This was published 5 years ago
Traveller letters: What is the point in being awarded a Qantas Silver card?
Angkor Cambodia temple running.
STATUS SYMBOLS
Regarding the letter Status Anxiety (Traveller letters, December 1), there does not seem to be any point in even being awarded a Qantas Silver card. For one thing it only lasts for 12 months. I was able to use mine in the Qantas Club Lounge at Sydney airport when flying to Perth in April this year but a friend was not allowed to use hers when flying to Cairns in September. She was informed she had to have a Gold card. So much for being loyal to Qantas.
Anne West, Chatswood, NSW
LETTER OF THE WEEK: ON THE RUN
Your article "In step with the sacred" (Angkor Wat temple run, December 8) must be firmly tongue-in-cheek. How "sacred" an experience can a visit be to the accompaniment of grunting, sweating, smelly Westerners pounding through this magnificent archaeological site? So what's next – step aerobics in the Vatican? Boxercise at the Dome of the Rock?
As long as someone can make a buck out of well-off narcissists it's always on the cards, I suppose. Visiting Sydney's Botanical Gardens is nowadays a mixed blessing: enjoyment of the natural wonders is tempered by the incessant background flop-flop, grunt- grunt noises of those ever-present pests, the joggers. In despair,
Bob Birch, Smiths Lake, NSW.
BOARDING CALLS
My wife and I recently had a wonderful voyage on Silversea Silver Spirit. Generally speaking once on board, all was excellent. However, no one told us whereabouts at Montreal the ship left from – we travelled the full length of the docks (by taxi) until we found the ship in some freight yards. Also, we waited 2½ hours to disembark at the end. We all sat in the lounge and quietly fumed. Water was offered, but no reasons given for the delay and no tea or coffee or other support. There were only 604 passengers, I'd hate to travel on a 3000-passenger ship.
Michael Blake, Macleod, Vic
HANDS UP
I beg to differ on Carol Zeccola's letter (Traveller letters, December 1). My research shows that the "Chocolate Hands" refer to the Roman soldier Silvius Brabo who killed the giant Antigoon and threw the hand into the river Schelde.
Sally Bennett, North Ryde, NSW
COMPASSIONATE SERVICE
Our heartfelt thanks to Virgin Australia for their compassion and assistance. We have been travelling between Melbourne and Perth regularly during my sister's recent illness and have received very kind support with flight changes from the Virgin team based in Brisbane, most recently to change some existing flights so that my family and my elderly parents can attend my sister's funeral. This has been a great help at a difficult time.
Richard Middleton, West Melbourne, VIC
LOST IN CONVERSION
I have been taking memoir writing groups to Paris for 15 years, which includes a dinner at historic Le Procope, until this year without problems. This year I paid the bill – €780 – but afterwards, saw online that over €60 more had been withdrawn. I had only euros on the card, but following the transactions it was clear Le Procope, without asking, had taken the amount in Australian dollars, then reconverted and withdrawn it in euros. Even in apparently reputable restaurants, it is wise to check the bill is paid in the local currency, even when that is all you have on the card.
Patti Miller, Potts Point, NSW
PAID UP
I wanted to register a vote of confidence in 1Cover insurance. My wife and I have annual travel insurance with them. During a month-long trip to southern Italy in October we found ourselves stranded on the island of Ustica for four days due to poor weather conditions and ferries being cancelled, rather than our planned one-day scuba diving there.
This resulted in additional costs of approximately $1000 due to flight changes and cancelled accommodation in Palermo and Rome. Upon returning to Australia I followed the easy online claim process attaching various travel documents supporting that claim; within a week, and after a couple of reasonable queries, the claim was fully approved. Needless to say we'll continue insuring our travel with 1Cover and recommend them to family and friends.
Mathew Kempton, Milsons Point, NSW
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