In the carefree pre-COVID-19 days of 2019,at the tender age of 59,I took a year off work,and without any real plans,I packed a backpack and flew to Bali. While I was there,I realised that with good planning and some luck I could make it all the way to London without catching another flight. It took 79 nine days,24,000 kilometres and countless adventures using only trains,buses and ferries. A significant part of the trip was a traverse of Russia from west to east. This is no longer possible and will not be for many years to come,which is a shame as it is a fascinating country. But the real lesson is this:Don’t put your plans off,they may not be possible later on.
Anthony Walbran,Dee Why,NSW

FULL BOTTLE

Before arriving in Mumbai by ship,we received notification that all “single use” plastic items were not permitted to be taken ashore. This included drink bottles and plastic bags. How sensible. What would it take for Australia to follow suit? I can’t think of a single negative.
Mandy Morgan,Malvern,Vic

BUCOLIC BLISS

Lee Tulloch,in her column about the real treasures of our wonderful country towns (Traveller,April 8) appropriately encourages travellers to visit them. Supporting regional folk,many of whom have been hit by fire or flood,is important. And quiet trips out of the city can be a means of regaining the nostalgia and slower pace of yesteryear. Avoiding the airport rush,hopping in the car and pottering down old main streets,eating simple yet tasty food,and searching for the ultimate pre-loved gift is as sustainable as it is rejuvenating. Country towns are the best.
Amy Hiller,Kew,Vic

PAIRED IN THE AIR

When is Qantas going to work out that,to their customers,Qantas and Jetstar are one and the same? If I can book a domestic Jetstar flight through the Qantas site,then Qantas is therefore equally responsible for changes,refunds,and rebooking on either airline with no charge when they cancel my flight. Instead,I had a disastrous,incredibly expensive experience last week with a Jetstar cancellation.
Michele Sharp,Queens Park,NSW

CLICK BAIT

I’m wondering if anyone could answer one of life’s great mysteries with a Qantas Frequent Flyer Classic Rewards search? I am a Gold member with lots of points and when I search for a business class Classic Rewards ticket,the calendar pops up and occasionally the red ribbon showing availability appears. I click on it,but there’s no Classic Rewards flight. I change it to premium economy,nothing there. First class? Forget it. I then change it to “one passenger”. Still nothing. Almost every search involving a red ribbon ends this way regardless of the destination. Am I alone? There must be some logic to when the red ribbon does appear. Or as it is Qantas,perhaps not?
Martin Joy,Tallai,Qld

DON’T CALL US…

My wife and I picked up our hire car in Marseilles to travel around the south of France. However,the attendant failed to ask if we had downloaded the Avis app. This is a must-have because it is almost impossible to contact them without it. Phone calls to the number on the hire paperwork did not work and when using emails,it took seven days for a reply. Upon returning the car I complained about the difficulty in contacting them and their reply was to ask whether we’d downloaded the app.
Barry Stubbs,West Hobart,Tas

TIP OF THE WEEK

IN FINE FORMOSA

I’m sitting in a high-speed train in Taiwan travelling at 200 kilometres per hour using the excellent free Wi-Fi,with the refreshment trolley going past,and marvelling at how easy and pleasant travel is here. All signage and announcements are in English as well as Mandarin,so finding your way around is relatively easy. And,miraculously I can understand the announcements here much more easily than I can standing on Flinders Street Station back in Melbourne. This is our second time here. Taiwan is a beautiful country with fabulous infrastructure and friendly people. Well worth a visit.
Jacque Hardwick,Coburg,Vic

WHEN THE BOATS COME IN

Guests staying in harbour view rooms in The Rocks area of Sydney would do well to check the local Port Authority’s website for cruise ship timetables to avoid disappointment. We carefully selected a harbour view room in a hotel at The Rocks in Sydney only to have the view blocked by multi-storey cruise ships day after day. While the view was great and like the website photos when unobstructed,for the majority of our waking hours a more accurate name would have been the cruise ship view room.
Lisa Edgar,Brunswick,Vic

EDITOR’S NOTE The peak cruise season in Sydney is between October and April with the city’s Overseas Passenger Terminal less busy in the other months. But,as our reader suggests,it’s a good idea to check the daily cruise schedule at portauthoritynsw.com.au as views from restaurants,as well as hotels,can also be obscured by berthed cruise liners.

JAPAN PANNED

On a three-week trip around Kyushu,Japan,we drove along the delightful back roads between Kurokawa Onsen and Takachiho Gorge. We decided to stop for lunch at the Aso Fruits Garden. The menu consisted of pizza. Only pizza. The big surprise was that the customers were directed to make their own pizzas. From the slicing of the ingredients (supplied),the pulling of the pizza dough (supplied),the chopping of the firewood (supplied) and the stoking and tending of the handmade earth pizza ovens. The wonderful proprietor guided the uninitiated through the various tasks,however our Aussie barbie skills had us feeling very at home with the routine. At the end of the meal we spent some time chatting to our enthusiastic host and discovered he seldom has Australian visitors. If you are in the area and can spare time for a leisurely lunch this is a fun and relaxing experience. The expansive views of the mountains across the valley from the dining verandah topped off a very memorable afternoon.
Mark Darcy,Balmain,NSW

ALTERED STATES

A warning to those using the numerous “roam like at home” phone plans,as it would seem that the phone companies may have very different ideas of what actually constitutes a country. I recently discovered that Vodafone are either in need of a geography lesson or are trying to rewrite the history books,as they now define Puerto Rico,Hawaii and Alaska “as not part of the USA”. This is despite them sending me a text message welcoming me to the US and affording me $5 a day roaming. Even with said text message I’ve now had to say “hola” to a bill for over $300 and a lesson in the world according to Vodafone.
Jordan Smith,Castle Hill,NSW

HOUNDED IN JORDAN

We recently spent the night at a camp in Jordan’s popular Wadi Rum. At sunrise,one of our party went a short distance outside the perimeter to smoke,only to be attacked and bitten by wild dogs. He spent a terrifying hour warding them off and they dispersed only when a local came to help. As there is rabies in the area,he needed rabies shots. We were told of other attacks happening twice in the last fortnight,one leading to the death of a child. There was no warning sign,no verbal warning. Wadi Rum is a magnificent landscape but don’t leave the camp without a local escort.
Tess Evans,Eltham,Vic