THAT’S THE SPIRIT I
I returned just lately from Sydney flying Qantas. The queues had been extraordinarily lengthy and the machines to verify in my baggage had been both busy or out of order. My exhaustion should have been seen as a roving Qantas attendant provided to assist. On discovering my flight was delayed an hour and a half she phoned by means of to place me on an earlier flight and adjusted the seat so I might have easy accessibility. Her last help was to bypass the lengthy queue and take me straight to the X-ray machines. Many thanks from a grateful senior travelling alone.
Anne Kelso, Balwyn, VIC
THAT’S THE SPIRIT II
Here is one other optimistic Qantas story, following Jenny Abraham’s letter (Traveller Letters, June 4). I simply love our nationwide airline. I’m an anxious flyer and have needed to take a few flights just lately for work. I discussed to an attendant that I used to be fairly nervous (this was additionally throughout Sydney’s current climate ‘occasions’), and she or he was superb. She repeatedly checked in in the course of the (very brief) flight and provided me extra snack and drinks. If I may, I might by no means fly with anybody else (is there something higher than seeing the Flying Kangaroo image at a world airport?).
Jo Lees, Rockdale, NSW
LETTER OF THE WEEK
BLAST FROM THE PAST
Thanks for the fantastic story on the boot of Italy (Traveller, June 4) which introduced again recollections of my many travels on this area. It was on my final journey that I found the archaeological wonders of Herculaneum, town which was additionally destroyed together with Pompeii by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79AD. My buddy and our information had been the one guests the day we visited and had the run of those superb ruins. Please put Herculaneum in your bucket checklist in the event you plan to go to the boot of Italy. There’s much less vacationer visitors there and improbable picture alternatives will await you.
Christine Tiley, Albany Creek, QLD
DON’T QUEUE HERE
Your article, “The artwork of being Dutch” (Traveller, June 4) was totally correct and entertaining apart from one small element. Simply as there isn’t a German phrase for “fluffy” (thanks, Blackadder), there isn’t a Dutch phrase for “queue”. As Ben Coates, creator of the e-book Why the Dutch are Completely different, explains, in the event you resolve to reside or keep for an prolonged time within the Netherlands, you must study to push or be ready for disappointment. Our expertise confirms this, having lived in Maastricht for half a yr in 2019. One different trait of the Dutch is that they deem it their proper to take part in any non-public dialog that’s occuring close to them. They’ve an infinite curiosity about different peoples’ lives.
Rob Scott, Niddrie, VIC
NAMING RITES
Hans van den Tillaart (Traveller Letters, June 4) mentions a current journey again to Holland. With respect, I might wish to level out there isn’t a such nation as “Holland”. Besides from 1806 to 1815 when Napoleon imposed the title “Kingdom of Holland”, it has by no means been known as Holland. Its right title is the “Kingdom of Netherlands”. The Dutch authorities in 2019 additionally instructed Dutch producers and the tourism business to stop utilizing the phrase Holland of their promoting. The Dutch usually use Holland when talking in English however by no means when utilizing one other language. So, it is Netherlands (Nederland). Not Holland. And please, that features newspaper journalists.
Ross Allan, Castlemaine, VIC
OFF YER BIKE
Andrew Bain, in his story on biking holidays (Traveller, Might 28) should have discovered one other Southern Highland, NSW, in an almost-parallel universe to the one I inhabit. My Southern Highlands has few roads which are secure or pleasing for cyclists. Aside from the Illawarra Freeway, the same old Southern Highlands highway is slim, pot-holed or fully crumbled and with no rideable shoulder. Or it’s a heavily-trafficked highway between foremost centres. I do know of simply two off-road cycle/footpaths, every a couple of kilometres lengthy, however neither is especially rewarding to experience. Other than using within the Morton Nationwide Park and the Penrose State Forest, I confine my using to very quiet native roads round my hometown.
Robert Arthurson, Bundanoon, NSW
POWDER HOUND
When Denise Williamson (Traveller Letters, Might 28) subsequent travels, can I recommend that she considers taking along with her an Australian-made Scrubba Wash Bag. This “transportable washer” takes up little area and isn’t heavy. By packing much less and washing usually she ought to be capable to reduce down on the quantity of baggage she flies with. Liquid laundry detergent might be simply bought on the vacation spot, or, at a pinch, resort rest room physique wash can be utilized. The much less possessions you journey with, the extra handy and environmentally pleasant your journey might be.
Nick Bocock, Kiama, NSW
TOGETHER, FOREVER
Both Alan Gibson (Traveller Letters, June 4) doesn’t have a canine or he has one which may be very adaptable. Whereas there are good “pet resorts” round, they’re costly and never a lot of them – and plenty of canine endure from separation nervousness and would somewhat be with their homeowners, irrespective of how luxurious the choice.
