Each week, the Traveler publishes a selection of discussions, raves and travel tips from our readers. See below how you can contribute.
Letter of the Week: Without laugh
Our recent trip with Tripadeal and Qantas (owner of Tripadeal) highlighted to what extent customer service fell. On our starting day for Cusco, Peru, Qantas rescheduled our flights, which means we lost the first night and the day of our tour. They also left my wife’s suitcase in Melbourne and mine in Santiago. They marked a Lima connection flight to Cusco that left before we were scheduled to arrive. Tripadeal customer service consisted of emails generated by AI, without significant assistance. The Qantas team laughed, saying that this happens constantly. If it weren’t for our tracker tags and, directly following ourselves, we wouldn’t have our bags yet.
Anthony Jeffs, Croydon, Vic
Why not wi-fi?
Motivations to pay the Extra for the executive class are comfort, service and, if business travel, the ability to conduct it. Nowadays, this should include Wi-Fi. Recognizing this, some airlines are now making the quality of your Wi-Fi a feature on your promotion. However, during a recent trip flying on Sydney-Duba-Sondon-Sydney, Emirates had no Wi-Fi on the four legs. Making a complaint about this after my flight, I was advised “Wi-Fi is subject to intermittent failures.” It’s not good enough.
Nigel Benton, Surry Hills, NSW
Editor’s note Traveler The editor experimented with the same “problem” on a recent Emirates business class flight between Dubai and Munich, with the crew unable to adequately explain the reason for the full wi-fi unavailability. However, the service was impeccable in the Sydney sector to Dubai.
Constantinople Constternation
We were excited to fly a new service from Turkish Airlines from Sydney to Istanbul and ensure a reasonable business class rate. However, on the day of the match, there was a confusing series of texts and emails and broken links on the airline’s website. Eventually, we found that there was a 16 -hour delay, so instead of the scheduled night flight, we would leave at lunchtime the next day. When we finally got on the plane, there was no explanation, apologies, no offering of compensation and a crew that was the rude one ever. Surly service made you feel that they were the ones who were bothered.
Mark Rainbird, Cooge, NSW
Wing
Lorraine Phillips’ Planet The Priority “Letter (Traveler letters, September 6), regarding containing antarctic tourism to protect the region, it was admirable. However, it is global tourism and the desire of fossil -powered growth air industry that threatens Antarctic. Even with the sustainable aviation fuel requirements required by the EU, Airbus and Boeing growth forecasts show that by 2049 the industry will still be using oil -derived aviation fuel as today. Renown Green Washing, the airline industry is still about to take climate change seriously.
Geoff Collis, Eltham, Vic
My path is the road
I must disagree with Cheryl Gallagher in his lyrics “Get Rail” (Traveler letters, September 6), in the relative merits of train and car trips. In 50 years of world travel, I was never in a position where train travel were a better option than a car. Trains run to rigid and fixed and fixed destinations, require terminal transfers where you stop, are much less comfortable than a car and are usually more expensive than a car. Also, you need to carry your luggage inside and deactivate and often keep it in aerial shelves, which can be physically demanding. On the other hand, a car is 100 % flexible in time, choice of destination and with options to vary the route. Also, for some reason, trains almost always seem to follow the ugliest routes, so you are stuck looking at your backs of warehouses and rail piles, which may be depressing. If you have a long way to go, fly and hire a car at the end.
Bruce Hyland, Woy Woy, nsw
Public
The older I get, the more reluctant I will hire a car abroad and the more in love with public transport I became. However, I cannot fully agree with your correspondent that the train trip takes you everywhere you may want to go. One of the delights of traveling in France for many years is to hire gites in the countryside, part of the FRANCE GITE HOUSE HOUSE NETWORK. Gites are often agricultural buildings converted to villages, villages and small cities. These are usually only accessible by car. In a six -day walk along the Bourgogne channel I had done for several years, there was no bus service or train entering the smaller places. You walk down the channel, ride a bike, hire a barge or drive a car. Regrettably, blows and misbehavior from car rental companies still take many people where they want to travel to some less affordable places.
Brenda Kilgore, Red Hill, act
Going to places I
In addition to the observations on the replacement of bathrooms with “bathrooms” (Traveler letters, September 6), you can no longer buy toilet paper in Costco. You have to buy “Bath Tissue fabric”. This evokes visions of a soaked background.
