BudgetTravel

The Real Deal: Roundtrip airfare and 12 nights' lodging divided between Sydney, Melbourne and stops while on the road, plus a four-day rental car from $1,449 per person

Gateways: Los Angeles; additional gateways are available throughout the U.S. and Canada (divided into six zones). For example: Add $37 for departure cities in Washington, Oregon, Nevada and Vancouver (Zone 2); $337 for Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Washington, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia (Zone 6)

Details: Four nights in Sydney, four nights in Melbourne, four-day rental car and a four-night hotel pass for stops along the route. The $1,449 price is per person based on double occupancy and Mon.-Wed. departures. Add $35 per person if leaving on Thu.-Sun. Domestic and foreign government taxes of up to $178 per person are additional

Book By: No published deadline, but book early to ensure availability

The package includes four nights' standard accommodations at the Park Regis Hotel in central Sydney, within walking distance of Darling Harbour, Entertainment Centre, and other major attractions, and four nights at the Mercure Hotel in Melbourne, located in the heart of the city's business district, overlooking Treasury Gardens. (Add $50 per person if staying at the Mercure Hotel after Sept. 24, 2005.)

Upgrades are available from an additional $250 per person to superior-class accommodations at the Holiday Inn Darling Harbour in Sydney and Mercure Grand Swanston Hotel in Melbourne or from $380 per person to the deluxe Sydney Harbour Marriott and the Langham Hotel in Melbourne. (Add $160 per person if staying at the Sydney Harbour Marriott after Oct. 1, 2005.)

In comparison, roundtrip airfare alone is currently priced $1,002 (Qantas) to Sydney and at $966 (Air New Zealand) to Melbourne from Los Angeles in September.