Dave Torr, Werribee, VIC
SUCH A CARRY ON
Andrew Newman-Martin (Traveller Letters, June 4) clearly is a type of travellers who do not trouble studying the carry-on baggage necessities (weight, dimensions, variety of items) said by airways. He complains about individuals arriving with a number of items of baggage, taking on the overhead bins and concurrently unable to elevate them into the bins because of the weight. Critically? If these issues are so pervasive, complain to the aircrew and to the airline. Personally, I’ve all the time learn the necessities for carry-on baggage very fastidiously in order that I do not inconvenience every other passengers. The one time I’ll wrestle to put my often six kilo backpack into the overhead bin is when the bin may be very far above my head, as I am only one.55 metres tall. And in that case, it is most likely a form factor to supply to assist somebody in such a scenario.
Heather D’Cruz, Geelong West, VIC
READER TIP OF THE WEEK
PUPPY LOVE
John Sorrentino wrote of his problem discovering a motel in Bendigo (Traveller Letters, June 12) that may permit him to convey his chihuahua with him. I phoned the Oval Motel in Bendigo final yr to investigate if my toy poodle pet may stick with us, advising the canine was house-trained and well-behaved. Our pup was ready to stick with us and sleep in her journey crate. The following time I phoned Oval for a reserving I used to be politely requested if Mimi could be travelling with us. Oval is a really comfy and welcoming family-owned and run motel and we now have returned a number of occasions.
Karen Hawkey, Level Cook dinner, Vic
DOG ACT
A terrific cowl story by your author Paul Chai on travelling with pets (Traveller, June 12). One tip for travellers with pets is to contact the property instantly, even after looking for pet pleasant lodging. We now have been almost caught out on a number of events, with the worst offender being bookings.com. On a visit to Bendigo, Victoria, final yr not one of the 4 of the listed “canine pleasant” properties that got here up would settle for our chihuahua.
John Sorrentino, Alphington, VIC
DON’T BE SNIFFY
Please do not ignore non-public lodging suppliers like me who state “no pets” on their reserving websites and on their entrance doorways. In my case it isn’t as a result of I do not like animals however as a result of the truth that I am extremely allergic to them.
Clare Day, Heidelberg Heights, VIC
WAITING GAME
Be warned. I lodged my passport renewal type at present, June 2, and was knowledgeable by Australia Publish to not anticipate to obtain it for 10 weeks, repeat 10 weeks.
Colin Parks, Canberra, ACT
KISSING CUSSONS
In response to the letter about consolation objects we like to tackle our travels (Traveller Letters, June 4), each time we journey, whether or not home or internationally, I take a bar of Cussons Imperial Leather-based Cleaning soap in its plastic cleaning soap dish, then in a ziplock bag. Lodge loos present small bars of cleaning soap that are appreciated however are used up too shortly (and slightly fiddly to start with). The common measurement Cussons bar usually lasts the complete week’s keep, and might be introduced house. Its aroma is acquainted; the model all the time represented luxurious and even now, journey is a luxurious and to not be taken as a right.
Belinda Coombs, Ermington NSW
POINTLESS EXERCISE
I completely agree with Alan Thomas (Traveller Letters, June 4). I booked a Qantas enterprise rewards flight to Chicago by way of Hong Kong final October, flying with Cathay Pacific. I selected this obscure path to lastly get to Boston because the rewards routes by way of Los Angeles had no enterprise seats on supply. I used to be paying for the Chicago to Boston leg. A month in the past I obtained notification that the rewards leg to Hong Kong was modified to a day earlier. All superb with me. Then my reserving dropped off my frequent flyer account. Six very prolonged cellphone calls to Qantas, one in every of two-and-a-half hours, ensued to attempt to discover the lacking reserving. No luck till the seventh name once I was lastly instructed the issue: Cathay has pulled out of flights to Chicago. I used to be then provided one other Qantas rewards flight to Chicago however it was such an extended, circuitous route, with two in a single day stops that it made me drained fascinated about it. So I requested that the rewards flight be cancelled. No notification of this was obtained after two weeks so one other prolonged name to Qantas entailed with my factors lastly refunded. I’ve now booked my flight to Boston a method with Air Canada at a price of $8,000 after this large Qantas muck up.
Christina Westmore-Peyton, Kew East, VIC
GOOD MORNINGS
I’ve all the time beloved getting the leap begin on a brand new metropolis and watching it get up with a morning jog. Because of this, I’ve all the time made room for my pair of runners in my bag. Seeing the locals open up their cafes, orienting your self with a metropolis’s river over a dawn, seeing a day begin to bustle at a foremost station or finding the favored vacationer websites was a pleasure on a quiet, chilly Europe morning.
Josh Hammann, Wollongong, NSW
LIFE ON THE EDGE
In case your foremost goal in your travels is to discover the smaller outdated cities with complicated slim streets, select a series resort like Ibis on the periphery. Fundamental however nice, clear and simple to seek out. However watch out for leaving your automotive on the road and something of worth inside, as locks are shortly damaged.
Deirdre Baker, Thornbury, VIC
WIN A SET OF TRAVEL BOOKS
The Letter of the Week author wins Hardie Grant journey books price greater than $100. For June, that features Final Biking Journeys: Australia by Andrew Bain; On the Himalayan Path by Romy Gill; and Rewilding Youngsters Australia by Melissa Mylchreest.
See hardiegrant.com
The Tip of the Week author wins a set of three nice Lonely Planet journey books, together with Final Australia Journey Listing, The Journey E book and Armchair Explorer.
See store.lonelyplanet.com
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