Readers' travel tips: I forgot my iPad on the plane and Qantas returned it to me

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Readers' travel tips: I forgot my iPad on the plane and Qantas returned it to me

''The Qantas staff did an excellent job,'' says one reader.

''The Qantas staff did an excellent job,'' says one reader.Credit: Shuttershock

MAKE THE CALL

Recently I took the QF23 from Sydney to Bangkok and after leaving the aircraft, I cleared customs and immigration and proceeded to the Bangkok Airways check-in counter in the departures terminal. I reached for my iPad to show the agent my ticket details only to find I had left it on the aircraft.

I immediately went to the Qantas check-in counter for the return QF24 to find it had already closed. I then went to the information booth and asked them to ring the Qantas office. They did and then handed me the phone.

The young lady asked me my name, seat details, the type and colour of the iPad. I told her and she replied, "we have it right here and I can bring it to you in 20 minutes".

She arrived and asked me to log in as the last bit of security to show it was mine and left. I thanked her for her prompt service.

We all hear stories about property left on aircraft and never seeing it again but on this occasion this was proved wrong.

The Qantas staff did an excellent job.

Christopher Birch, Elanora Heights, NSW

TIP OF THE WEEK: ENTERING EGYPT

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Last week I posted our passports off to the Egyptian consulate in Melbourne to gain our visas for entry into the country in October. The form asked for arrival and departure dates, as expected, and other vital details. We received our passports back within five business days and upon checking them I noticed the expiry date was September 25, 2018, but our visit starts on October 1, 2018. I rang the consulate and was told that the visas are valid only for six months. Once again, I reinforced that we would not be arriving until October 1 and the receptionist stated that everything would be OK as she had checked the data base and it showed that we were arriving on October 1 and departing October 10 and not to worry as these were the dates that would appear when immigration scans our passports. It all left us feeling a little anxious, but I had to take her word and hopefully we will get to visit Egypt. The tip here: don't apply for the visa until six months before you travel; but I wonder why the passports weren't returned with a note saying to apply again in three months?

Barry Stubbs, West Hobart, TAS

WINTER TYRE WOES

The ski season in the US is over but a tip for those who plan to ski there next season. Be aware that no car rental company out of San Francisco equips vehicles with winter tyres. Chains are not permitted as their use is in contravention of the rental agreement. This situation caused many white knuckle driving days through California, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming and Montana and forced us to totally change our itinerary on a couple of occasions to suit weather conditions for driving without winter tyres.

Annette Riches, Mosman 2088

SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL

I keep a basket in the wardrobe for odd socks and underwear that that is at the "I think it is time to toss it out stage". Then when I am going on a short break, say four nights, I just pack all these all sorts for "smalls". Then, as I use them, I just toss them out. And for PJs, I just take an old T-shirt of my son's, and it gets left behind too. Wasteful? Not really, I was going to toss them out anyway. And it gains a bit of space in the home-bound bag for shopping.

Helen Jeffcoat, Indooroopilly, QLD

BREAKFAST LIKE A KING (OR QUEEN)

I regularly bring instant oat packets on my travels. Most hotel rooms or hostels will typically have a kettle and mug to add hot water to the mixture. Simply stir and enjoy! This will not only save on breakfast spending, but nourish you for the day. You can head off and start sightseeing straight away without needing to stop for food. Plus you never know who you could meet in the communal kitchen of a hostel.

Stephanie Corsetti, Bendigo, VIC

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