Rave on,please

Your recentTraveller Letters (August 5) exceeded my expectations. You got the balance and themes right,as readers need feedback to plan their travel,lest it unravel. But more raves than rants,please. Trips are a subjective experience so expect the unexpected. Research your journey and have back-ups. If you can’t afford travel insurance with health cover,you can’t afford to travel. Be safe,take care,and enjoy it within appreciable limits.Mike Fogarty,Weston,ACT

Wet and wild

Zoos Victoria’s Fauna Park at Kyabram is now on my travel map (Traveller,August 5). Home to 600 animals,this park also protects 33 hectares of wetland for migratory birds and threatened species. The more extensive Winton Wetlands – ranked a “Wetland of Distinction” by the (international) Society of Wetland Scientists – has spawned a range of upcoming art events in its Benalla-Wangaratta region. The proposed Wycheproof Wetlands Precinct in the north-west is another exciting example of nature-based tourism. It’s great to see Victoria’s wetlands promoted as wildlife sanctuaries,rather than duck-shooting playgrounds.Joan Reilly,Surrey Hills,Vic

Road warrior I

Brava,Traveller. As I write we are in Italy but our daily newspaper ritual continues thank goodness. As I read,and greatly enjoyed,your writer Michael Gebicki’s dissection of many of the mysteries of travel in his story (Traveller,August 5) I came across the item:“Why do I still need an International Driving Permit (IDP) when I’m driving overseas?” Che Cosa? We were set to pick up our wheels the next day and not an IDP between us. Some quick Googling,and we came across a highly recommended site that issues an online version within two hours (for postage,we faced a delay of seven business days). Disaster averted. Well,we still have the Italian roads and drivers to navigate but no problem since a couple of pages on and you wereadvising on that very topic. Grazie molto.Janet Argall,Dulwich Hill,NSW

Road warrior II

As well as being super kind to strangers – a tradition as old as Homer (Traveller Letters,August 5) – Greeks also make us welcome on the roads. An Australian driver’s licence has been acceptable since about 2022 in Greece,as well as in the UK and New Zealand. I would never recommend driving in major cities like Athens or Thessaloniki,but we recently used local rental firms in Crete and Florina to enjoy the hospitality of mountain villages.Angela Michaelis,Balmain,NSW

View on a view

To add to Brian Johnston’s excellent advice on being a newbie on a river cruise (Traveller,August 12),don’t waste money on a room with a balcony. Your room is for sleeping,showering and dressing and,other than that,you are never in it. You get much better views from the public areas of the ship.Peter Miniutti,Ashbury,NSW

Memory lanes

Rob McFarland’s story (Traveller,August 12) on the Portuguese Camino brought back many memories. Having walked parts of the French Camino in 2013 and 2015 my wife,Liliana,and I chose the Portuguese Camino for our September 2019 pilgrimage. RAW Travel in Mornington,Victoria,provided us with a self-guided option (and yes,with our luggage “effortlessly whisked to the next destination”). We found the Portuguese Camino to have all the attributes of the more popular French Camino,including friendly people,great food,comfortable accommodation,more suitable for pilgrims seeking a little solitude.Anthony and Liliana Lopes,Sans Souci,NSW

No to Caminos

No doubt the Camino pilgrimage offers a wonderful,rich,fulfilling experience. However,in this era of environmental decline,I suggest that where possible we steer clear of over-crowded paths on the other side of the world and instead embrace some of our unique long rambling walks. The Overland Track,the Three Capes Walk,the Great Ocean Walk,the Larapinta Trek and the Cape to Cape Walk are just a few of the opportunities for Australians to put one foot in front of the other and reconnect with ourselves and our breathtaking landscapes.Amy Hiller,Kew,Vic

Tip of the week 1:What a trip,by Gove

We recently returned from two weeks touring Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory with an Australian-based company,Outback Spirit. From Gove we journeyed through some amazing countryside staying two nights each at Murwangi Safari Camp,Arnhem Land Barramundi Lodge,Mount Borradaile visiting the magnificent Arafura Swamp and finally three nights at the outstanding Seven Spirit Bay on the Cobourg Peninsula. We had the opportunity to visit Aboriginal art centres to see local artists at work,to experience exclusive fishing in pristine waterways with expert guides,cultural centres,stunning 40,000 year old rock art galleries and a failed British settlement. The wildlife,including crocodiles,banteng,dingoes and all sorts of reptiles,was amazing. Arnhem Land is only accessible with this sort of organised touring holiday with a sunset dinner cruise topping off with a wonderful experience.Peter Russell,Camden,NSW

Tip of the week 2:Big on Ben

We always love reading Ben Groundwater’s articles,and he really struck a chord in us for his passion of going somewhere different and new (Traveller,August 13). We had a three-month trip which included a river cruise,visits to the French Alps,Geneva and Lyon,then the Robert Louis Stevenson six-day walk in the Cevennes and,finally,to the south of France for a family wedding.

