Travel passes are good value in the Norwegian capital, Oslo, and many museums offer seniors a discount. Credit: Luis Dafos / Alamy Stock Photo
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TIP OF THE WEEK
NEVER DISCOUNT A SAVING
Norway's Oslo Pass, for 24, 48 and 72 hours, represents great value, even more so for those aged 67 or older (20 per cent less), with 60-plus travellers without a pass able to ask for museum entry discount.
At the excellent Norway's Resistance Museum we paid full price and then noted that a 50 per cent discount would have applied to the two of us aged between 60 and 66, had we asked.
Elsewhere, membership of the National Trust in Australia, while yielding well-known free entry at its British counterpart properties, also works in Italy, where its equivalent organisation has properties, mostly in the country's north.
Greg Malcher, Hepburn Springs, VIC
BELT UP
On a recent fast-train trip from Montpellier in France to Barcelona in Spain, all our luggage was stolen, while on the Metro in Barcelona we were also pickpocketed on two separate occasions.
My husband had his wallet taken from a secret pocket in his travel pants and I my purse from a special secure travel handbag which even I have trouble opening. What can you do to stop this happening to you?
Always carry passports, credit cards, and most of your money in money belts. Secure purses or wallets inside your security bags and the like so they are not easily removed.
On some trains there is a small luggage area in the middle of the carriage, use it and not the one at the end of the carriage. If you can't see your bags, stretch your legs before and during every stop to watch them.
There is no better way to destroy a great three-month holiday in Europe than to be left with just the clothes you are wearing and not much else. We are still waiting to hear from our travel insurer.
Helen Curtis, Gundaroo, NSW
CLASSIC DISCONNECT
Anyone flying with Alaska Airlines between Canada and Alaska should make sure they leave plenty of transit time between flights.
My wife and I were informed that when flying from Victoria to Sitka via Seattle, the US immigration would be done in Victoria, giving us plenty of time at Sea-Tac to make connecting flights.
Not only was this information wrong, we only made our connecting flight after a lengthy run through the airport. Unfortunately, our luggage didn't make it.
On our way back from Ketchikan to Vancouver our flight was delayed which gave us only 15 minutes' transit time at Sea-Tac. Fortunately, the arrival gate was changed to the same terminal as our departure.
Peter Miniutti, Ashbury, NSW
FINE TIMES
Julietta Jameson, in her cover story (Traveller on Sunday, July 21), reminds readers the Great Ocean Road remains a busy thoroughfare, and yes, it is a long and winding road.
However, prospective visitors need also to pay heed to the speed limits that apply throughout the area. In Victoria the mobile speed camera vehicles are not marked, nor do they deploy advance warning signs or a friendly reminder sign after you have passed.
As you take in the scenery it's probably a good idea to keep one eye on the speedo. The last thing you need is a window-faced envelope waiting to greet you when you arrive home.
Allan Gibson, Cherrybrook, NSW
HIRE LEARNING
To save money on a holiday, go somewhere that you don't need a hire car. We got a package deal with accommodation and flights to Coolangatta (Gold Coast Airport).
The taxi ride to the hotel was $10 (or we could have walked to the main road to catch the local bus). Within walking distance of the hotel was the beach, shops and cafes.
One day we went north by public bus to Burleigh Heads then the light rail to Surfers Paradise, while on other day we went south to the lovely beachside town of Kingscliff.
Leanne Fagg, East Geelong, VIC
WAXING LYRICAL
I never leave home without it: orthodontic wax has saved me many a time, and often a travel companion.
How many times have we lost a filling or broken a tooth on our travels?The wax is easy to mould over a tooth and saves shredding a tongue! And watch out for those airline nuts.
Anne Brown, Mt Riverview, NSW
TRASH TALK
I was interested to see the letter from Margot Pope (Tip-o-meter, July 14), suggesting ways to limit the rubbish we leave behind when travelling.
Having just returned from six weeks in various places overseas, it was the rubbish created by airline flights that struck me. While meals were served in reusable plastic containers, they were covered in throwaway plastic lids, cold drinks were served in throwaway plastic cups and so on.
On one flight the person sitting next to me requested water and juice every time drinks were offered, making a total of eight throwaway cups.
Multiply that by the hundreds of people on board to make a large contribution to either recycling or landfill. It occurred to me that there must be a better way now that waste is becoming such a problem.
Ro Bailey, Hawthorn, VIC
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