Hunger games

Nobody told me that Virgin Australia is now a budget airline. I recently travelled to Fiji with my family and was surprised you had to use your own devices for entertainment. It wasn’t really a problem as it worked well. However, what did become an issue was on the return flight, when they ran out of food to purchase around row 15, halfway down economy. There were kids, not to mention their parents, who had nothing to eat for the almost six-hour flight.
Michael Barr, Blairgowrie, Vic

Letter of the week: Mass appeal

On the topic of finding free and cheap things in otherwise expensive cities (Traveller, September 26), here are two things you can do for nothing in some expensive cities. In places where cathedrals or churches are a feature, there are often free recitals or concerts, either as part of a regular religious service, or as a special feature. I went to one in Zurich, Switzerland, and it was extraordinary. I also went to an evening mass in Florence’s Santa Maria del Fiore. The organ music was out of this world; no crowds, no queues, just worshippers. In some Swiss cities, you can get a free hotel guest card for free travel and other benefits in certain zones.
Margot Pope, Lewisham, NSW

Reviewer reviewed

TripAdvisor has finally lost me. After completing a half-day tour to the DMZ in South Korea, booked through the TripAdvisor app, I wrote a review of my experience. The tour had already received 700-odd reviews, almost all five-star, less than a paragraph in length. I wrote a six-paragraph review and gave the tour three stars. TripAdvisor, now beholden to the tour providers, placed a note next to my review: “This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards.″⁣ It effectively discounted my review because it was out of line. A sad situation given I’ve made over 700 contributions to TripAdvisor and proof, for me, that TripAdvisor is now more interested in protecting their cut from the tour companies than the opinions of the travelling public.
Michael Kerrisk, Middle Park, Vic

Cancel culture

My booking on QF126 Auckland to Brisbane on September 10 was cancelled at 8.30pm (technical reasons?) and I was transferred to QF120 early the next morning. At 10.30pm, another text advised that the QF120 booking had been cancelled, and I was being transferred to Jetstar JQ154, with a change from business class to economy. At the Jetstar check-in at Auckland Airport, I had to pay $98 for baggage, which was free in the original Qantas booking. I didn’t receive a food voucher for the flight and with no advance notice, could not bring my own entertainment. I’m now awaiting a response from Qantas, but I’m not holding my breath.
Murray Cullen, East Ballina, NSW

Donald ducked

Julietta Jameson’s Savvy Traveller piece on keeping quiet about political differences when with other travellers (Traveller, October 2), immediately reminded me of a bus tour in Italy where we discovered our group consisted of us – two Aussies – two Canadians and the rest from the US. At the first dinner together, the Canadian man stood up and announced to the group: “I will not discuss Trump or your politics. If I hear that name I will be leaving and that will include stopping the bus wherever it is to get off.” It worked.
Jenni Stapleton, Kiama, NSW

Enough stuff

Like Lee Tulloch (Traveller, September 30), I’m acutely aware of how much stuff we Australians accumulate as we travel our beautiful planet. On average, we purchase 56 items of clothing each year – the highest rate in the world – which is clearly unsustainable. It’s heartening to see initiatives like onelessthingco.com.au and donation programs gaining momentum in the travel sphere. But as Tulloch rightly points out, the real shift begins when we “think hard about buying items in the first place”. More often than not, the best souvenirs are pictures and stories, not stuff.
Amy Hiller, Kew, Vic

Life in the fast lane

I thought there was really nowhere in the world where being a middle-aged woman works these days, but customs at Sydney International Airport have renewed my faith. After two recent back-to-back trips, I was thrilled to be ushered on both occasions through a quick exit lane. I suppose they realise that the most any of us might be carrying would be a bottle of perfume and some trinket from our trip. I feel recognised in the best possible way and am so grateful for a wonderfully timely exit.
Alicia Wright, Pyrmont, NSW

Shedding light

Your correspondent’s chance finding in Oxfordshire recounting the shipwreck of the Cataraqui on King Island was a poignant story but not quite accurate (Traveller Letters, September 27). The first lighthouse in Australia was the Macquarie Lighthouse at South Head, Sydney, which was completed in 1818.
Kerry Bail, Beaconsfield Upper, Vic

Practitioner makes perfect

I received excellent care in Waterford, Ireland, recently following a fall in my hotel. Hotel staff called an ambulance and stayed with me until they arrived. Two wonderful paramedics checked me over in the hotel and then opted to transfer me to hospital for further assessment. There I was seen by a nurse practitioner (NP) and had an X-ray taken of my knee. Once the X-ray had been reviewed the NP printed off a copy of the report for me, and I was on my way. No one asked to see either my passport or Medicare card.
Anne McDonald, Malvern, Vic

