Traveller letters: How to beat jet lag on the non-stop Australia-London route

In Ulan Bataar, the room did not have a safe, we did not trust the hotel staff and we placed our valuables in a light fitting and left for a day of sightseeing. They were still there when we returned.

We have added up our dodgy experiences. We have been robbed or nearly robbed, including the Rio "bird poo" scam and the "Beijing subway scrum", four times over the past 10 years of travelling. We think these are good odds.

What do other readers think?

Michael Copping, Oatley, NSW

CHILLING INSIGHTS

Your recent "cold edition" (Traveller, June 1) brought back amazing memories for my wife and I as we have just come back from a year living in the UK.

Winter in Europe is beautiful. The crowds are smaller and the cities much more enjoyable for it. You can wander around Rome without suffering through the stifling heat, see Venice minus a sea of people and visit the major museums of Paris with little to no wait.

The Christmas markets of Salzburg and Innsbruck, with their mulled wine and bratwurst, were among our highlights. If the cold becomes a little too much you can easily escape to a Mediterranean island such as Malta (as we did) for a bit of sun and warmth.

Stephen Bailey, Weston, ACT

AYE FOR AN EYE

Commencing our road trip around the Scottish Highlands, the vision in my right eye became blurred. Following concern from the kids that the condition may be neurological, I visited emergency in a little hospital in Fort William to be assessed in quick time, with a recommendation to undertake a full eye-test.

Specsavers in Oban somehow slotted me in the following morning (Saturday) and after a full eye-test and clearance to drive, it was back to Fort William hospital for a blood test; the hospital also contacted a specialist in Inverness.

On Monday morning, ophthalmologist Dr Morgan phoned (while off-duty) and after review of the circumstances she cleared me to continue the travels as planned. Well done all around; and at minimal cost.

I'd like to believe that overseas visitors to Australia could be treated in such a timely and professional way, however I have reservations.

Geoff Parker, Copacabana, NSW

BOILING POINTS

The series of letters on hotel room appliances doing double duty published over the last month has been most enlightening.

I make it a habit to never use electric kettles, particularly in casino hotels, after being told by a member of staff at one such establishment here in Australia that the jugs are frequently used to launder socks and underwear.

Lara Stella, Mount Eliza, VIC

I recently saw a photo of someone using two appliances in a manner that certainly wasn't appropriate to their intended purpose.

The picture showed an upside down iron, on which was sitting a slice of pizza. A hair dryer was being used to warm up the topping.

William Galton, Hurstville Grove, NSW

OH NO, CANADA

I must say that Craig Platt, in his review of Air Canada (Traveller, June 1), was a very lenient judge in awarding the airline a rating of three planes.

Having recently returned from a trip to Toronto via Vancouver and back I wouldn't have given them more than one. I very much regret purchasing "premium economy" as it was certainly not better than the economy class.

The seats were wide enough but very close to the seat in front. The crew was surly, the plane shabby and not very clean, and the food inedible – just as well as they ran out of options very early. I would not choose Air Canada again.

Tessa Surany, Rose Bay North, NSW

SOUTHERN DISCOMFORT

The Jetstar pilot is correct (Traveller, June 1): Wilson's Promontory is the southernmost point of Australia (the island continent).

Perhaps the Taswegians on the plane incorrectly assumed he was talking about Australia (the country)?

Brendan Jones, Annandale, NSW

HERITAGE ORDER

I was intrigued to learn that Traveller's in-house style guide includes "senior pedants"(Traveller, June 8) in reference to the preferred form of "Argentine or Argentinian". How does one get promoted from "junior pedant"?

But after the adjudication on the weighty matter addressed under the heading "Style Counsel" (Traveller, June 8), I was half in mind and half in need to shout to the top for a definitive ruling on my own heritage – "Aotearoan", or "Aotearoine".

Or would that be, as Argentinian cowboys say, gauche?

Chris Roylance, Paddington, QLD

PASSION FOR COMPASSION

A recently planned trip to the UK, France and Switzerland wasn't meant to happen. First, the date for our Swiss Rail tour was incorrectly booked so it wasn't the same as that of the friends we were meeting in Zurich.

I contacted Webjet's general manager, Brendan Sawyers, who worked tirelessly to help re-book our itinerary in line with that of our friends. Due to trains being booked out and running out of time, we decided to postpone our rail trip for 12 months. Brendan was able to help us with that and to reschedule flights.

On arriving at London's Heathrow Airport our luggage was missing and we learnt that my wife's mother had passed away overnight. Another call to Brendan and he was able to reschedule our flights back to Sydney a few days later.

A big thank you, too, driveaway.com.au and hotels.com for the compassion shown to us. We were given full refunds for our France accommodation and car hire.

Finally, we are so grateful to Brendan for his amazing compassion and help. Webjet is in wonderful hands.

Lawrie Jones, Copacabana, NSW

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