Traveller Letters: I’ve booked with Jetstar twice. I’ve still never flown them

Never again

I’ve never flown with Jetstar despite booking with the airline twice for convenience and price (Traveller Letters, June 15). Both times my flight was cancelled hours before departure time, leaving me to scramble to find a seat to get home. To have one flight cancelled by an airline, leaving you stranded, is regrettable, two is a vow never to attempt to fly Jetstar again.
Christine Tiley, Albany Creek, Qld

Two readers are unhappy with Jetstar this week.Credit: Paul Rovere

Flying pretzel

We have just returned on Jetstar business class from Bangkok to Melbourne and the reality of our negative experience parallelled that of Susan Funder (Traveller Letters, June 15). There is no lounge access unless you pay more to upgrade your already business class ticket. We had a 3.5 hour delayed departure. When asked about wine options the stewardess’ reply was a shrug followed by “it’s whatever we have today”. Between the two of us, our entertainment systems needed five reboots; my husband gave up and mine failed again an hour before landing. Dinner was ordinary, verging on poor, and I didn’t eat it and, until I asked, there was no breakfast service. My seat eventually reclined but only with the steward using brute force on the seat back.

The rows are so close that my husband, after the seat in front was reclined, had to call the cabin crew to help manoeuvre his tray table into a position so it could be stowed while I had to turn myself into a pretzel to get out of my seat. The Jetstar service is spruiked as business class, but it’s far from the real deal.
Claire Jones, Canterbury, Vic

Letter of the week: Keen on caffeine

Coffee is too important to be left to chance.Credit: iStock

Like Julietta Jameson, I too drink espresso (Traveller, June 19), and am also a bit of a coffee snob. Travelling can be difficult for us espresso-holics, and there is no milk to hide a bad shot behind. I have employed many tactics when travelling to ensure an uninterrupted supply, including researching espresso bars and basing my accommodation decisions around them. When recently in France – where the coffee is universally terrible although improving marginally – I travelled with my own espresso maker, plus titanium travel plunger just to be on the safe side. I take top-shelf ground coffee with me from Australia and top it up at specialty roasters along the way. I have found great espressos in Japan, but you do need to seek them out. Coffee is too important to be left to chance. That can be left to other things like wine and cheese.
Jacquie Riddell, Maroubra, NSW

Fur from a joke

I am a regular reader of Lee Tulloch’s witty takes on travel, however I was disappointed in her use of the word “appease” (Traveller, May 28) in relation to those who have serious phobias or allergies when it comes to dogs. While I am neither allergic to, nor afraid of dogs in particular, my partner suffers from asthma which can be brought on by exposure not only directly to the dog itself but to their dropped dander. I have also seen the effects of a fear of dogs with people I know – they have to leave if a dog is nearby and there is no other option; it is not something they can “get over”. I would ask Lee to imagine if my partner had been in the same plane to Paris as your friend’s dog for several hours. Or even if he sat in the seat the next day. At least he was able to get out of the car or leave the place. Not so on a plane.
Ruth McDermott, Randwick, NSW

Kindness of strangers

A few weeks ago, our group landed at Narita airport. There we were told, incorrectly, that there was no shuttle bus into Tokyo, and we would have to take the train. While having to stand in a packed train, a young local girl overheard us, and realised we were given the wrong train details. She then assisted us in changing trains. Out of her way, she then escorted us all the way to our hotel, entailing a long walk in the rain. We later discovered there is a shuttle bus service and direct trains. All of us were over 70, exhausted, and struggled with our bags. Our good samaritan was a godsend.
Tim Turner, St Kilda West, Vic

Cruising for a bruising

Lerwick in Scotland’s Shetland Islands was peaceful when we arrived there recently, until two large cruise ships arrived to flood this small town, with a usual population of 6700. The small main street was inundated and the local museums overwhelmed, especially by ships with 5000 or more passengers. This is a perfect example of the way the bow wave of modern cruising can sink idyllic destinations like the Shetlands, which we always wanted to visit.
Tony Danino, Wheelers Hill, Vic

Mauritius turns malicious

Crime is on the rise in Port Louis, according to one reader.Credit: iStock

Mauritius has certainly changed as a destination in the five years since we last visited. Now in the popular coastal village of Grand Baie there are people asking for money on every street corner with locals warning about going out alone in the evenings. In the capital, Port Louis, I was the victim of a pickpocket, despite having taken precautions. Why is this occurring? What is the Mauritian government doing to curb this crime wave? Will it go down the same route as some other formerly popular holiday destinations, which, having accepted or ignored crime have killed off tourism?
John Hart, Bright, Vic

