Traveller Letters: Beware this trap – don’t trust your boarding pass

1 week ago 17

Each week Traveller publishes a enactment of rants, raves and question tips from our readers. See beneath connected however you tin contribute.

Hell’s gate

Madrid’s Cibeles Fountain … a metropolis not to beryllium missed.

Beautiful Madrid astir stayed a imagination erstwhile the printed boarding walk of our connecting formation from Munich showed some the incorrect gross and formation number. Despite the lone listed Madrid formation departing from a acold country of the airport, we kept religion with our printed summons and persisted with program A. A atrocious call, forcing america into a madcap dash crossed 17 terminals and a linking bid to get arsenic the plane’s doorway was acceptable to close.

Maybe it was the piteous show earlier them but the Lufthansa check-in unit and formation unit were each smiles and kindness. The moral: immoderate you deliberation is true, erstwhile world quacks similar a duck, chances are it is one.
Peter Farmer, Northbridge, NSW

Cancel culture

After a large week successful Western Australia we woke to a substance connection from Virgin Airlines saying our formation to Sydney that greeting had been cancelled. The alternate offered by Virgin was a 4.45pm formation from Perth to Brisbane, six hours astatine the airdrome past an aboriginal formation the adjacent greeting to Sydney. I had an urgent dental assignment astatine home, truthful this wasn’t going to work.

We had to publication a Qantas formation for $1597 each. Virgin refunded $335 each, the outgo of the archetypal ticket. Out of pouch for $1242 each and this is not covered by our question security oregon our credit-card insurance. We truly are pawns to the hose industry.
Julie Hume, Kiama, NSW

Letter of the week: Memorial to remember

Australian subject cemetery astatine Villers Bretonneux.

In the lead-up to Anzac Day, I thought it was due (after a caller sojourn to France) to item the warfare memorial astatine Villers-Bretonneux. The memorial is immaculately kept and is simply a recognition to not lone the French authorities but besides to the Australian War Graves Commission who oversee the attraction of this unthinkable reminder of the horrors of World War I. It is simply a genuinely moving acquisition to sojourn and wage respects to the fallen, lone softened by the information their representation is preserved successful specified a respectful manner.
Russell Robinson, Bangkok, Thailand

Instant relief

I accidental scholar Brendan Jones (Traveller Letters, April 6), who astir choked connected the proposal to battalion a prescribed antibiotic, has ne'er suffered a urinary tract corruption portion travelling? In a pre-trip oversight, I failed to capable the medicine supplied by my doc and recovered myself connected a rhythm circuit successful Europe with that nonstop issue. After trying respective unhelpful pharmacist remedies I had to navigate the German aesculapian strategy to get the antibiotics I should person taken from home. I had astir instant relief. I could person avoided 3 weeks of discomfort had I packed those antibiotics.
Margie Joyce, Richmond, Vic

Bogan begone

I was disappointed by the remark by Anthony Dennis (Traveller, April 6) successful his “From the editors” enactment that the Brisbane 2032 Olympics risked becoming the “Bogan Games”. In Australia we already person capable civilization wars without the usage of the connection “bogan”. It was peculiarly galling erstwhile further speechmaking “Affronted by waterfront” (Traveller Letters, April 6) successful which the scholar states helium was “confronted by galore stateless radical sleeping rough” connected the Auckland waterfront.

In Australia successful our “modern first-world” cities, arsenic good arsenic successful agrarian and distant areas, we are perpetually confronted by those who bash not person a spot to telephone home, arsenic we look increasing inequity. Perhaps the overspending connected one-off events similar the Olympics, would spot our taxes amended spent by upgrading our already precise galore sporting facilities, and thereby having wealth near implicit for much affordable and societal housing.
Robyn Kilpatrick, Wonga Park, Vic

Missing link

We made the astir of our clip successful the Harbour City with our instrumentality travel to Melbourne to person been aboard NSW Trainlink’s XPT leaving Sydney astatine 7.40am and arriving successful Melbourne astatine 6.30pm. The rainfall gods did not spot it that way, but we were delighted to spot the bid was inactive scheduled to depart astatine 7.40am. Then the announcement, owed to flooding adjacent Picton, that the bid would beryllium delayed and we yet near 1 hr late. Twenty minutes aboriginal the operator told america determination was a histrion crossed the way and it was being removed and past aboriginal different tree, different delay. At Wagga Wagga our operator yet announced we were 3 hours precocious and the bid would decorativeness astatine Albury wherever we would implicit our travel connected coaches.

