Traveller Letters: I paid for an upgrade to this seat. I wish I hadn’t

Caught in the jetstream

One Traveller reader was unhappy with LATAM’s first-row business class seat.

I note your review of LATAM Airlines. I flew from Santiago to Sydney two weeks ago. LATAM offered me an upgrade to business class for $1550; as it was a night flight, I accepted. On boarding, I was allocated seat 1H. The seat was adjoining the galley and the toilet. All night and morning the constant stream of attendants and passengers to and fro meant I managed very little rest. It was very disappointing I wrote to LATAM and received no response. My advice is to make sure you never sit near the galley or toilet.
Rob Williams, Belmont, NSW

Rose-coloured eye mask

Julie Miller has rose-coloured glasses on for her LATAM Flight path review (Traveller, December 3). Having flown LATAM Airlines. My main questions: did it leave or arrive on time? Did your bags arrive? And when they didn’t, was there a help desk or English speaker anywhere on site? Were the seats comfy enough to sleep? None of this was a positive experience when I flew LATAM.
Michele Sharp, Bondi Beach, NSW

Letter of the week: Well worth filing

Himeji Castle in spring.Credit: Getty Images

I started planning a trip to Japan years ago and finally got there in October. As a frequent collector of articles from Traveller, I was glad to take some with me, including one from October 2018 on Japan’s must-see castles. Himeji is well worth the comfortable day-trip by train from Osaka or Kyoto. Along with the striking architecture, the autumn colours were breathtaking (as were those in the stunning nearby Koko-en gardens). I also walked the Philosopher’s Path in Kyoto (following tips from a 2024 article) and was delighted to find the various animals adorning Otoyo-jinja shrine and the carefully raked gardens at Nanzen-ji temple along the way, as had also been recommended. Well done
Traveller.
Sibella Guest, Glen Iris, Victoria

Oh Canada

We recently visited Toronto, Ontario, to meet up with our daughter, flying in from New York to the Billy Bishop Airport. This regional airport is a short distance from downtown on one of the Toronto Islands, connected to the mainland through a tunnel. Amazingly convenient – a few minutes’ walk and we were in the Toronto city centre at our Airbnb. Toronto turned out to be a gem – we could walk to ice hockey at Scotiabank Arena, a musical at Theatre Alexandra and to dinners at all the fabulous ethnic restaurants. The Canadians were the friendliest bunch – even a demonstration in the city was carried out in peace with only two policemen on their bikes in attendance. We flew Air Canada – flights left on time, arrived early and luggage never got lost. Yes, we’re going back.
Tiina Olsoni, Yowie Bay, NSW

Quiet achiever

Simone Meakin is spot on (Traveller Letters, November 30). Phong Nha is an outstanding place to visit; an oft-unmentioned region in central Vietnam. Not too far from the beaches at Quang Binh where we stayed at the stunning Sun Spa resort, day trips to Phong Nha can begin in Quang Binh. The beauty and natural wonder of Phong Nha can be enjoyed by adventure lovers and thrillseekers, hiking enthusiasts or those just looking for the beauty of natural wonders. Certainly recommended.
Paul Soanes, Doreen, Vic

Pay it forward

With reference to Peter Kempster’s (Traveller Letters, November 30) feeling of being scammed because he has not received a VAT refund from Namibia, I cannot understand why anyone from Australia travelling in poorer countries wants a tax refund. Just think of it as a small contribution to the country you are travelling in and the wellbeing of its people.
Leslie King, Elizabeth Bay, NSW

Reclining standards

Japan… the most modern of societies which manages to make courtesy a part of life.Credit: Getty Images

I was not surprised to read of the friendly attitude on the train in Japan (Traveller Letters, November 30) as this type of courtesy and consideration is common everywhere. There is also no rubbish on the streets or graffiti to see, and I can’t remember hearing anyone toot their horn, they really seem to respect each other’s right to use the road and not see it as a battle to get an advantage over another – it was a bit of a culture shock coming back to Melbourne. And, of course, there is one problem asking the person behind if it’s okay to recline – what if they say no?
David Parker, Geelong West, Vic

Northern exposure

As a result of having an exchange student, our family has visited her beautiful country of Norway (Traveller, December 1) several times for weddings, christenings and birthdays. Summer in Norway is surreal. Whether enjoying a drink at 2am with the sun still peeking at you, cruising the stunning fjords on the Lofoten Islands, drinking mead in the Viking Museum or looking for goats on the roofs of the multi-coloured houses, Norway is the most spectacular and wonderful country.
Margaret Peasley, Randwick, NSW

Wild at heart

Madagascar is close to my heart and David McGonigal’s brilliant story (Traveller, December 1) should tempt curious travellers to consider this extraordinary destination, even before visiting Africa. I’m pleased a new level of comfort means you can now experience the unique wildlife, flora and scenery without having to pitch tents and paddle down rivers as we did, passing the occasional crocodile lazing on the bank. Madagascar is one of those rare places you can still visit before the rest of the world does. There’s a surprise around every corner, and it gets under your skin and stays there.
Roxanne Le Blanc, Croydon, Vic

Traveller readers’ all-time favourite destinations

Since Traveller’s publication last month of its special “100 greatest destinations of all-time” story, readers have responded with their choices of the best places they’ve visited.
Here’s a selection of the letters received with scores of readers receiving a copy of Lonely Planet’s Dream Trips of the World coffee table book valued at $60 (shop.lonelyplanet.com).

