Traveller Letters and Reader Tips: I must be Australia's only happy Qantas customer

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HAPPY CUSTOMER

To all those constantly complaining about Qantas and international travel, find another airline. A few months ago my teenage son needed to change a Singapore Airlines flight from Singapore to Melbourne, with a connection on Virgin to Hobart. Within 10 minutes of picking up the phone, I had been connected to a customer service agent, confirmed I had authority to make the changes on his behalf, paid the reasonable flight change fee, and had the new flight details confirmed.

Michael Hayen, Kingston Beach, Tas

LETTER OF THE WEEK

SPLENDID ISOLATION

Having recently travelled the Gibb River Road in Western Australia with its pristine gorges, its beautiful campsites and its splendid isolation, it saddened us to see the devastation that the recent flooding has brought to its towns and communities. As one of the last great Australian road trip adventures, we were grateful to the locals who we encountered on the way. They were always happy to help us change a tyre, give us the best travel trips and provide us with food when we ran out, miles from nowhere. Fingers crossed that their lives will soon be back on track and that the Kimberley will continue to welcome adventurers and share its iconic beauty.

Jennifer Grant, Golden Beach, Qld

COMO, SWEET COMO

We travelled to Lake Como, Italy some years ago, as did your correspondent, Catherine Marshall, in her article, "Awash with saintly spirits" (Traveller, March 11). Our plan is always to choose a town to visit, then find a pension in a small village close by, connected by public transport, or close enough to walk. It always works a treat as we meet the locals - not some teenager holding the fort overnight at a front desk. The locals know the best places to visit and how to get there. At Lake Como, we stayed in a delightful flat with views across the lake. Above were the owners, below the grandmother. All communication was via the nine-year-old who was the only one who spoke any English. We ate most meals on the terrace there, enjoying a glass of wine in the evening as we watched the ferries go by. Cheaper but priceless.

John Pinniger, Fairfield, Vic

GRECIAN YEARN

Brian Johnston's article about Greek breakfasts (Traveller, March 11) brought back memories from my backpacking days. Meandering with friends through the laneways of Athens before arriving at the magnificent Parthenon. Riding the ferries to those glorious Greek islands. Finding the perfect rice pudding that can never be improved upon by any other country. And the perils of mixing Greek beer with retsina.

Claire Edmonds, Floraville, NSW

SEEING RED

You're absolutely right, Michael Gebicki (Traveller, March 4), in your column on why you always make time for a city tour. My partner and I went on a food tour in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo. Our guide was Japanese-born but had lived in Canada for many years. He spoke perfect English and had a great sense of humour. We strolled through laneways and the red-light district, all buzzing with colour, old posters of Toshiro Mifune, bright lights and stylish shops, ate at an izakaya cafe, had beers and sake in a tiny bar, and toured a Japanese macaron shop.

Denise Hunter, North Sydney, NSW

POOR FORM

I recently returned from Canada arriving at Sydney Airport in the early morning. I was surprised to be given an arrival declaration form on the plane and said to my husband that I thought that in this day and age it would have been more expedient to fill out an online form. What ensued on arrival was as Simon Benedict (Traveller Letters, March 11) described - a "Border Farce". As more flights arrived the "Nothing to declare" queue, to simply hand in this form, was long and chaotic. May I ask, does anybody actually vet these forms?

Debra Burns, Avalon Beach, NSW

SLOWLY DOES IT

Reading Brian Johnston's account of his trip on the slow-moving Luzern-Interlaken Express train (Traveller, March 11) evoked some beautiful imagery. Johnston's descriptions of the scenery recreated my travel memories of cowbells, rugged mountains, and Swiss chalets like something out of the classic children's novel Heidi. Switzerland's scenery, like so many places on our beautiful planet, is utterly gorgeous. Travelling "not-so-express" is under-rated. It's an excellent reminder that life is about the journey not the destination.

