Slowly does it

Excellent to see sustainable travel opportunities heralded as some of the “next big things in travel” in your special (Traveller,September 2). Embracing the slower travel of trains,sail boats,bikes and walking where-ever possible,is not only better for the environment,it allows us to enjoy the journey as well as the destination. In our fast-paced world,immersing oneself in local cultures and within the healing powers of nature is as important as it is restorative. For a stress-free break,slower adventures closer to home revelling in Australia’s beauty are hard to beat.
Karen Lamb,North Geelong,Vic

Rank indifference

Matthew Doyle (Traveller Letters,September 2) is not alone in having taxi drivers angry at a short fare from Melbourne Airport,but it is really the fault of the rapacious owners of the airport,who charge taxi drivers a fee for them to waste time and miss out on fares when stuck in a queue. Now we have found that the taxi rank has been moved far down the road past T4,perhaps half a kilometre from the other terminals. You can defeat both these customer-unfriendly imposts by going to departures,and flagging down a cab who has just dropped someone off. They won’t have to queue so won’t mind a short fare. The airport hates it,but it’s not illegal. And now with the taxi rank changes it’s certainly going to be quicker.
Jon Saul,Coburg,Vic

Silver linings

I recently travelled through Melbourne Airport security where I removed my silver bangles placing them in the tray with my bag and coat. I retrieved them and crossed the aisle to the bench where I intended to put them back on. For some reason I put my coat on and picked up my bag and left the bangles on the bench. They are of great sentimental value and I thought I would never see them again. Thanks to an unknown person who handed them in and the amazing staff in the lost and found department,they were safely returned to me in a couple of days. I was blown away with the compassion and kindness shown to me by the contact person at lost and found,she obviously understood my distress and took the time to take my details,search for my bangles and organise their safe return.
Triesha Hueneke,Byron Bay,NSW

Yes to Caminos

I agree with you,Amy Hiller,in respect to your “no to Caminos” letter (Traveller Letters,August 26) that Australia does have the most beautiful walks. But there are good reasons why I walked the Camino in May this year. Safety in numbers – as a solo female traveller I never felt alone in the Camino community. No need to join a group,which meant walking at my own pace and massive savings.

On top of that,accommodation was an average €8 ($13.50) a night;there are excellent track directions and waymarkers so no need to continually look at maps;and food supply shops everywhere. Where else in Australia can you walk for 900 kilometres meeting the above criteria? By the way,please add the Great North Walk from Sydney to Newcastle to your list.
Bettina Harris,Hornsby Heights,NSW

Tip of the week:Italy takes it toll

My best friend and I thought it would be great to spend two months driving around Italy and Spain,though neither of us had ever driven on the right-hand side of the road. At the age of 60,it was an experience. We took a five-minute driving lesson,which I found on the internet,about how to drive in Italy,and it seemed pretty simple. That is,until the roundabouts (no wonder everyone we spoke to thought we were crazy for driving in Italy).

Our first adventure was from Venice to Milan,and it was the tolls that caused the most drama as neither of us could read or speak a word of Italian. We ended up in the wrong lines every time,and,let me say,the Italians don’t like to be held up for anything. I have never heard so many car horns blasting at the same time. My advice is if you want to drive in either country,work out the road tolls first,have cash,card and if you can get your hands on a toll pass,get one. But,of course,both of us loved both countries.
Vicki McKendrick,Cleveland,Qld

Editor’s note: One of our regular contributors,Brian Johnston,shares histhoughts on driving in Italy here.

Speed thrills

Air New Zealand has a Special Assistance hotline for the resolution of travellers’ issues. Recently,urgent surgery required me to defer booked travel until stable health returns. A medical certificate was provided and in one phone call Air New Zealand accepted my request,cancelled the bookings and issued credit notes for the payments made. The credits arrived by email as we spoke and were cost free,the only requirement being they be used within 12 months. Thank you,Air New Zealand for your empathy,a speedy resolution and quality customer care,all rare nowadays.
John Williams,Ivanhoe,Vic

Dishing the dirt

I road tripped from Melbourne to Alice Springs recently,visiting Uluru and Kings Canyon,with stops at the Flinders Ranges,Clare Valley and Coober Pedy on the way. I can’t speak more highly of taking in the expanse of the outback via car. The thrill of seeing wild emus,dingoes and burnt out cars along the highway can’t be experienced aboard a plane. The key tip for outback driving is to use Google Maps with caution as it doesn’t identify unpaved roads. And make sure you double-check that your car is suitable for the suggested route. We got caught out a couple of times and of course didn’t have reception when we got to the dirt road to enable us to easily reroute.
Georgie Foster,Thornbury,Vic

Wait. There’s more

In addition to the advice provided in Ask the Tripologist (Traveller,September 15),I’d like to suggest experiences gained from two trips to Cornwall in 2011 and 2017 staying at a one-bedroom apartment,22 Piazza,St Ives,for the week. It’s such an interesting town covered mostly by walking and there are local bus and train services. We did drive from London but would not do so again. Driving and parking is difficult,so much so that on our last trip we found a car space and did not move the car for the week.

A train from London would be a cheaper option. We used Oates Travel,a family run travel service based in St Ives. We booked three day trips to cover Port Isaac (Portwenn in theDoc Martin TV series),Padstow,the Eden Project and the Lost Gardens of Heligan.
Judi Rosevear,Wantirna,Vic

Irish eyes unsmiling

A word of caution for older drivers hiring a rental car in Ireland. Anyone over 75 has to have with them two written statements for most of the major hire companies:one from their GP stating that they are fit to drive and one from their car insurance company stating that they have not had any accidents in the previous five years. Without those two statements they will not be given a car. I was not aware that these two statements were required and so was not in possession of them when I went to the depot to pick up the car. The fact that I had just driven over 3500 kilometres in France in a hired car without a single problem made no impression on them at all. My booking was prepaid and they would have been within their rights to deny me a refund,as I had not fulfilled their requirements. Fortunately,my strong advocacy after I had been refused proved to be enough to gain a full refund. But a refund,partial or full,is by no means guaranteed.
John Byrne,Kallista,Vic

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