Glove, Italian style

I concur with your Traveller correspondent (Traveller Letters, September 27) regarding the joys and insights which accompany a foreign supermarket experience. Today we were fairly severely upbraided in Bologna, Italy, for not wearing the compulsory plastic gloves when handling the fruit and vegetables. We took some time to understand what the problem could be, as we put one banana into one plastic bag with our bare hands.
Lorraine Hickey, Green Point, NSW

Tip of the week: Taiwan ease

Far from the madding crowds of Europe, Japan and Thailand (where, sadly, the overwhelmed locals are pushing back against the tourist hordes), the Taiwanese welcomed us warmly, graciously and respectfully. Our fabulous 14-day escorted private tour of Taiwan was organised by Edison Tours in Taipei. James, our expert driver (and two-minute pot noodle expert) and Danny, our multilingual guide (local foodie expert and our personal Taiwanese-Mandarin language teacher) showed us the wonderful cultural scenic and culinary wonders of Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, along with the breathtaking Sun Moon Lake and Alishan in the mountains. We will definitely return to a highly recommended Taiwan.
Tony Danino, Wheelers Hill, Vic

Oh, Porto

Your columnist, Michael “The Tripologist” Gebicki is a legend and a genius. Either that or his AI skills are superb and produce the perfect outcomes. Following his advice in your pages, we caught the 8.20am train from the beautiful Sao Bento Station in Porto, Portugal, and about four hours later arrived at the end of the line at Pocinho. The views are magical for almost all the journey. After an hour’s break for lunch, we went via the train to the village of Pinhao for more river views, wine tasting, shopping and a stretch of the legs and then later returned to Porto in time for dinner in the heart of the old town. A fantastic day and as a bonus, we no longer have to do the expensive river cruise. We owe Mike a port or two.
Greg and Jan Woods, Sanctuary Point, NSW

Editor’s note: We agree on Michael’s legendary status! For readers wishing to reach out with a travel question for Michael, you can email him on tripologist@traveller.com.au

Taxis cancelled

I can’t remember the last time I took a taxi from an airport into a European city. Research the terminal and by the time you buy a ticket and get on the train that is bound for the city, you could still be waiting for a car. At the other end, you can often walk to your accommodation or take connecting public transport. If need be, get a city taxi for that short trip as they are generally hassle-free, or use Uber. Vienna is 20 minutes on the train, the Heathrow Express is 15 minutes to Paddington Station, Paris to Gare du Nord on RER B is 35. To get around in a city, we buy a transport ticket for the number of days we are there to avoid trying to work out payment systems and use buses and trams to see the city as we go. Use local transport apps to plan your trips or just jump on a bus or tram heading in the right direction and get off if it turns the wrong way. It’s lots of fun and you can observe the locals in situ.
Heather Barker, Albert Park, Vic

Hay fever

We have just enjoyed a fabulous week hiking in Slovenia’s Julian Alps near Lake Bled and Lake Bohinj. We stayed in the quaint village of Stara Fuzina, a perfect vantage point to access many of these hikes and away from the tourist hub of Lake Bled. Nearby is the village of Studor v Bohinj with its traditional double-storey hayracks. Also highly recommended is the Mount Vogel cable car to access the high alpine and Mount Vogel peak. The Triglav Lakes Valley hike, which passes seven spectacular alpine lakes, was a highlight. But don’t be fooled by the reference to “lake” in its title because it includes an ascent of 1100 metres. There are many other shorter, less strenuous hikes and activities such as the Mostnica Gorge and swimming in Lake Bohinj.
Jenni Davidson, Balmain, NSW

Bench press

Hear, hear, to Ben Groundwater’s excellent list of hotel essentials (Traveller, September 10). I’d like to add sufficient bench space in the bathroom so that toiletry bags don’t have to go on the floor. And, regarding luggage, in a double room, please assume there’ll be two suitcases needing to be accessed which means one bench or a folding stand isn’t enough.
Fran Kirby, Castle Hill, NSW

Pillow blight

Ben Groundwater’s list of what hotels should fix has omitted what I regard as essentials. Every hotel and B&B should have bright reading lights on both sides of the bed. And no decent accommodation is worth its name unless it has a luggage stand. I really don’t want to rummage around on the ground to find an errant item. Next, we need USB-C charging ports. And let’s get rid of the pillow/cushion breeding problem. Where do they all go when you just want to get into bed? And what are they actually for?
Judy Hungerford, Kew, 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