RIPPING YARN
I have recently been advised to look after my airline boarding pass (Traveller Letters,April 8) and only carefully destroy it when you have successfully arrived at your destination. This is because it is proof of travel should you need it,and it also contains your personal information.
Elizabeth Kroon,Randwick,NSW

Editor’s note: We have advised readers previously to take care of their boarding passes and,importantly,never post a photo of it online.

POSTE IMPRESSIONISM
I did the travel coming-of-age thing (Traveller Letters,April 1) in the early 80s. I fondly remember Poste restante and tiny handwriting for aerograms going to and fro across the world which my mother and grandmother both saved and gave to me on my return home. Another correspondent recently mentionedEurope on $5 a day in the 70s so our “bible”,Europe on $20 a day in the early 80’s,reflected reasonable inflation. That book was so big,as soon as we had worked our way through a particular country we would discard that chapter so the book got lighter as the journey continued. I count myself lucky to have been able to travel independently back then. We stayed in some real dives but had fantastic cultural experiences and authentic interactions with locals without the crowds that exist today. It gave me a real appreciation of slow travel and particularly train travel. It was all about the journey rather than the destination. In these days of excessive social media,that’s a bit of an anomaly.
Vicki Copping,Oatley,NSW

LOST IN IBERIA

A rant and a rave. Flying between Frankfurt and Madrid both our checked bags were lost and after many phone calls to the carrier,we picked up the bags in Granada 13 days after the flight. Then,returning from Madrid to Frankfurt with the same airline,Iberia,they lost my checked luggage. One month after that flight,I had to collect the bag from Sydney International. Iberia has no arrangement for bags to be delivered in Australia;further aggravating was the airline’s refusal to pay any compensation. Receipts for purchases of gear after the first loss were in the second bag they lost. Somehow,the receipts were misplaced during the bag’s recovery from Houston,US. They also do not compensate for travel to pick up lost bags. However,to the rescue came my black Westpac Altitude Mastercard with its complimentary travel insurance. They were seamless in accepting our claim and depositing funds into my account within days.
Edward Duc,Merewether,NSW

DON’T LET ME DOWN
The Beatles put Liverpool on the 20th century world map (Traveller,April 8). But if the best that city can do for tourists is to provide a replica of their historic cellar workplace then I’ll seek my authentic music history elsewhere.
Kevin Eadie,Drummoyne,NSW

TIP OF THE WEEK

SHORT EXCHANGED
While travelling in Rome,I exchanged some leftover Canadian bank notes from a previous trip,pre-COVID,I stupidly exchanged them at a currency exchange bureau. The exchange rate was appalling even though the headline rate looked fine but the commissions and fees reduced the return to a pittance of what should have been returned. Fortunately,it was only a small sum being exchanged. I suggest other travellers avoid such currency exchanges near tourist hot spots in European cities. If you need to change cash,check at major banks or preferably carry out all transactions using a credit or debit card that offers fee free transactions and a good exchange rate.
Geoff Lindsay,Thurgoona,NSW

CHECK MATES
Travellers with a long layover in Los Angeles could try checking in their luggage with their airline. United Airlines,bless them,let me check in my luggage 12 hours before my flight back to Australia and at no cost.
Andrew Verlei,Patterson Lakes,VIC

TOUR DE FORCE
We love a weekend stay in the Sydney CBD,even though we’re only 50 minutes away from it. Our latest one included a one and a half hour Barangaroo Cultural Tour (barangaroo.com) led by an amazing Indigenous guide. He introduced our group to the cultural history of the Gadigal people,the incredible knowledge they had concerning the native flora and the environment,the tools and weapons they used and stories of first contact,including the impact of the smallpox epidemic that arrived with the British. Highly recommended for Sydneysiders and visitors alike.
Kerrie Wehbe,Blacktown,NSW

PLASTIC WOULD BE FANTASTIC
Like your reader Margo Pope (Traveller Letters,April 1),I am also in Japan and shocked at the flimsy paper pass,going through ticket machines multiple times each day,non-replaceable if lost,all at a cost to me $645 and is expected to last three weeks. That such a technologically advanced country cannot supply a plastic tap-on pass with a unique number linked to your ID,which could be easily cancelled and replaced if damaged or lost beggars belief.
Fay Knight,Noosa Heads,Qld

NORDIC AND NICE
We have just returned from exploring Norway and Finland in their winter - think lots of snow,icy rivers and lakes,white powdery trees,gorgeous churches that date back centuries,cobble-stone lanes,art and sculpture museums. We chose Hurtigruten as it sails Norway’s west coast,stopping at towns and cities on the way across the Arctic Circle to North Cape. We then travelled overland by bus to Finland’s capital,Helsinki,and a one day trip to Tallinn,capital of Estonia. Glass igloos and dog sledding were memorable but the main event for me was the spectacular landscape. It was jaw-dropping.
Jan Williams,North Ryde,NSW

BUYER BEWARE
Richard Turner (Traveller Letters,April 9) raised the increasingly common scam of sites that act as a middleman,often with costly and misleading markups. This originated with the likes of the US ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation) process and now the web is riddled with many that may offer what they promise but with a hefty fee well above the nominal fee charged by the legitimate sites. This has expanded and now search engines allow anyone to broker hotels and accommodation and even flights with markups and with no assurance of assistance if there are issues. Increasingly,great care must be taken to avoid theft of ID,card details and fraud. Credit card chargebacks are complicated when such a business defends its charges as a legitimate business.
Paul Gerrard,Kellyville,NSW