Amy Hiller, Kew, Vic

WHEN THE BOAT COMES IN

Upon picking up two elderly friends on a round-the-world cruise at Port Melbourne, I found they had to walk half a kilometre from the ship to the pick-up point with no information offered or assistance given to either them or us. A lovely lady also waiting for a friend to pick her up commented on the "long-ass walk". No wonder the bar and restaurant were empty at the pier. Better communication and help with these ships is clearly needed.

R. Garth, Altona, Vic

TIP OF THE WEEK

FORGOTTEN JEWEL

I have just returned from a tour of Sri Lanka. I feel it is the forgotten jewel of Asia with the number of tourists still quite low. Its wonderful diversity of cultures is reflected in its own magnificent Buddhist statues and Hindu temples. The beaches are beautiful with places to visit including tea plantations, spice farms, rocks with the remains of ancient kingdoms perched on top, and the highlight for me, the fabulous safaris. Accommodation standards are high and the food is great. The north is now safe for tourism and well worth a visit. I never felt unsafe or threatened, just welcomed with open arms. Sri Lankans just want you to come back and see their beautiful country.

Susan Lynch, Bateau Bay, NSW

IDENTITY CRISIS

Pre-COVID, I stayed in several Airbnbs in different continents without any problem, receiving good reviews from my hosts. However, when I tried reserving an apartment in Europe for a short stay later this year I was surprised to discover that I am now required to upload a photo of my government-issued ID (passport or drivers licence). I am happy to show my ID to my host on arrival as I would at a hotel but after the Optus and Medibank hacks I am simply not prepared to entrust Airbnb's website with sensitive personal details and run the risk of identity theft, no matter what safety assurances they give. After a happy journey it looks like a parting of ways between me and Airbnb.

Judy Maynard, Rose Bay NSW

NOT SO SHIPSHAPE

Brian Johnston tells us in his cruise story (Traveller, March 19) that housekeeping staff on cruise ships work 12-hour days, seven days a week, for six to nine months. All for about $1500 a month. I'm not sure I would feel comfortable on a cruise knowing this fact. When everything stopped because of COVID-19, there was some discussion of these working conditions, with ships under foreign flags, But it seems nothing has changed. That's a shame.

Helen Smith, Maldon Vic

FAR OUT FAROES

If you want an unusual and different holiday try the Faroe Islands. They are usually depicted on maps as two or three minute squiggles. However there are actually 18 islands, most of them connected by tunnel, bridge or ferry. They are an autonomous region of Denmark but they have their own currency and language. The scenery is spectacular and there are interesting walks to do. If you plan to visit, use the internet to find out how to pronounce the place names. This will help find your way around. Most people speak English but it's always a courtesy to have a few words of the language of the country you are visiting. To get there I took a train from Copenhagen to Hirtshals at the tip of Jutland, then an overnight ferry to Torshavn, the main town.

Judith Rostron, Killarney Heights, NSW

PERMISSION POSSIBLE

Travellers, be aware that when travelling to South Korea, to enter you will need a newly-introduced, completed online permission form known as K-ETA (I nearly missed my plane).

Andrea Pulati, Rushcutters Bay, NSW

DEAR DIARY

When my wife and I travel abroad we take it in turns to write a daily diary of what we saw and did each day. On returning home I use the text from the diary with our culled photos to produce a photo book that includes a description of each day's events. This is a great way to relive past holidays and can act as a great source of information for family and friends planning trips to those places we have visited.

Peter Miniutti, Ashbury NSW

HOW TO WRITE TO US

We give preference to letters of 100 words or less and they may be edited for space, legal or other reasons. Please use full sentences, don't use textspeak and don't include attachments. Email us at travellerletters@traveller.com.au and, importantly, include your name, address and phone number.

The Letter of the Week writer wins three Hardie Grant travel books. See hardiegrant.com

The Tip of the Week writer wins a set of three Lonely Planet travel books. See shop.lonelyplanet.com