How do we survive the flight?

Flying from the U.S. West Coast to Sydney takes about 15 hours; if you’re traveling from the East Coast, the trip could take 23 hours or longer with a layover in Los Angeles. If that’s where you connect, Tom Marchant of luxury travel agency Blackk Tomato recommends paying to use new first-class lounges of Qantas and Air New Zealand ($398 and $407, respectively, for an annual pass, if you don’t already have access with the airlines). Air NZ even “has an open-air terrace with panoramic views,” he says. Or spend a night in L.A. to break up the flight.ht. Mama Shelter (mamashelter.com/los-angeles/; from $169)) is the first stateside outpost of the hip European boutique hotel chain, and it screens films on its roof.