It was everything we hoped for and more – so true is it that the point of travel is to provide the “freedom to break the shackles of normality”. Staying in one place for longer was a game-changer,and we immersed ourselves in the cities or villages we stayed in. Yes it was tiring,but a rest day in between kept us going. It was transformative for us with the people we met and the willingness of total strangers to engage in conversation.
A&B Sayers,Kilsyth South,Vic

Lost (and only just) found

I got hopelessly lost in Paris being led by Apple Maps. It should have been practically a straight line from Montmartre back to our hotel with our concierge advising that Google Maps work better in France for some reason,and especially in Paris.
Tric Alldis,Belmont,Vic

Exchange grate

Buyers beware when booking “pay later” hotel rooms on aggregators. Several times recently I have booked accommodation at a rate advertised (and booked) in Australian dollars,only to find that when it comes time to pay,another currency,such as US dollars,applies. So the $200 a night rate is actually,for example,$US130. If the Australian dollar slides,(which it is doing presently) by the time payment is taken,that $US130 is significantly more than $200. Last time I complained and Agoda agreed to fix the rate at the Australian dollar amount specified when I booked. But one shouldn’t have to be on the lookout for these anomalies.Ross Duncan,Potts Point,NSW

Classes dismissed

After several cancelled holidays due to the pandemic,our family recently splurged on business class tickets from Melbourne to Germany and premium economy from Germany to Australia with Vietnam Airlines. While business class was delightful and premium economy was spacious,we found that if you usually do not sleep on a plane,you will not sleep in any class. In future,we will save our money for treats and upgrades at our destinations.Alison Cook,Blackburn North,Vic

Best in their battlefield

After having long hoped to one day visit sites of my grandfather’s First World War service in the Somme-Passchendaele regions from 1917-18,I can heartily recommend the likeable and extremely knowledgeable Annette and Christian from the Belgium-based Camalou Battlefield Tours. With nearly 40 years experience and providing all you want to know and see in France and nearby countries,you can simply email the name and service details of your relative and they will prepare an itinerary. Our two days with them included cold drinks,light lunches and a pleasant hotel in Ypres,on the square in the Old Town,a few minutes’ walk from the daily evening remembrance service at the Menin Gate. Driven safely around the beautiful countryside,we tried to imagine the horrors and bravery of those dark days,paying our respects at immaculately tended Commonwealth and other memorials,visiting excellent museums including the Sir John Monash Centre and the school in Villers-Bretonneux.Anne Cloak,Bargo,NSW

Star overnight

Your “Slowly doesn’t do it” correspondents (Traveller Letters,August 12) suggested they will not travel on the train from Melbourne to Sydney. May I say that the travel time is well advertised and,even though it is sometimes more than 12 hours duration,the seats are comfortable,you can walk around,the food kiosk is acceptable for a snack and rather than departing and arriving at an out of town airport,the train arrives in the centre of the city. Added pluses are no queues and no baggage limits. Try the overnight sleeper. It is superb,comfortable and has bathroom and shower facilities for a very economical price.James Anderson,Wahroonga,NSW

Now they tell us

One week before departing on a Cambodia tour,we were assured that we could get our visas on arrival. At Sydney airport,Singapore Airlines would not issue our tickets without visas. If we agreed to cancel our Cambodia tickets we could fly to Singapore. Once there we got the last two tickets and met up with our group. Brisbane departees had no issue. The tour company simply reiterated that visas are the responsibility of the traveller. Singapore Airlines compensated us for our stress with an $A80 voucher each to spend in their online shop,where we could find nothing useful.
Ron Huban,Suffolk Park,NSW

Doze were the days

I must disagree with Alison Cook (Traveller Letters,August 18),who writes that if one doesn’t usually sleep on a plane,then going business or premium economy is a waste of money. I beg to differ;several years ago I flew business class to Los Angeles on Virgin,returning with American Airlines. As the beds were flat and deliciously comfortable,I slept very well.
Dorothy Gliksman,Cedar Brush Creek,NSW

Well trained

I love the train Sydney-Melbourne-Sydney (Traveller Letters,August 18) I turn up 15 minutes before,no queues,room for my suitcase,no seat belt,comfy reclinable seats in twos,spacious aisles,and a buffet car. I take my Kindle,crosswords,crochet,listening device and earphones,switch my phone to aeroplane mode,sit back and relax. Bliss.
Lilian Andrew,Mosman,NSW

Give yourself a break

The growing mountainous height of dead trees from daily use of millions of disposable chopsticks consigned to land-fill makes for some pause for thought. A Japan 10-day tour for two,for instance,will incur a whopping 60 sets of break apart chopsticks to cater three meal sittings a day. Buy a pair of nice reusable chopsticks and re-use them at each meal. Each pair makes perfect and practical returned souvenirs for dining out on your return home.
Joseph Ting,Carina,Qld

Must zip

Having been warned regarding pickpocket risks in crowded areas and public transport in the populous cities of South America,I arranged for zipped pockets to be inserted in the inside lining of my padded jacket. One for larger documents such as boarding passes,and for mobile phones;the other for wallet,passport,and valuables such as a ring. Result:Many stress- free visits,and trips in crowded trains and buses.
Dean,North Ballarat,Vic

Keep it simple

Best travel tips are easily summarised:Always keep your cash,phone and cards in a separate pocket or bag. Never leave your baggage,no matter how tempting. Don’t take anything you can’t afford to lose.
Yvonne Lynes,Bonbeach,Vic

Off track

Your story Continental drift (Traveller,August 13) of a train journey from Lisbon to Belgrade,sensibly starts Lisbon to Madrid to Barcelona to Lyon. But the accompanying map confusingly and inexplicably routes from Lisbon to Barcelona,backtracks to Madrid,then continues on to Lyon.

P.G. Price,Southbank,Vic

EDITOR’S NOTE The online version of the map has been corrected. Traveller apologises for the error.

The Letter of the Week writer wins three Hardie Grant travel books. Seehardiegrant.com

The Tip of the Week writer wins a set of three Lonely Planet travel books. Seeshop.lonelyplanet.com