Say what you will about Jetstar, one part of the airline deserves credit

Jetstar, you star

On returning to Melbourne after a recent overseas trip to the Balkans, I reached Singapore for the final leg to discover that my Jetstar flight had been cancelled due to technical difficulties. The text provided a link to an automated “chat line”, that was frustrating to use, and got me nowhere.

Jetstar’s staff deserve credit.Credit: Getty Images

I eventually found my way to Jetstar at Terminal 4, and my experience with the staff could not have been better. As the queue behind me grew, they continued to be unfailingly polite, and efficiently booked me into a hotel for two nights, and on a flight to Melbourne two days later, covering all my costs. Whatever one might say about Jetstar, their staff deserve every credit for their professionalism.
Vivienne Rogers, Mansfield, Vic

Letter of the week: Inns and outs

Pool facilities are one advantage hotels have over most Airbnbs.Credit: iStock

On a recent European trip we stayed in a mix of hotels and Airbnbs, with my mind going back to your columnist Ben Groundwater’s article in June about why he now avoids Airbnbs. Our own experience with hotels was mixed and we returned with the view that our preference is for Airbnbs. Our London, Paris, San Sebastian and Barcelona hotels were centrally located with good guest reviews and rates from $350 to $400 a night. Only one of the hotel rooms had a comfortable lounge and chairs for two people. What are you meant to do when you want to sit and relax? And two rooms didn’t even have a fridge. One of the hotels had a pool while two had gyms. If hotels have one advantage over Airbnb it is the ability to provide such facilities, but not enough do.

Our Airbnb experience was similarly mixed. Again, only highly rated places were booked in Bath, Arras and Bordeaux with Airbnb’s big advantage over hotels being space. All were clean, quiet and there were lounges, but in two of the units they were quite uncomfortable, leaving us wondering if the owners had ever tried the furniture. Airbnb dislikes? Limited room for luggage and don’t ask the paying guest to take rubbish out to bins on the street or to strip the bed – it’s not our job.
Steven Lee, Faulconbridge, NSW

Mission accomplished

May I commend the Australian embassy in Paris for its efficient assistance after I fell extremely ill there? My insurance company being completely worthless, I called the embassy and was able to receive, by return email, a complete list of English-speaking doctors, subdivided by arrondissement and speciality, with addresses and telephone numbers. With this information, I could make an appointment with an easily accessible doctor (when I was first told that there was no time available, a mention of the Australian consulate immediately opened up a slot). A real life-saver.
Bruce Hyland, Woy Woy, NSW

Off track

I totally agree with your writer Sandra Hall that Stamford in Lincolnshire is a wonderful town and well worth a stopover to wander its gorgeous streets (Traveller, October 19). I was however a little thrown by the statement that “it was bypassed by the railway line”, having several times picked friends up from Stamford Station. My research found the station opened in 1846 and still has regular train services.
Margaret Tomkins, Port Huon, Tas

Excessive excess

I recently took out the Commonwealth Bank credit card complimentary travel insurance operated by Cover-more for an overseas trip and immediately noted that the excess was $500. By my estimation, that’s a 100 per cent increase on my 2023 trip for the same insurance. I contacted Cover-more to request a reason and their representative referred me to Commbank for an answer. Their representative referred me back to Cover-more. I went back to Cover-more and after many weeks and following my return from the trip I had a call from one of their reps. But he could find no explanation for this change, other than they do it because they can. Has anyone else dealt with this? Any luck with an explanation?
Kristine Sloane, Fitzroy North, Vic

Withdrawal symptoms

William Turner makes a fair enough point about local ATM withdrawal fees when travelling overseas (Traveller Letters, October 12). However, such exorbitant, or should I say, extortionate fees are pretty much standard in every country. In Thailand, for example, it’s usually THB220 these days (almost $10) but, again, the Land of Smiles isn’t atypical in this respect.
Ross Duncan, Potts Point, NSW

Hard to stomach

I almost choked on my croissant when reading Mark Daffey’s article alleging the folly of foodie travellers (Traveller, October 17). To sample the local cuisine of another country within the country itself is culturally enriching and potentially sublime. For my tastes, chowing down with gusto at every turn enhances, rather than inhibits, the travel experience.
David Beins, Cooks Hill, NSW

Fill ’er up

I agree wholeheartedly with Mark Daffey – food is fuel, enabling more travel, not an end in itself. Occasionally, in some faraway place, a meal has been memorable, like the dinner in a tiny village in Crete which consisted of what mama was cooking that night, namely lamb, potatoes, beans and tomatoes, which we ate while the goat-herd corralled his flock into a paddock next to us. But much more often it’s been the conversations with people, the extraordinary sights and sounds which have brought smiles to my face while travelling. There are few photos of food in my travel files of 37 countries, but many happy memories of adventures and delights, of landscapes, street art, musicians and community celebrations.
Marie Goldsworthy, Geelong, Vic

Flat chat

Beechworth: a nice stop on a slow travel trip.Credit: iStock

Forget Italy and France: I’m sold on e-bike riding through the foodie country in North-East Victoria (Traveller, October 19). The Murray to Mountains Rail Trail, a path created along old train routes, offering, in your writer Laura Waters’ words, “relatively flat riding with gloriously bucolic views” sounds stunningly fabulous. Combining the beauty of the Australian countryside with the Beechworth Bakery, Beechworth Honey, Milawa Cheese Company, and numerous wineries, sounds like an idyllic and relaxing slower travel experience.
Amy Hiller, Kew, Vic

Quick getaway

Everyone has a different experience. Last Sunday I arrived at Sydney airport at 7am, the same time as your correspondent, Chris Ryan (Traveller Letters, October 12), and from exiting the plane to exiting the airport including picking up luggage, took eight minutes. Yes, eight minutes. I was at the rear of premium economy, so by no means first off the plane. In contrast, transiting through Los Angeles a few years ago with a three-hour margin, I and others only made the connection because the Australian airline held the plane for us.
Janice Windsor, Greenwich, NSW

Tip of the week: Just Kos

Kos Island, Greece.Credit: iStock

Being a medical person and in Greece, I could not go past Kos, where Hippocrates, the father of medicine, was born and practised with more than 300 herbs, dispensing medical advice. I arrived off the ferry to see straight past an ash tree he was said to have planted, and then went to the centre of Kos Town to see a statue of the man himself.

