THAT’S THE SPIRIT I
I returned not too long ago from Sydney flying Qantas. The queues had been extraordinarily lengthy and the machines to test in my baggage had been both busy or out of order. My exhaustion should have been seen as a roving Qantas attendant supplied 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 adjusted 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
This 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 not too long ago for work. I discussed to an attendant that I used to be fairly nervous (this was additionally throughout Sydney’s latest climate ‘occasions’), and she or he was wonderful. She commonly checked in in the course of the (very brief) flight and supplied me further snack and drinks. If I may, I’d 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 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 buddy and our information had been the one guests the day we visited and had the run of those wonderful ruins. Please put Herculaneum in your bucket checklist for those who plan to go to the boot of Italy. There may be much less vacationer visitors there and incredible 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 any German phrase for “fluffy” (thanks, Blackadder), there isn’t any Dutch phrase for “queue”. As Ben Coates, writer of the e book Why the Dutch are Completely different, explains, for those who resolve to reside or keep for an prolonged time within the Netherlands, you must be taught 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’ve 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 might wish to level out there isn’t any such nation as “Holland”. Besides from 1806 to 1815 when Napoleon imposed the identify “Kingdom of Holland”, it has by no means been known as Holland. Its appropriate identify 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 typically 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, Could 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 can be secure or pleasant for cyclists. Apart from the Illawarra Freeway, the standard Southern Highlands highway is slim, pot-holed or utterly crumbled and with out a rideable shoulder. Or it’s a heavily-trafficked highway between major centres. I do know of simply two off-road cycle/footpaths, every a couple of kilometres lengthy, however neither is especially rewarding to experience. Aside from 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, Could 28) subsequent travels, can I counsel that she considers taking together 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 typically she ought to be capable of minimize down on the quantity of bags she flies with. Liquid laundry detergent could 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 could be very adaptable. Whereas there are good “pet motels” round, they’re costly and never a lot of them – and lots of canine endure from separation anxiousness and would fairly 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) acknowledged 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 because of the weight. Severely? 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 rigorously in order that I do not inconvenience every other passengers. The one time I could wrestle to position my often six kilo backpack into the overhead bin is when the bin could be very far above my head, as I am only 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 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 subsequent 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’ve returned a number of occasions.
Karen Hawkey, Level Cook dinner, Vic
DOG ACT
An ideal 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. Now we 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 personal 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 kind at present, June 2, and was knowledgeable by Australia Submit to not count on to obtain it for 10 weeks, repeat 10 weeks.
Colin Parks, Canberra, ACT
KISSING CUSSONS
In response to the letter about consolation gadgets we like to tackle our travels (Traveller Letters, June 4), at any time when 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. Resort bogs present small bars of cleaning soap that are appreciated however are used up too shortly (and a bit fiddly to start with). The common measurement Cussons bar typically lasts the whole week’s keep, and could be introduced house. 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 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 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 positive with me. Then my reserving dropped off my frequent flyer account. Six very prolonged cellphone calls to Qantas, certainly one of two-and-a-half hours, ensued to try to discover the lacking reserving. No luck till the seventh name after I was lastly informed the issue: Cathay has pulled out of flights to Chicago. I used to be then supplied one other Qantas rewards flight to Chicago nevertheless it was such an extended, circuitous route, with two in a single day stops that it made me drained fascinated by 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 method with Air Canada at a value of $8,000 after this large Qantas muck up.
Christina Westmore-Peyton, Kew East, VIC
GOOD MORNINGS
I’ve at all times cherished getting the bounce begin on a brand new metropolis and watching it get up with a morning jog. Because of this, 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 major 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 major purpose in your travels is to discover the smaller previous cities with complicated slim streets, select a sequence resort like Ibis on the periphery. Primary however nice, clear and simple to search out. However watch out for leaving your automobile 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 value 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 Ebook and Armchair Explorer.
HOW TO WRITE TO US
We give choice to letters of 100 phrases or fewer they usually could also be edited for area, authorized or different causes. Please use full sentences, do not use textspeak and do not embrace attachments. Electronic mail us at travellerletters@traveller.com.au and, importantly, embrace your identify, deal with and cellphone quantity.
