I had to re-route my flights after US denied my ESTA with no explanation

Letter of the week: My oh Miami

Miami at night – the US is seemingly building barriers to tourism.Credit: Getty Images

I will be 83 soon and in late February I booked two back-to-back trips to South and Central America in October for what will probably be my final major trip. Qantas and American Airlines were reserved with one night in Miami, Florida, each way. My initial application for an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation) was denied without a reason. I then applied for a consular interview, with the first available being late January 2026 (four months after my proposed travel). I was then advised to apply through US GovAssist (a US commercial entity to support applications via the Visa Waiver Program).

After 106 emails, two phone calls to the US Consulate in Sydney and two from US GovAssist, I’ve finally been notified that my request for expedited approval under the Visa Waiver program has been denied, again with no reason given.

I’ve now booked flights, at a cost of more than $15,000, through Santiago, Chile and Lima, Peru. My travel insurance was a whopping $4000, which will help with the non-refunded portion of the Qantas flights though apparently American Airlines will not refund or allow cancellation for their sectors. Ultimately, it’s a relief not to be transferring through the US as I will be avoiding any further complications as experienced by many recent travellers there.
Jennifer Dewar, Double Bay NSW

Taken for a ride

On the subject of taxi scams (Traveller Letters, April 19), here are two quick ones to stay alert to. Sydney Airport to Sutherland: taxi arrives at my driveway and the meter goes from $86 to $145. I ask the driver to explain and he says that I have to pay all the tolls for him to return to the airport and an extra service fee for the early morning. My offer to call the police rejected, I pay $90. Tullamarine to Melbourne CBD: taxi meter running but on the night rate at 1pm on a Wednesday. I query the driver who says there is nothing he can do about it. He offers to reduce the meter fare by $5. I offer to call police. He accepts my suggested normal fare but complains that he has a family to feed. Not exactly proud to be an Australian.
Brian Jackson, Alfords Point, NSW

Hard to swallow

Richard Griffiths has a point about travel scams close to home, (Traveller Letters, April 19). I was shocked recently to see the price of a bottle of Gatorade at a Sydney International Airport outlet was $7.99, much greater than the price you could find it for in Coles or Woolworths. Yes, everyone knows everything is outrageously expensive at airports, but that merely begs the question as to why, apart from the fact that vendors have a captive market. It really is shameless extortion.
Ross Duncan, Potts Point, NSW

Clause and effect

I loved Rob McFarland’s story on Swedish Lapland (Traveller, April 26). It reminded me of when we took our daughter to Finnish Lapland to see Santa. It’s highly recommended for anyone who can afford it and has young children. We also stayed in Lulea, a magnificent small town, that would definitely be worth checking out in summer, for their forest walks alone.
David Jeffery, East Geelong, Vic

System failure

My partner and I have booked flights to Europe for September 2025. We booked with Finnair, but as Finnair doesn’t fly to Australia, we are going on a Cathay Pacific flight from Sydney to Hong Kong and then getting the Finnair flight to Helsinki. We have paid for seat selection on the Finnair leg, but cannot select a seat on the Cathay Pacific flight. After contacting Cathay directly, we were told that we can’t access the system because it’s a codeshare flight. This is quite common, according to our travel agent. It’s frustrating because we will have to wait until check in to be assigned a seat, and we may not be seated together. We are willing to pay extra for our choice of seat, but the system won’t let us.
Christine Bentley, Goulburn, NSW

Borobudur adored

A Buddha statue at Borobudur.Credit: iStock

Borobudur, Indonesia, didn’t feature in your cover story on must-visit sacred sites from around the world (Traveller, April 19). I have been there but sadly without a guide who could explain its bas-reliefs which Buddhist pilgrims walk past. It is deservedly a World Heritage Site in Java.
Ainslie Morris, South Durras, NSW

Please fasten your seat

I smiled after reading the airline review on China Airlines (Traveller, April 26). My first flight in China was in 1994, from Beijing to Xian. The plane was an old Russian aircraft. I sat by the window in a row of two and the seat actually tipped up, as the end was not bolted to the floor.
Judy Nicholas, Kamba, ACT

Paradise found

I highly recommend visiting Raja Ampat, a series of Indonesian islands close to those mentioned in Brian Johnston’s recent article, “Island time” (Traveller, April 17). You can fly to Sorong via Bali or Jakarta then take a ferry and/or private boat to home-stays or eco-resorts on islands within the archipelago. Snorkelling is fantastic, especially on the “house reef” a few metres off the beaches at most accommodation.