John Ure, Mount Hutton, NSW
Going to places II
Very well, Dave Horsfall (Traveler letters, August 16) and Robert Dyson (Traveler letters, September 6), for mentioning the shy reluctance to say “bathroom”. I found that “Loo” is an understood alternative. What is most disturbing, however, is going to a local bathroom and finding it requires a local coin to enter a cubicle.
Marjie Williamson, Blaxland, NSW
Validity
While we camping most when we travel, we buy in supermarkets throughout the US and Europe and we have to agree with Lee Tulloch (TravelerAugust 30) that they provide a view of food crops. We were impressed with a nearby Rome to see, not a pasta shelf, but an entire corridor.
Ainslie Morris, South Durras, nsw
Udder misfortune
The letter “Milk of Human Cruelty” by Narelle Murray (Traveler letters, September 6) It reminded us of a communist era hotel in Slovenia, where we asked the reception two cups of English breakfast to be brought to our room. Minutes later, a maid appeared at our door holding two tea bags and I brought her to show that we had no cups or bonlets. She came back with it, but of course, without milk.
Stuart Ewing, Chatwood, NSW
Tip of the week: Ways Gate Ways
We were afraid to visit Istanbul’s vast Grand Bazaar independently, so we hired a guide and that was their strategy for a successful tour: start at Gate 7 and walk straight through gate 1; Adventured in this area for a Kebab lunch at the renowned donerner Sahin Usta and then Hafiz Mustafa to Baklava. Go back to gate 1 and then go back to gate 7. A good taste for everything Istanbul.
Denise Jensen, Mitcham, Vic
Case chase
My husband and I recently returned to Sydney airport after spending seven weeks crossing Med, Iceland, East Canada and the US. It was not until we went through immigration and collected our bags that I turned to look at my husband with our luggage cart, which I realized, that we left a bag inside the arrival room. What to do, because you can’t go back through the customs exit doors? Eventually, I found the Earth Handling Services Office, now outsourced to Dnata, hidden in front of McDonald’s. They were useful and said this usually happens and I recovered our bag around because, 1) I had a picture of the bags I had sent to my family 2) I had all my baggage receipts with me 3) I had an air label in my bag, so I could show him where he was in the hall customs. A great result and I will certainly be doing the above when we travel again.
Sue Bennett-Williams, St Ives, NSW
Timing IDYLL
After more than five visits to the impressive island of Symi, Greece (Tripologist, August 22), we say we release the larger islands and share their fortnight between Symi and one of their sisters, like Tilos or Heliki, both reasonably short of Rhodes ferry. Since these islands have no airport and only Symi receives day -day trippers, you will have an island experience that is one million kilometers from Insu influencers moving away from the larger islands and 10 % of visitors. There are also beautiful villages and chalets to rent in peanuts compared to overcrowded resort hotels.
Victoria Watts, Tarragindi, QLD
It’s a draw
Any travelers interested in the variety of new and old architecture in Singapore can join a local urban design group or make it yourself, soil. For inspiration, try a great series of leaflets called Sketchers Urban Singapore, which include the neighborhoods of Chinatown, Little India, Serangoon Gardens, Katong and more. You can take the MRT, bus or taxi to all these places. Go to Kinokuniya Bookstore on Orchard Road to get your art supplies.
Diane Kraal, Eaglemont, Vic
Going private
Web navigation leaves a detailed record of your research on holiday hotels, air rates, cruises, car rentals and more. Companies use this to direct it with various annoying ads by and email, text messages and telephone notifications. In addition, their social media, which start a few minutes after starting their research. To remedy this, select a new unknown window (Google) or a private navigation window web browser (Safari), to keep your research in particular and not make it historic for companies to use to sell things. These windows also limit unwanted attention from scammers and spammers and are mandatory for the domestic bank (to keep your details safe). Then go crazy or go crazy when holiday ads start entering.
Tony Danino, Wheelers Hill, Vic
The lyrics writer wins three Hardie Grant travel books. See Hardiegrant.com
TThe writer of the tip of the week gains a set of three lonely travel books on the planet. See Shop.LonelyPlanet.com
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