on Trustpilot and the word ‘service’ appears again and again. And you’ll find many reviews from customers saying they wasted hours trying to plan a holiday themselves before calling us - often on the advice of a friend - only to find we could offer numerous options not available online, which also saved them money.
Our team of 300 travel managers has been arranging tailor-made holidays for almost 40 years and we believe no one does it better. Judge for yourself.
Not quite what you're looking for? We can easily customise an offer to suit your exact requirements
Airport Lounges from £25
Once you’re through security leave the crowds, kids and chaos behind you with a visit to one of our comfortable airport lounges.
All offer complimentary food, drinks, wifi and newspapers with some also including Fastrack through security. Prices from £25.
Use our speedy private transfer service to avoid the stress of finding your way out of the airport terminal and looking for a taxi or bus on arrival.
With our meet and greet service, our driver will meet you in the arrivals hall. They will monitor flight arrival times giving you peace of mind that someone will be waiting for you with a name board even if your flight is late.
They will then assist you with your luggage and organise a private transfer directly to your hotel - there’s no waiting around for other passengers for shared transfers!
So no queues, no delays and less stress.
Let us extend the personalised service of your booking into your holiday with great prices on business class flights ready to add a touch of class to your trip.
Take the stress out of travelling with a host of wonderful perks on offer from priority check-in and premium lounge access to chauffeur service and fine in-flight dining, plus the supreme comfort of a fully-reclining seat.
Call us to see how much you could save on Business Class flights.
All customers can take advantage of exclusive premium rates we’ve negotiated for our portfolio of business clients. We’ll maintain your preferred airline loyalty programmes and you’ll have 24/7 support wherever you are in the world.