Arriving successful Albury, erstwhile we should person been going done Melbourne’s outer suburbs, we boarded a manager for the four-hour trip. As I sat adjacent the driver, I noticed the autobus had 984,000 kilometres connected its speedometer and, portion the motor was fine, the suspension had seen amended days, making for an uncomfortable journey. I don’t judge NSW Trainlink truly interest astir the Victorian information of the trip.
Allen Perry, McKinnon, Vic

Tip of the week: Unmatched Machu

The presumption I’m thrilled to retrieve (Traveller, April 7) was not conscionable due to the fact that it was spectacular and the representation I’d seen countless times before, but for the life-changing acquisition of getting there. Four days, 3 fantastic nights hiking Peru’s Inca Trail, culminating with a 3am commencement to get aboriginal astatine the Sun Gate and for fortunate hikers similar us, our archetypal mystical presumption overlooking Machu Picchu earlier the day-trippers arrived.

That’s 43 kilometres of mind-blowing scenery, conquering 3 Andean passes, trudging thousands of steps linking past ruins, enjoying meditative moments resting our bodies among the clouds, each the portion being cared for (and swiftly overtaken each day) by our superhuman porters.
Roxanne Le Blanc, Croydon, Vic

No grain, nary gain

I americium speechmaking Michael Gebicki’s “Ask the Tripologist” file reply to the question astir travelling successful South Australia (Traveller, April 19) portion sitting enjoying the magnificent scenery astatine Ikara Wilpena Pound. To Michael’s advice, I would adhd a sojourn to the intelligibly underrated Yorke Peninsula, if you privation to question on the Silo Art Trail with its large walks and large pub nutrient arsenic good arsenic historical walks and beauteous buildings.
Glenice Brant, Eltham, Vic

Honk for Honkers

Tom McGinness’ conscience (Traveller Letters, April 6) won’t let him to question to Hong Kong owed to China’s brutal crackdown connected dissent there. Such an cognition lone serves to punish the mediocre Hong Kong residents and businesses that trust truthful heavy connected tourism. I volition proceed to sojourn and walk my wealth determination to enactment the beauteous Hong Kongers.
Michael Wloszczak, Parkdale, Vic

Let’s get this Strait

There is different mode to research the Greek islands (Traveller, April 5) speech from cruise ships. Public ferries tally from the large ports and each islands are served. Some are accelerated ferries; astir are roll-on, roll-off. On a emblematic travel a vessel volition service respective islands, backing onto a wharf apron, offloading cars and passengers, loading a caller batch and past departing. Some of our discarded Bass Strait ferries became Greek ones (I’ve done a enactment of routes).
Roderick Smith, Surrey Hills, Vic

All that jazz

Bar Country is an oasis distant from the frenetic vigor of Osaka, Japan’s neon-lit, Dotonbori nightlife precinct. Established successful 1952, determination are lone 13 barroom stools, which redefines the conception of a tiny bar. Soft jazz drew america successful and the second-generation owner, Ryoichi Uneda, warmly welcomed our enactment of six, arsenic we shook disconnected the evening’s rainfall and settled in. Dressed successful his ceremonial attire, with achromatic bow necktie and achromatic vest lined with commemorative pins, this engaging man gave america his afloat attention. The 2000 varieties of whisky were stacked ceiling high, precariously balanced connected chairs and dispersed crossed the level area. Don’t interest if you’re not a whisky drinker, though, galore cocktails are disposable including a mean G&T.
Sally Spurr, Lane Cove, NSW

Black star

My woman and I flew concern people with Jetstar to Bali (Traveller Letters, April 13) and besides person praise for the formation experience. However, we are present astatine time 5 without 1 of our bags containing indispensable medications and different indispensable items and, though we ringing the Bali Jetstar mislaid baggage fig daily, they support telling america that the container is inactive “being traced”. They bash not person the nonrecreational courtesy to respond to emails and bash not supply immoderate proposal unless we interaction them ourselves.

The archetypal of the 2 bags arrived 2 days aft our accomplishment and it present appears that my wife’s container volition find its mode to the baggage equivalent of limbo and beryllium cursed to walk eternity connected the large hereafter carousel. We’ve present incurred important costs for covering and different essentials which can’t beryllium claimed against Jetstar until the expiry of 21 days and lone with the proviso of receipts for each items.
Paul Barnes, Wollongong, NSW

Bounding back

We were delighted to spot truthful overmuch regrowth successful the Flinders Chase National Park, aft the devastating fires 4 years agone connected South Australia’s Kangaroo Island. Now determination is an abundant koala and vertebrate colonisation and galore rebuilt walking tracks. The immense caller visitant and accusation centre is conscionable astir to unfastened and determination are galore stunning achromatic sandy beaches and delicious wineries to visit. Well worthy a week’s holiday.
Jane Matthews, Blackburn South, Vic

The Letter of the Week writer wins 3 Hardie Grant question books. See hardiegrant.com

The Tip of the Week writer wins a acceptable of 3 Lonely Planet question books. See shop.lonelyplanet.com

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