We booked early and cheaply, then our motel did the unthinkable

Heartbreak motel

We’ve just been to the annual Parkes, NSW, Elvis Festival (loved it) but what got my nose out of joint is that our motel in nearby Forbes doubled our room rate and asked us to pay an extra night only two months out from the festival; otherwise they’d be forced to cancel our accommodation. We were organised. We booked early. How was I supposed to find alternative accommodation so close to a major festival? Is this legal?
Georgie Foster, Thornbury, Vic

Is it legal to not honour the original booking rate?Credit: Getty Images

Duty fee

It was no surprise to be told by the person who served me at a duty-free outlet at Sydney International Airport recently that they would have to put the bottle of wine I bought in a sealed plastic bag if I was transiting through Singapore, otherwise the authorities at Changi Airport would confiscate it. I have done this several times before and the shop always automatically puts it in such a bag for that reason. What did shock me was to be told this time I would have to pay a dollar for the bag. It seems some businesses now look for any opportunity to gouge the unsuspecting traveller.
Ross Duncan, Potts Point, NSW

Letter of the week: Pitch perfect

Lee Tulloch writes about the marvel of carrying your home on your back (Traveller, January 11). Indeed, the freedom of toddling about the countryside in a caravan or motorhome has gorgeous appeal. For me, however, bushwalking offers the optimal “home on your back” experience. There’s something uniquely rewarding about strapping on a backpack, breathing in the fresh air, and immersing oneself in the vastness of nature. Spending nights in a humble tent, away from busy modern life, provides a rare, soul-nourishing experience. Now, that’s travelling.
Amy Hiller, Kew, Vic

Gone bush.Credit: iStock

Fan mail

We last used our Commonwealth Bank Australia Travel Money Cards loaded with euros in Europe in June, 2023, and when home placed them in our safe so that we’d be then ready to use the remaining euros on our next trip. In November, when banking online I browsed our accounts and noticed there had been recent movement on the Travel Money Card account. The account had been used from July 2024 to October 2024 with US purchases from among others OnlyFans.org, and totalling €158.62. Curiously, OnlyFans.org took €89.92 on September 26 and returned it three days later. Fortunately, CBA quickly investigated and refunded us, but it’s a warning – even these supposedly secure travel cards are not immune to fraud.
Sandra Beckett, Hastings, Vic

Phish and chips

Further to your correspondent who was robbed in Greece with the thieves successfully using her cards to withdraw money without a PIN (Traveller, January 11). Just before Christmas, a work colleague in Sydney who banks with one of the “big four” was told her card had been cancelled due to suspicious attempts to withdraw large amounts of money at various ATMs. Unbeknown to her, the card’s chip had been copied and replicated. She was told that the PIN is actually stored on the chip and now some criminals have the necessary means to access it. It’s a stark reminder to use your e-wallet with Apple or Google Pay wherever possible (which is always encrypted) and not a card.
Peter Neufeld, Mosman, NSW

Turn off the tap

Regarding Sue Howard’s letter, (Traveller, January 11), I visit the UK yearly and I’m always confused as I’m never required to enter my PIN with my credit cards, as in Australia. I disable the tap as a precaution, but without having to enter the PIN, anyone getting my cards can go to town. It’s a real worry when I travel. Fortunately I haven’t lost my cards so far.
Dave Cliff, Coopers Gully, NSW

Highlands fling

A Sing Sing in the PNG Highlands.Credit: Alamy

Michael Gebicki’s piece on travel to Papua New Guinea (Traveller, January 11) was timely. It was 60 years since I boarded an Ansett-ANA DC6B bound for Port Moresby. This was no planned holiday but a transfer with a bank, after volunteering for service overseas. In those days, my employer operated the Bank of NSW Travel Service, which took care of all arrangements, including entry permit, international immunisation booklet, flights and accommodation in the officers’ mess. By May 1965 I was on a TAA DC3, non-air-conditioned, side-saddle seating with luggage and produce, including chooks, in the body of the plane bound for Mount Hagen, the bank’s most remote location. On completion of my two-year island service, I flew south with the romping and stomping of the Hagen Show remaining part of the soundtrack of my life.
Allan Gibson, Cherrybrook, NSW

Corporal punishment

Jane Richards, in her article on Spain’s parador lodgings in Spain (Traveller, January 11) describes Napoleon Bonaparte as the “Little Corporal”. He graduated from the Ecole Militaire, Paris, as a 2nd lieutenant; he was never a corporal. Churchill used to tease Hitler as a “little Austrian corporal”. She may have been confused.
John Sutton, Brunswick West, Vic

EDITOR’S NOTE The Encyclopedia Britannica states that “Napoleon was called Le Petit Caporal with the nickname translated as “The Little Corporal.” “[It] was not meant as a reflection of his stature [but] intended as a term of affection by his soldiers.”