Boat trips for snorkellers, as well as for divers, are available to other locations including the Fam Islands where the colours are stunning and exactly as pictured on promotional material for the region. We were delighted with our eight-day stay at Biodiversity Resort on Waiego Island where the friendly local villagers make up the majority of employees for up to 30 guests. Meals are convivial at group tables where one can share lots of “did you see…?” stories with other guests, mainly from Europe and the Americas.
Gwen Higgins, Rozelle, NSW

Going public

In response to the question posed by Shaney Hudson (Traveller, May 3), based on my own Swiss rail adventures last year, I’m unequivocally on the side of taking regular public trains in Switzerland. This enables an infinitely more flexible itinerary as regular trains, unlike the tourist-orientated variety, are frequent and don’t require advance bookings. They’re also cost-effective (all are included with the excellent value Swiss Travel Pass), and crucially for traversing such stunning landscapes, the windows open wide for that perfect photo without those annoying reflections.
Kin-Yat Lo, Croydon, NSW

Stinging advice

Traveller’s story on Central America which featured Belize (Traveller, April 11) makes no mention of the dangers of mosquito-borne viruses there. Mosquitoes carrying the Zika virus and Chikungunya virus are active during the day as well as night. They can cause joint pain and flu-like symptoms, but eventually victims get better. However, if people are unlucky enough to be bitten by a “kissing” bug they may get Chagas disease. This initially also causes flu-like symptoms which go away after a few weeks. However, if left untreated, the results can be catastrophic as major organs become affected. It’s much easier to wear long sleeves and keep applying tropical strength repellent. Watch out for the water too. Despite taking great care, I was unlucky enough to pick up a water-borne bacterial parasite, Blastocystis hominis. This parasite is present in almost 95 per cent of the population but usually doesn’t affect them. It took three lots of compounded antibiotics over almost two years for me to get rid of it.
Judith Rostron, Killarney Heights, NSW

A cape too far

Brian Johnston (Traveller, May 5) looks to have stopped a little short of his intended target, Cape York. I am sure many of your readers recognised the photograph as a shot of the Barrenjoey Lighthouse at North Palm Beach rather than the “lighthouseless” Cape York. Only 3430 kilometres short as the crow flies.
Graham Willis, Wollstonecraft, NSW
Editor’s note: Thanks to the readers who pointed out this production error in our print edition. The correct photo ran in the online version of the story.

Tip of the week: Streets apart

Riga and its art nouveau district.Credit: Alamy

Michael Gebicki, your “Ask the Tripologist” columnist (Traveller, April 25) featured a letter from A. Morris of Victoria, asking about art nouveau architecture and Riga, Latvia. I’m a belle epoque-era tragic who took a month self-organised tour in February last year across Milan, Turin, Budapest, Vienna, Helsinki and Riga. Riga has two main art nouveau streets, Alberta and Elizabetes, full of buildings from the era and with extravagant features (start at the western end of Alberta, with the museum). Stay at the 56-room Grand Palace Hotel in the Old Town and taxi to the art nouveau streets with a casual walk back to your accommodation.
Geoff Borton, Willoughby, NSW

On water matters

With family living in Cambodia we have been regular visitors over the past 15 years and have never had any problems with visas (Traveller Letters, April 27). The e-visa system can be used if arriving by plane or via certain land entry points and is quick and efficient. Use the official Kingdom of Cambodia website for the online application rather than one of the third-party sites. Arriving by water is a different process. If passengers have not purchased their visa from the Cambodian embassy before departure from Australia, they should be able to apply for the visa on arrival. Your cruise operator should be able to advise about the latest requirements, but it always pays to do your own double-checking. All countries expect to see the details in the visa application. Try getting into any country requiring a visa with incorrect dates.
Frances Baker, Beechworth, Vic

Easter bunny

I have just completed David Whitley’s bumper Easter quiz (Traveller, April 18) and sadly only 23 (46 per cent) of my answers were correct. I would have been one better off had it not been for the answer to question 37: “Which of these four Australia Islands is farthest east: Lord Howe Island, Rottnest Island, Phillip Island or K’gari?” Having just been to Norfolk Island and looked over Kingston towards it, I excitedly answered Phillip Island. Wrong. Yes, Lord Howe island is 159.06633E, but Phillip Island is 167.94813E. Shades of a 2019 Traveller quiz when I answered Mount Kosciuszko only to be informed by the quiz mistress that the highest mountain in Australia was Mount McClintock which is in the Australian Antarctic Territory.
Allan Gibson, Cherrybrook NSW

Mind your pees and queues

A long wait to clear the terminal.Credit: Alamy

My husband and I visited New York over the extended Easter and ANZAC Day holiday period in Australia. While I was concerned about entering the US and the potential for the much-publicised enhanced vetting, we encountered a different problem. We arrived at New York’s JFK Airport late in the afternoon and joined long queues to clear passport control. There were only three staff members working the windows for international visitors. It took two and a half hours. My husband was travelling on a new passport so was photographed and fingerprinted. I had previously travelled into the US on my passport so after a cursory glance of it we were on our way. However, I would suggest visiting the bathroom on your plane before disembarking, rather than using the facilities in the terminal.
Natalie Balatti, Primbee, NSW

Memory lane

I was interested in Brian Johnston’s comments in his “Spotlight on in Kaifeng, China” (Traveller Newsletter, April 23 - subscribe here). One of the most interesting aspects of the city is that several hundred descendants of its early Jewish settlers still live there today. Originally, these Jewish traders came to Kaifeng along the Silk Road. I was able to view the only remnant of the ancient Kaifeng Synagogue, in one of the hospitals when I visited. It was in the boiler room, looking forlorn and marked by a nondescript square concrete slab. One other interesting aspect was Torah Lane and a building denoting the headquarters for the Jews of Kaifeng.
Frances McKay, Kensington, 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