Dream Trips of the World by Lonely Planet.

Kruger National Park, South Africa
This is my greatest single destination, not just for its wildlife, namely the predators and prey of the deep bush and the wide-open savannah, but for its wildness. It restores the Earth to the state it was in before humans arrived and in so doing, makes us rediscover the qualities of awe, wonder, and humility that make us human.
Gus Silber, Cromer, NSW

Florence, Italy
You can’t beat this city’s art, history and architecture which is so representative of the Renaissance. There’s the magnificence of the cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore (the Duomo), the Uffizi, Michelangelo’s statue of David (and other treasures) at the Galleria dell’Academia and the historic bridge, Ponte Vecchio. And that’s naming only a handful of the wonderful things to see walking around this amazing city.
Amanda Alcock, Carlingford, NSW

Ljubljana, Slovenia
The capital of Slovenia is a beautiful city with Lake Bled, just 55 kilometres away, featuring postcard scenery. Take a Pletna boat rowed by a local to Bled Island and walk the 99 steps for a tour to the church and yes, you can ring the bells. Folklore says, “the groom must carry his bride to the church at the top, if he can’t, the bride belongs to the Best Man that evening”. Their famous Bled cream cakes are similar to our vanilla slice in Australia.
Gaynor Stevens, Mannum, SA

Avenue des Baobabs, Madagascar
Sitting beside the dusty road, we bought warm beers from a local kid in time to watch the sunset behind these magnificent trees. These botanic monsters look like they’ve been uprooted and replanted “headfirst”, baring their roots to the heavens. It’s a sight I’ll never forget.
Roxanne Le Blanc, Croydon, Vic

Iguazu Falls, Argentina and Brazil
The accessible walking paths in the national park on either the Argentinian or Brazilian sides provide breathtaking scenery, the sounds of thundering cascades and encounters with wildlife including coati and toucans. It’s perhaps the best walk in the world.
Maria Raynor, Eastwood, NSW

Cape Naturaliste, WA
As the starting point of our Cape to Cape walk, the south-west coast of Western Australia features spectacular coastal and forest scenery, a fascinating geology of cliffs, caves, headlands and rock formations and an ever-changing display of vegetation and wildflowers with bonus wildlife, including reptiles, birdlife, mammals and whales along the way.
Jeff Wakeling, Box Hill, Vic

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
This is my greatest single destination without any doubt, with its natural wonders providing the perfect amphitheatre for visitors to soak in one of the most vibrant cultures on the planet. Whether you want to sharpen your Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills, learn capoeira (an Afro-Brazilian martial art) or just soak up some sunshine on Copacabana Beach, Rio is a city everyone must experience at least once.
Marc Grayson, Caringbah South, NSW

Darjeeling, India
Well known for its tea and being one of several Indian Hill Stations where the British Raj could escape from the summer heat of the plains, experience the colonial charm of the Windermere Hotel and the Planters Club. Visit one of the many tea gardens, take a trip on the narrow-gauge Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (“Toy Train”) with its unique carriages hauled by a coal-fired steam engine, and from nearby Tiger Hill, witness the amazing sight of sunrise over snow-capped Kanchenjunga with the peak of Mount Everest just visible in the far distant west.
Rob Upson, Kennington, Vic

The Amazon, South America
We have been privileged to visit the Amazon jungle, a threatened paradise which holds half of the remaining rainforest in the world. An Indigenous guide met us at Iquitos and we sailed down the Amazon and Napo rivers to a jungle camp. From there we saw some of the jungle’s amazing diversity of unique plants, animals, and birds. Among them were three-toed sloths, tarantulas, capybaras, caiman, pink dolphins, piranhas, towering mahogany trees and giant water lilies. See it before it is gone.
Sandra Torpey, Hawthorn, Vic

Merida, Yucatan, Mexico
The entire Yucatan Peninsula and the offshore islands are special, but the jewel in the crown is Merida. The city’s food scene is bursting with delicious Mexican bites with an emphasis on seafood and the freshest herbs. A must-try are the delicious cocktails, my favourites were mixed with smoky mezcal flavours. Merida’s colonial architecture is impressive and the wide avenues and parks make for easy walking and exploring. A short drive from Merida is the incredible ancient Mayan city of Uxmal, and after your visit to the pyramids and temples, cool down in the blue waters of the many
surrounding cenotes.
Megan Venus, Brisbane, Qld

Carnarvon Gorge, Queensland
This was the most magical and memorable day of my travels to date. I was transported back in time while viewing, walking and climbing across the gorge’s sandstone cliffs more than 200 million years in the making. Venture in and out of the many-sided gorges with their fern gullies and micro-climates to find ancient Aboriginal art works depicting precious stories of a bygone lifestyle.
Julie Hehir, Belmont, Vic

Rome, Italy
To experience a holiday in Rome is like being transported back in time. Authentic and beautiful with an abundance of ancient architecture, the Italian capital is truly rare and incredible, with its great food, fashion and lifestyle. A visit to Rome is magical.
Tony Lamanna, East Melbourne, Vic

Taj Mahal, India
When you see it for the first time, it appears unreal, with nothing in the background. As someone once said, the world is divided into the people who have seen it, and those that haven’t.
Robin Fernandes, Williamstown, Vic

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