The five travel questions we keep asking

Every year, I receive hundreds of questions from readers seeking advice about their coming travels. Sometimes the same questions show up over and over. Here are five burning questions I expect to land in my inbox again in 2025.

I’ve been to Italy a number of times and am ready to go back there again. What are the next great regions, beyond the obvious ones, that I should experience?

Where would the Tripologist be without Italy? Impoverished, is the answer, and for food, fashion and fun, Italy is in a class all of its own. The Tripologist gets more questions about Italy than any other country. It’s been the same since the column started back in 2010. That’s surprising since Italy does not even make it into the list of the top 10 countries visited by Australians.

Polignano a Mare, a stunning clifftop town on the coast of Puglia.Credit: iStock

For many it’s their second, third or fifth visit, and returning travellers look beyond Rome, Tuscany and Venice. Sicily surged pre-pandemic, but in its aftermath enthusiasm has waned, despite the island’s starring role as the backdrop to season one of The White Lotus. Puglia is emerging as a hot new destination for travellers looking for a different kind of Italy, and the Cinque Terre continues to shine despite the vast numbers of tourists it attracts. Questions from readers suggest Sardinia is on the wish list, so too Emilia-Romagna, Piedmont, Umbria and Abruzzo, while a few intrepid travellers are exploring Campania.

I’m taking my family to Japan next spring. Should we take a tour, book our own travels in advance or wing it?

Quite a few questions to the Tripologist come from readers taking families with children and adolescents to Japan – bravo! Japan continues to fascinate, stimulate, entertain and set our feet moving. It’s the food, the culture, the ryokans where you sleep on a futon on a tatami mat, the walks along pilgrimage trails, Naoshima art island and skiing powder snow in Niseko and Hakuba. Then there’s the soul-stirring revelations of a people who go bananas over blossoming cherry trees and the squeaky chirpings of the nightingale floor, walking surfaces in temples and castles constructed to produce an audible “bird” sound.

Japan is now the fourth most-visited destination for Australians.Credit: iStock

Japan is now the fourth-most popular country for Australians travelling overseas, pushing Britain into fifth place. The question of how to do it flummoxes first-timers, and this is one country where a guided tour is essential for the novice. Too much about Japan is hidden to the outsider, for whom a red lantern or the drapery of a small curtain at the front of a restaurant might have no meaning. It takes a guide to unravel its secrets. Hardy DIY travellers might scrape by with day tours and booking point-to-point journeys on the rail network.

We’re going to Europe in 2025 and are confused by the new ETIAS travel authorisation obligation for Australians.

Starting in mid-2025, Australians will no longer be able to enter most European countries simply by presenting their passport. We’re going to need approval from the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS). Aimed at boosting security within Europe, the ETIAS travel authorisation will be linked to the traveller’s passport. This ETIAS is not a visa but a visa waiver, akin to the US’s ESTA, granted to travellers from countries that are not considered a risk of overstaying or otherwise impinging on the security of the host country.

The application process is simple. Complete the online application form, pay the €7 ($11.40) charge using a credit or debit card, and you can expect a response within 96 hours. Applicants under 18 or over 70 years of age pay no fee. Once approved, an ETIAS travel authorisation allows you to enter 30 European countries for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The ETIAS travel authorisation is valid for up to three years, or until the passport expires. The Tripologist expects consternation and possibly chaos. Fake websites will spring up to cash in on the opportunity that ETIAS presents, adding a fee to the application process. According to ETIAS’ Central Unit Division, “there are already 100 fake or unofficial ETIAS websites operating, many of which spread incorrect information to the public”.

How easy is it to activate an eSIM for my Australian smartphone when I’m travelling overseas?

That’s a question the Tripologist gets asked a lot, and it will probably resurface as more and more of us use eSIM compatible smartphones. For some travellers, messing around with a new SIM card can be confronting and confounding, but buying an eSIM is the best thing you can do when you travel overseas. You can keep your current SIM or eSIM activated without expensive data roaming, receive texts and phone calls and keep all your apps alive. Buying one online is simple, and it should be easy to activate your eSIM when you arrive overseas, but problems do arise. Most often, you’ve followed all the steps but the eSIM won’t connect. There are heaps of tips from eSIM providers and helpful videos on YouTube; providers such as Airalo and Jetpac are responsive. Worst case, ask for a refund – the Tripologist has, and it worked.

The Continent’s getting far too hot to visit in summer, so what are alternatives for Europe?

It’s a quandary for an increasing number of the Tripologist’s correspondents and points to an emerging taste for off-season travel. Smart travellers are turning away from the crowds and chaos of European summer peak times in favour of the quieter shoulder season, or even the depths of winter. Off-peak travel has much to recommend it: Venice wreathed in mist, London’s museums minus the hordes, Provence when the leaves in the vineyards turn to gold, the Christmas markets in middle Europe, to name just a few. It’s also cheaper. Hotel prices in the hot spots of Europe plunge by 20 to 35 per cent when the crowds aren’t around. You need to tailor your expectations – days are shorter, weather can be dismal, and you need to wrap up to sit outside at a cafe – but the pay-off is worth it.

Travel advice is general; readers should consider their personal circumstances.