The next day, I was on a bus up to the Hippocrates University, where there’s a garden of all the herbs he used, and had an impromptu tour of the university to see the apparatus, devices and herbs that were at hand in his time. While many of these herbs are used today for similar complaints, some I would advise not to use at home! I’m still agog that I was so lucky to have this experience, some 2000 years on.
Jan Jones, Northcote, Vic

Editor’s note: Writer Caterina Hrysomallis also visited Kos recently. You can read about her experience on the island in Traveller here.

Ho, ho Ho Chi Minh

On a recent return from Europe via Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, we faced a 14-hour layover. After searching for a nearby hotel, I found that we had to get a visa to leave the airport. Luckily, I discovered that Vietnam Airlines offered a “transit tour”. We were met by a representative who arranged and paid for our visas then put us in a limousine for a city tour. After a fun tour with a hilarious guide, we were given a comfortable hotel room and both lunch and dinner before being taxied back to the airport This wonderful service was free. Thank you, Vietnam Airlines.
Steve Etheridge, Mount Riverview NSW

Go, Blues

My family and I have just returned from a couple of weeks in Bali, mainly around Denpasar. We used the local version of Uber, called Bluebird, and it was great. My daughter downloaded the app and managed all our bookings with ease. We were six, but all the (blue) cars had enough seating for us so we could go everywhere together. The price was good and it operated just like Uber, so no haggling or surprise extra costs. Easy.
Susan Horsley, North Willoughby, NSW

Tight and loose talk

The best and simplest advice I’ve received before a driving holiday in the south-west of the United States, (and this applies to all left-hand steered vehicles driven on the right-hand side of the road) was “TIGHT RIGHTS, LOOSE LEFTS”. As I approached an intersection where I had to make a turn, I would repeat aloud to myself “TIGHT RIGHTS, LOOSE LEFTS”. At those intersections where lane markings were worn down or didn’t exist, hopefully, if there was a vehicle beside me, I’d take a parallel course off to the side, shadowing it. It worked for me – no dents, no scratches and no extra rental charges.
Phillip M Everett, Hawks Nest, NSW

In a Jiffy

The colours of Newfoundland.Credit: iStock

If you leave a cruise in St John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, you would be crazy to take the ship’s bus transfer to the airport 20 minutes away at $112 per person when four passengers can take a cab for $35. Alternatively, hire a Jiffy Cabs Maxi taxi for $65 an hour and take a tour. Four of us did a wonderful tour for 2.5 hours with an obliging Rick and paid only $173 total using a credit card, saving more than $600. It filled in the time perfectly, and I booked it by email. The ship charged $200 a person for an abridged city tour. Cruise lines always say there will be limited taxis at the port to scare passengers into taking their overpriced transfers.
Lindsay Somerville, Lindfield, NSW

Rocket misfire

I recently hired a car associated with a Virgin flight. On the Virgin site, Rocket Car Hire offered a good deal through Europcar. Rental was booked and paid in full – with $200 to be paid at collection of the car. What ensued was a lengthy messy and unresolved dispute. Europcar double-charged my credit card, saying they had no record of the Virgin/Rocket Car transaction, and also charged more than $100 in additional fees on top of the agreed $200. Rocket refused to support its invoice with a detailed account to support its “paid in full” claim. When will extra cost transparency be applied to car rental companies?
C Jackson, Melbourne, Vic

Sands too good to be true

In September, we stayed in the lovely village of Ramatuelle, France, at a family-run hotel, in gardens with jasmine, bougainvillaea and honeysuckle and a big swimming pool. The famous Pampelonne Beach, with its 4.5 kilometres of white sand, was minutes away, and we enjoyed the calm, warm Mediterranean water and people-watching. During our visit to St Tropez, we explored the picturesque yacht-filled port, window-shopped, soaked up the atmosphere and enjoyed Tropezienne tart at the iconic red Le Senequier Cafe. To quote Karl Lagerfeld, “you were never told that St Tropez is paradise?”
Rhoda Silber, Manly, NSW

Bathers beware

Pearl Beach, Central Coast, NSW, is lovely (Traveller, October 18). However, your writer, Craig Tansley, is incorrect in saying it can be reached by ferry from Palm Beach. There is no ferry wharf at Pearl Beach. It also can’t be said that all the beaches are safe for swimming. With big rolling waves that crash in, the northern end of the beach is not calm and safe as described.
Lisa Clarke, Watsons Bay, NSW

EDITOR’S NOTE: We have corrected the story online, as per our readers’ advice.

Broken dreams

I noticed that advice given in Ask the Tripologist about things to do in Paris (Traveller, October 20) included Rue Saint-Louis en L’ille being “packed with cheese shops, patisseries, bakeries and cafes”. We were back there last year and unfortunately the Ile seems to have suffered from the COVID-19 blues – no longer is this lovely street as described. We found only one patisserie and one small cafe serving coffee but no meals. So sad, really.
Patrick McMahon, Paddington, NSW

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