HARD CASE

On a recent Virgin Australia Adelaide to Melbourne flight,I accidentally left my wireless headphone charging case on board. I immediately contacted Virgin. Four days later I received a text telling me they had it (I had labelled the case with my phone number) and I could come and pick it up … from Darwin. Stupidly,the airline wouldn’t get it back to me,even for a cost. Their very job isfreight. They told me I must use Pack n Send. I arranged a quote from P&S which came out at $80 (A new case was $80 + freight). I settled on Airtasker to collect for about $65,rather than to add to landfill. Why can’t Virgin make this a service for a small fee?
Lissanne Oliver,Northcote,Vic

CEREAL OFFENDERS

In response to recent letters about whether to take items from hotel breakfast buffets (Traveller Letters,May 13) I witnessed blatant theft by five Australians on a group trip of 40 to the UK last year. At breakfast,coffee and orange juice were decanted,pastries and fruit taken,and even sandwiches made for later in the day. Staff observed but did not intervene,possibly not wanting to lose future lucrative group bookings. Separate to this group,and at another hotel,a large bowl of fruit was placed near the dining room door,with a sign,“Please take up to two pieces”. Perhaps this is a more subtle way of dealing with this problem.
Judy Hocking,Mt Martha,Vic

I vividly recall on a tour in Paris many years ago being given guidelines by our delightful guide,one of which expressed in unmistakable terms that a breakfast buffet was to be consumed in the dining room at breakfast time and the only acceptable item to be taken for later consumption was a piece of fruit. I have also witnessed the look of disdain on the faces of staff in establishments as they observe diners assembling snacks to place in their bags. If nothing else,it deprives travellers of the opportunity to find wonderful bakeries and cafes to sample local delicacies and so enhance their travel experience often at surprisingly low cost.
Kathy de Flon,Belmont,NSW

At a Milan hotel a security guard confiscated an apple my wife was holding while exiting the breakfast room. I kept walking,undetected,with my (large) vest pockets full of goodies.
Dimitris Langadinos,Concord West,NSW

During a recent stay in a Norwegian hotel there was a clear sign as we arrived at the buffet breakfast:“Take what you want but eat what you take”.
Meg Wardlaw,Geelong,Vic

Being charged for croissants you have “purloined” from the hotel buffet when you are a paying guest? I’ve heard it all now. I think there is an expectation by the hotels that people will take snacks so they just cater for these occurrences. If I was charged for every snack I have taken when a hotel guest I’d be driving a cheaper car.
Neale Meagher,Malvern,Vic

SPAIN REIGNS

No country is more beautiful than Spain (Traveller,May 6),especially when dining on jamon iberico below spectacular Montserrat,near Barcelona. The meat melts in your mouth. But wherever you eat in Spain,the food is superb. Tapas,of course,but also roast pork or lamb,mussel stews,tortillas. While Spaniards may seem reserved,they put such love in their cooking you are easily distracted from doing the touristy things. Luxuriating in an historic parador hotel. Strolling around hot Seville,pretty Cadiz,Sagrada Familia,the Prado museum,or the heavenly Alhambra. A morning walk through the Generalife gardens is nothing short of sublime.
Denise Hunter,North Sydney,NSW

TIP OF THE WEEK:EXCHANGE GRATES

As the day of departure neared for our trip earlier this month we contemplated where to secure some foreign currency. We decided to get some at Melbourne Airport. Be warned. At the only foreign exchange company at the airport there was no screen visible showing the exchange rates. On purchasing,the rates of exchange were Prosecur:euro-50¢ and US dollar-58¢. Compare this with purchasing foreign currency pre-airport:euro-58¢ and US dollars-67¢. Next time we’ll make sure we’ve done any foreign exchange buying before going to the airport.
Michael Ryan,Torquay,Vic

WILD RIDE

To celebrate our first grandchild’s HSC we had a tour to England,France and Italy. There were 15 of us from three years of age to 75. We had visited Venice the previous day. A taxi ferried us from our accommodation at Monselice to the station. Our first stop was Padua and it was then to be Chambery. But after an hour the train stopped at Mondane. It was very cold and we were told to stay in the train. Then we were told to get off and the train left. After an hour and a half another train arrived for us and we were given a box of edible goodies including tinned salads,pate,fruit,water and crackers. On to Chambery to change trains again with the guard helping us to get our bags on board the train to Gare de Lyon Paris,not Lyon. Bags off again in a hurry and with us and the guard with two of our bags we ran under the line and onto the right train. At Lyon,we had to get two suburban trains to our accommodation. Some of the young ones had not seen snow till it began that night. We were the last plane to leave Charles de Gaule airport a couple of days later and saw the water sprayed on the wings and the ice falling off before we took off.
Janice Howton,Sawtell NSW

AGE WILL NOT WEARY US

In response to your story about how different generations travel (Traveller,May 14),I feel it was somewhat ageist to not consider the over 77 age group. In my experience there are many active travellers in the 78 and over age bracket who are currently travelling both interstate and overseas either organising their own independent travel or taking organised adventures,cultural tours and cruises etc. Now that travel has opened up again post-pandemic,this generation of travellers,often with a wealth of travel experiences spanning up to 50 years or more,who have maintained their sense of adventure and curiosity about the world and who are fortunate to be fit and healthy,are anxious to expand their horizons once again and are on the move
Margaret Woods,Fitzroy Vic

SHARK BITE

In preparation for a forthcoming trip to Bali I decided to apply for a visa online,at a cost of IDR500,000 or about $50. However,when I Googled,looking for the official Indonesian Immigration Department website,I accidentally clicked on an official looking site entitled “Indonesia visitor visa” and ended up paying $US99. Avoid these sharks and go toimigrasi.go.id and you will also get your visa immediately.
John de Meur,Cremorne Point,NSW

RACK AND RUIN

As I write,we are currently on a Trenitalia high speed train travelling at 289 km/h between Milan and Lyon. It is a comfortable train with a two-by-two seating configuration with forward and backwards facing seats. Booking,checking in and on-time departure was good. But be prepared to find a space for your backpack. Ours could not fit on the luggage racks yet otherwise,so far,it’s been a pleasant trip.
Michael Copping,Oatley,NSW