Diplomatic incident

During check in at Vietnam Airlines desk in Sydney, my wife was stopped and told that her visa was out of order and that she couldn’t travel. It was pointed out that a date had been entered incorrectly by the Vietnamese embassy. We were then advised to go to the nearby Flight Centre office and apply for an emergency visa. This we did, only to find that because it was a public holiday in Vietnam the normal charge was increased to $595. Even more surprising while we were at Flight Centre more people arrived with the same issue. We were then told there had been about 12 people previously with visa concerns. On a brighter note, we claimed the amount on our travel insurance and were reimbursed less the excess. Before you travel, check your Vietnam visa.
Chris Taylor, Ashfield, NSW

Tip of the week: Go while the going’s good

Albania’s capital Tirana.Credit: iStock

We have just returned from a nine-day visit to Albania and I will predict this will be the next tourist destination sensation. There is so much on offer in Albania. We followed the tourist path and only saw three “cities” – Tirana, the capital, Berat and Gjyrokaster. All were delightful in their own unique way. Picturesque and historic Berat and Gjyrokaster are UNESCO-listed towns set in the mountains, Tirana is a buzzing, albeit quaint, city. The people are friendly, generous and honest. Visit now before the crowds discover this wonderful gem.
Ruth Pojer, Double Bay, NSW

One size doesn’t fit all

Judi Rosevear (who spent a month travelling with carry-on only, Traveller Letters, June 15), more info please. My second pair of size 14 shoes leave little room for anything else in carry-on luggage.
Peter Thomson, Brunswick, Vic

Golden days

Castlemaine in the gold rush belt of Victoria punches above its weight. We recently visited for its 10th Documentary Film Festival, but there’s always something on at the Theatre Royal. Stay at the Midland Hotel, a lovingly decorated art deco hotel that has a The Shining vibe. Eat at Bar Midland, a well-priced fine dining venue, and at Wild for relaxed fine dining (save room for the ricotta doughnuts). Also visit the Old Mill for its great cafes and German sausages and shopping and the many op shops in town (I nabbed myself a pair of Tod’s loafers for $20).
Georgie Foster, Thornbury, Vic

Counter points

In response to Brian Johnston’s story about travel annoyances (Traveller, June 7), I would argue that renting a car and checking into a hotel are equally painful. I regularly rent a car from the same company, and stay at the same hotel in Brisbane, and yet I still have to stand at the counter for more than 15 minutes while they enter my details all over again. What takes so long to find car keys and issue a hotel key?
Jo Lees, Rockdale, NSW
EDITOR’S NOTE Thanks to our reader for this contribution as well as the selection below in what’s been a spirited response to our recent annoyances story from earlier this month. More next week, space willing.

Bain of my existence

I nominate the classic hotel breakfast buffet as a travel fail. I’m sure there’s some designer employed by hotels whose sole job is to maximise the time you spend walking around trying to find what you want. Bread, let’s put it as far away from the toaster as possible. Then put the butter at the other end of the room with the yoghurt because they go together so well. Then put the eggs in a corner so people leaving have to jostle with those still queuing. Did I mention the world record for how long scrambled eggs can be left in a bain-marie? And don’t get me started on those automatic coffee machines.
Greg Barrie, Peregian Beach, Qld

Hanging offence

Although we always travel light, there are never enough coat hangers in the wardrobe of the hotel rooms we stay in.
Judith Campbell, Drummoyne, NSW

Rack and ruin

My two pet gripes in hotels and Airbnb-type lodgings are first, having nowhere to put your luggage (hint, a raised luggage rack should always be provided for two at a height you can access, namely not the floor). My second gripe is the common not-having-a-good-bright-reading-light anywhere, and that includes a good bedside reading light and one or two in the main room.
Judy Hungerford, Kew, Vic

Write stuff

Why, oh why, do the manufacturers of the toiletries in hotel bathrooms make the lettering on the bottles so small that even a microscope would be hard pushed to decipher what is written on them?Jerry Bell, Malvern East, Vic

Let there be lights

Unfortunately it is far too common for reading lights by or above beds to be dim, making reading impossible without a torch. A light behind the bed with a dimmer should be mandatory.
Charlotte Brewer, Shepparton, Vic

The Letter of the Week writer wins three Hardie Grant travel books. See hardiegrant.com

The Tip of the Week writer wins a set of three Lonely Planet travel books. See shop.lonelyplanet.com