It’s starting to get “real” that I’m actually going to be heading to Australia in about three weeks. Up until tonight it has just been something that I knew was coming, something in the future, but tonight I made my first hotel reservation while in Sydney, and now the trip seems real. I still don’t know where I’m going to visit except for Sydney for at least three days, after that it’s either north to Brisbane or south to Melbourne.  Brisbane is the best place to access The Great Barrier Reef, while Melbourne is the best city-scene. Brisbane’s a little further away but it may be worth it to do some snorkeling. I still have reservations about traveling during the holidays, but what can I do?