THAT’S THE SPIRIT I
I returned lately from Sydney flying Qantas. The queues have been extraordinarily lengthy and the machines to verify in my baggage have 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 way of to place me on an earlier flight and altered the seat so I’d have quick access. Her ultimate 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’s 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 lately for work. I discussed to an attendant that I used to be fairly nervous (this was additionally throughout Sydney’s latest climate ‘occasions’), and he or she was superb. She repeatedly checked in throughout the (very quick) flight and provided me further snack and drinks. If I might, I’d by no means fly with anybody else (is there something higher than seeing the Flying Kangaroo image at a global airport?).
Jo Lees, Rockdale, NSW
LETTER OF THE WEEK
BLAST FROM THE PAST
Thank you for the great story on the boot of Italy (Traveller, June 4) which introduced again reminiscences 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 good friend and our information have been the one guests the day we visited and had the run of those superb ruins. Please put Herculaneum in your bucket checklist should you plan to go to the boot of Italy. There is much less vacationer site visitors there and improbable photograph alternatives will await you.
Christine Tiley, Albany Creek, QLD
DON’T QUEUE HERE
Your article, “The art of being Dutch” (Traveller, June 4) was totally correct and entertaining aside from one small element. Just as there isn’t any German phrase for “fluffy” (thanks, Blackadder), there isn’t any Dutch phrase for “queue”. As Ben Coates, creator of the e book Why the Dutch are Different, explains, should you determine 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 personal dialog that’s occuring close to them. They have an infinite curiosity about different peoples’ lives.
Rob Scott, Niddrie, VIC
NAMING RITES
Hans van den Tillaart (Traveller Letters, June 4) mentions a latest journey again to Holland. With respect, I’d wish to level out there isn’t any such nation as “Holland”. Except from 1806 to 1815 when Napoleon imposed the title “Kingdom of Holland”, it has by no means been known as Holland. Its appropriate title is the “Kingdom of Netherlands”. The Dutch authorities in 2019 additionally instructed Dutch producers and the tourism trade 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, May 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 might be secure or fulfilling for cyclists. Except for the Illawarra Highway, the standard Southern Highlands street is slim, pot-holed or utterly crumbled and with no rideable shoulder. Or it’s a heavily-trafficked street between predominant centres. I do know of simply two off-road cycle/footpaths, every a number of kilometres lengthy, however neither is especially rewarding to journey. Apart from using within the Morton National 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, May 28) subsequent travels, can I counsel that she considers taking along with her an Australian-made Scrubba Wash Bag. This “portable washing machine” takes up little area and isn’t heavy. By packing much less and washing usually she ought to be capable to minimize down on the quantity of bags she flies with. Liquid laundry detergent may 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 will likely be.
Nick Bocock, Kiama, NSW
TOGETHER, FOREVER
Either Alan Gibson (Traveller Letters, June 4) doesn’t have a canine or he has one which could be very adaptable. While there are good “pet hotels” round, they’re costly and never lots of them – and lots of canines endure from separation anxiousness and would moderately be with their house owners, regardless 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 folks arriving with a number of items of bags, taking on the overhead bins and concurrently unable to raise them into the bins as a result of weight. Seriously? If these issues are so pervasive, complain to the aircrew and to the airline. Personally, I’ve at all times learn the necessities for carry-on baggage very fastidiously in order that I do not inconvenience every other passengers. The solely time I could battle to position my normally six kilo backpack into the overhead bin is when the bin could be very far above my head, as I’m just one.55 metres tall. And in that case, it is most likely a sort factor to supply to assist somebody in such a state of affairs.
Heather D’Cruz, Geelong West, VIC
READER TIP OF THE WEEK
PUPPY LOVE
John Sorrentino wrote of his issue discovering a motel in Bendigo (Traveller Letters, June 12) that may enable him to carry his chihuahua with him. I phoned the Oval Motel in Bendigo final yr to investigate if my toy poodle pet might stick with us, advising the canine was house-trained and well-behaved. Our pup was in a position to stick with us and sleep in her journey crate. The subsequent time I phoned Oval for a reserving I used to be politely requested if Mimi can be travelling with us. Oval is a really comfy and welcoming family-owned and run motel and we now have returned a number of instances.
Karen Hawkey, Point Cook, Vic
DOG ACT
An awesome 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 straight, even after trying to find pet pleasant lodging. We have been practically 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 “dog friendly” properties that got here up would settle for our chihuahua.
John Sorrentino, Alphington, VIC
DON’T BE SNIFFY
Please do not ignore personal lodging suppliers like me who state “no pets” on their reserving websites and on their entrance doorways. In my case it is not as a result of I do not like animals however attributable to the truth that I’m extremely allergic to them.
Clare Day, Heidelberg Heights, VIC
WAITING GAME
Be warned. I lodged my passport renewal type at this time, June 2, and was knowledgeable by Australia Post 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 Soap in its plastic cleaning soap dish, then in a ziplock bag. Hotel loos present small bars of cleaning soap that are appreciated however are used up too rapidly (and a little bit fiddly to start with). The common dimension Cussons bar usually lasts all the week’s keep, and may be introduced dwelling. Its aroma is acquainted; the model at all times 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 through Hong Kong final October, flying with Cathay Pacific. I selected this obscure path to lastly get to Boston because the rewards routes through Los Angeles had no enterprise seats on provide. I used to be paying for the Chicago to Boston leg. A month in the past I acquired notification that the rewards leg to Hong Kong was modified to a day earlier. All tremendous with me. Then my reserving dropped off my frequent flyer account. Six very prolonged telephone calls to Qantas, considered one of two-and-a-half hours, ensued to try to discover the lacking reserving. No luck till the seventh name once I was lastly advised 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 a protracted, circuitous route, with two in a single day stops that it made me drained eager about it. So I requested that the rewards flight be cancelled. No notification of this was acquired 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 technique 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 at all times liked getting the leap begin on a brand new metropolis and watching it get up with a morning jog. As a outcome, I’ve at all times 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 predominant station or finding the favored vacationer websites was a pleasure on a quiet, chilly Europe morning.
Josh Hammann, Wollongong, NSW
LIFE ON THE EDGE
If your predominant goal in your travels is to discover the smaller outdated cities with complicated slim streets, select a series resort like Ibis on the periphery. Basic however nice, clear and simple to seek out. But watch out for leaving your automobile on the road and something of worth inside, as locks are rapidly damaged.
Deirdre Baker, Thornbury, VIC
WIN A SET OF TRAVEL BOOKS
The Letter of the Week author wins Hardie Grant journey books value greater than $100. For June, that features Ultimate Cycling Trips: Australia by Andrew Bain; On the Himalayan Trail by Romy Gill; and Rewilding Kids 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 Ultimate Australia Travel List, The Travel Book and Armchair Explorer.
See store.lonelyplanet.com
HOW TO WRITE TO US
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Source: traveller.com.au