Great crew, but everything else about this business class fell short

Aloha highs and lows

One Traveller reader was unhappy with Hawaiian Airlines’ business class seats.Credit:

Our recent business class experience with Hawaiian Airlines from Sydney to LA via Honolulu and return was mixed. The crew was friendly and efficient on all four sectors. However, the beds were cramped, with little space for belongings and drinks, the meals were inedible on every flight, while the 1950s-style Honolulu lounge was appalling and miles from the gate. When we arrived at LAX at 5am for a 7am departure, we were informed there was no lounge at all. The Starlink Wi-Fi, when available, was amazing.
Harold Scruby, Neutral Bay, NSW

Letter of the week: Sofia, you’ve changed

Sofia and its golden glow.Credit: iStock

As I turned the page and saw Sofia, Bulgaria (Traveller, March 3), I was transported back to 1992 when my new French husband and I took a one-way flight to Paris from Australia on the cheapest airline available. The thought of a 36-hour stopover in an exotic foreign capital was an added bonus. We had many novel experiences, including a plane full of smokers, an eight-hour wait sitting on the floor in an open concrete hangar, a “five-star” hotel with an inch of water covering the carpet in our room, many a sideways glance, and having to repay for excess luggage. Paris, however, was magnifique.
Sarah Spargo, Bonbeach, Vic

A little bit of housekeeping

I recently stayed at an apartment-style hotel in Melbourne, and one reason I chose them was their default position of no daily room housekeeping during a stay. If a guest wants housekeeping, they pay extra for it. I hate daily housekeeping with a passion. I always tell every hotel or motel that I do not want it. It is incredibly wasteful of water and energy, and completely unnecessary. People don’t change their sheets and towels at home daily, so why do they expect it at hotels? This should be the default position for every hotel and motel in the country. Think of all the water and energy saved. And let’s see how many people still think daily housekeeping is essential if they have to directly pay for it.
Brendan Jones, Annandale, NSW

Editor’s note: Traveller contributor Katrina Lobley agrees with you. Read her views on the issue here.

Roses are red

Michael Gebicki’s column about serendipitous travel (Traveller, March 2) rang so true for me. The first thing that came to mind was a day in Venice when my husband and I caught a ferry to the Lido just to wander. We came across two elderly women sitting in their courtyard, chatting. We stopped to admire and comment (in our best Italian) on the garden’s spectacular roses. One woman quickly vanished, then returned with her secateurs and picked me a bunch of scented, red beauties. Naturally, she wasn’t aware it was Mother’s Day here in Australia. They travelled with us for a perfumed week, using a deconstructed Heineken can as a vase.
Libby Cameron, Newport, NSW

Local signs

David Whitley’s article (Traveller, February 26) provides a fascinating insight into the exploration of many destinations around the world that feature signs and plaques. In Sydney, we have had for many years a chain of plaques embedded in the paving around Circular Quay that show the Sydney Cove shoreline as it was in 1788 and in the early 1800s.
Tony Whiddon, Denham Court, NSW

A yarn for customs

As an artist and crafter myself, I liked the sentiment of Nina Karnikowski’s story (Traveller, March 7) about buying raw wool for her knitting in Ladakh. However, the description of buying wool with grass and manure still attached to knit pieces for gifts back in Australia stunned me a little. This is an absolute no-go for biosecurity. I hope she declared all of these to customs when she got back, as this is an issue that could affect our livestock in Australia if disease were present.
Stacey Laing, Avalon Beach, NSW

Nina Karnikowski responds: I should have clarified that as I knitted, I picked the grass and manure off the wool, so by the time the pieces were finished, they were clean enough to clear customs.

Crafts in cabins

Purls of wisdom by Nina Karnikowski got me wondering. Can you take knitting needles or crochet needles in your hand luggage on a plane? Metal ones, plastic or timber? Flying to London solo will have me in knots if I can’t knit.
Fiona Pentecost, Balgowlah, NSW

Nina again: In Australia, knitting and crochet needles are generally allowed in carry-on luggage on flights, including international ones. But to be on the safe side, I’d take wooden or plastic ones, not metal. I saw a woman recently have metal chopsticks she was wearing in her hair confiscated, so best err on the side of caution!

Ways to pay in China

I agree with everything in the letter “Southern comforts” (Traveller Letters, February 22) except the comment on Alipay. I travelled independently in China for three weeks in April 2024. I had no problem at all linking Alipay and WeChat to my Australian credit card. I mainly used Alipay, with WeChat as a backup on the few occasions Alipay did not work. I also took cash but did not need it. An eSIM bought before going to China gets around the Great Firewall of China.
Robert Cumming, Centennial Park, NSW

Turkey towel down

Reading an article about your correspondent getting a haircut in Rome (Traveller, February 19) reminds me of the time I got a haircut in Istanbul. Our guide told us that the more towels that were drying out the front of the barber’s shop, the better the barber. I called into one such shop where I was immediately offered tea. From there, I had a number zero haircut, shave, superfluous hair removed, eyebrows trimmed and a head and neck massage, all for the equivalent of $25. A fond memory of one of my favourite cities in the world.
Noel Forster, Connolly, WA

Tip of the week: Warm in winter

Kosovo in winterCredit: iStock

I recently travelled through North Macedonia and Kosovo in a car I hired. The winter landscape was serene, it was fascinating historically, cheap ($5 for two courses and two beers) and the people friendly, often stating “thanks for visiting us”. Sometimes the least-visited places at the “worst” time of year can be the best option. Furthermore, when dropping off the car, the attendant drove me to the bus station to catch the bus I was running late for. A real bonus.
Evan England, Paddington, NSW

Floored in Manila

As a regular traveller to the Philippines there is one consistent point of dread each time I return to Australia: having my checked luggage opened and inspected on the airport terminal floor in Manila by airport officials before check-in. I have not experienced this anywhere else, including departing Manila for other international destinations – why the requirement?
Derek Baker, Glebe, NSW

More outback trails, please

Having travelled the coastline of the majority of Australia, there is a missing link I need to fill. APT, Travel Marvel and Outback Spirit, to name the larger companies, do so well in assisting us experience both our wonderful coastal and inland areas, but I search in vain for a company, other than one that offers swag sleeping, who will do a trip along the southern coastline – a trip taking in Albany and Esperance, following our coastline from Adelaide or Port Lincoln to Perth or at least Margaret River. I am sure I am not alone in this desire.
Cathy Soder, Mooney Mooney, NSW

Licensing issues

It is good to see Michael Gebicki highlighting some of the traps when renting a car (Traveller, February 11). However, one of your correspondent’s letters advised that, if you have your driver’s licence on your Service Victoria app, it shows the licence issue date. That advice is not fully correct. What the app shows is the date when your licence was last renewed, which is usually every 10 years. The “issue date” noted on my digital licence is January 28, 2021, yet I have held my licence for many decades, and it will be renewed again in 2031. So if you have just renewed your licence, any rental company that might accept the digital licence will simply assume that you are a new and inexperienced driver. And for what it is worth, my plastic card licence issued by VicRoads does not include an issue date, only when it is due to be renewed.
Graeme Daniels, Balwyn North, Vic

Journal of record

About 25 years ago, before my daughter went on her first overseas trip, she made a diary, copies of which have been used by family members many times since. One page consisted of weather with symbols and temperature, accommodation with stars, food with ratings, word or phrase of the day, expenses and people met. The facing page with location and date was for journal writing. This format allowed for a concise record, quickly done even when tired, and easily found when looking back.
Patricia Harrington, Kerang, 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