Feet first

My partner has some mobility restrictions and we usually book an accessible room. It still doesn’t solve everything. However, at a recent stay at the Canberra Rex hotel we asked if they had beds that were not so high off the floor. They replied “no” but then helpfully removed the feet off the bed. Congratulations to the staff at the Rex – it proves it’s always worth requesting modifications.
Hilary Johnson, Northcote, Vic

Dumb phones

I recently had the delightful experience of travelling on New Zealand’s Coastal Pacific train from Picton to Christchurch. It was confounding to see that my fellow travellers, who paid more than $NZ400 for their premium class seats, had their eyes glued, not on the magnificent scenery and the coastal wildlife which could be seen through the windows, but to their phones and tablets for the entire journey. So sad.
Helen Robinson, Killcare, NSW

Tip of the week: Japan plan

Heading to Japan? Head for the country – Harajiri Waterfall, Kyushu.Credit: Alamy

Having spent four weeks in Japan late last year, I really encourage travellers to explore the country areas to enjoy the spectacular scenery, the welcoming Japanese hospitality and glimpses of a more traditional way of life. In some country areas it can be useful to take public transport to a nearby city and then pick up a rental car for flexibility. To plan public transport, the free Japan Transit Planner app is invaluable. When booking a rental car, be sure to book an ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) card for hassle-free driving on the tollways. Driving is quite doable as speed limits are low, cars drive on the left and Japanese drivers are generally patient and courteous. To program a route into the inbuilt car-navigation system, use the phone number of your destination. Even car parks at historic landmarks have a phone number that can be used for navigation. Kyushu, the third-largest of Japan’s islands, offers amazing scenery, enjoyable hiking and relaxing onsens (hot springs).
Julie Taylor, Newport, Vic

Streetcar of desire

Disembarking our cruise at Lisbon, we began a climb up the steep streets of the Portuguese capital with our joints still not recovered from long walks in the other ports on our trips. Finally we reach our objective, the stop for the classic Tram 28. No matter the waiting crush, the driver allows us all to board, and we proceed, iron on iron, toward the upper terminal at Praca Martim Moniz. From separate window seats, we enjoy an exhilarating ride to our destination where a queue, stretching the length of several Olympic-sized swimming pools, await their own turn. Surely the crowning experience of our holiday so far, we then descend through streets paved with white limestone and black basalt calcada artistica (mosaic-like) pavements, and lined with tiled pastel-hued facades until we reach the classical Assembleia da Republica facing the port.
John Millar, Warranwood, Vic

Bitter pill

New Zealand purports to have reciprocal medical help for those travelling to the country from Australia. However, we were let down when in Oamaru on the South Island. My husband had severe issues before we left on holiday, the result of a botched skin cancer removal. This appeared to have resolved itself before we departed but, three weeks down the track, another infection set in. Unable to get a GP appointment, we were turned away from an “on duty” medical practice and advised to go to the local hospital. Here they refused to see us without a $NZ1000 ($901) fee. And all we needed was an antibiotic. Australian travellers to New Zealand beware.
Helen Robinson, Killcare, NSW

Global omissions

Your cover story, “The lying game” (Traveller, January 12) usefully addressed many travel myths. I particularly liked the point that, while possible, trying to dodge the consequences of a foreign traffic infringement is “just wrong”. But when it’s asked about its impact on climate change, the aviation industry regularly refers to its CO2 emissions as being about 2 per cent of global carbon emissions. It never mentions that, thanks to other pollutants at altitude, it is responsible for 4 per cent, or more, of current global heating. Not acknowledging this is more “just wrong” than avoiding a parking ticket. It makes the industry bodies, as per your cover illustration, very naughty Pinocchios.
Lesley Walker, Northcote, Vic

Don’t pay the ferryman

We have just booked a holiday to Tasmania, originally planning to travel with our car and dog on the Spirit of Tasmania ferry, but the price quoted was more than $2000 return. The dog component was $44 return which is reasonable, but overall, we felt the price was too high. It was cheaper to fly to Launceston and hire a car. Twenty years ago, I travelled on the ferry with my mother and two teenagers plus a car, and it was affordable. My son now has his own family and recently decided against travelling to Tasmania by ferry due to the cost. With fewer affordable family holiday options, it would be a shame if the price excludes more families from this iconic experience.
Georgina Nunn, Castlemaine, 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