Traveller Letters and Reader Tips: Staff can't play musical chairs because you didn't book your seat

Vivian Bayl, Northbridge, NSW

GET ON BOARD

Anthony Dennis' acknowledgement in his "From the editors" note (Traveller, February 11) in the context of the climate crisis was much appreciated. Sustainable cities like Utrecht in the Netherlands are worth celebrating, as are the benefits of rail travel as evidenced in your sleeper trains story in the same edition. As the world seeks to rapidly decarbonise, it makes sense that overnighting on a train around Europe should prove increasingly popular. Efficient in time, cost, and energy use, in places like Europe, the train beats flying every time.

Karen Lamb, Geelong, Vic

PARLIAMENTARY PRIVILEGE

"Everyone has a story," is the shocking and distressing response I got from a Qantas staffer when I told her I needed to urgently return to Melbourne for chemotherapy the following day. Our 4pm Sydney-Melbourne flight had been repeatedly delayed and then cancelled as we finally waited to board at 8.30pm. We were business class passengers but they couldn't offer us alternative economy seats that evening and said nor were they required to provide overnight accommodation (which cost us over $600 along with taxi fares). The same staffer had earlier told us our flight had been redirected to Canberra. Pollies over everyday punters, perhaps?

Jeffrey Kelson, Prahan, Vic

PIN POINTS

I also had problems with my ANZ card overseas. Luckily I had another card each time. Eventually I learned from ANZ that I needed to use a four-digit PIN and to use a 0 before the four digit PIN. This worked.

Brad Elliott, North Rocks, NSW

A recent contribution described the problem of travelling overseas with both 28 Degrees, ANZ and Citibank cards; concerning withdrawals needing to be verified by a PIN texted to the phone. This is normal in Australia but obviously presents problems when overseas and without an Australian phone. Having those cards, I contacted each provider to explain I was heading overseas without a phone (though accessible by email via Wi-Fi in hotels). Each took details of my itinerary, and assured me all will be well. And, it was. Clearly, as responsible travellers we need to ensure our credit providers are in the loop

Bruce Moon, Tweed Heads West, NSW

ON THE RAILS

Travellers can, in fact, book tickets for train travel in Laos (Traveller, February 11) by downloading the official app called "LCR Ticket" from the App Store with an iPhone. The small inconvenience is that you'll need to temporarily change your App Store country to China before the app would show up in the search list. Bookings for bullet trains across China, including to and from Hong Kong, can also be reliably made two weeks in advance on trip.com (thank you, technology).

Matt Tan, Gardenvale, Vic

HARD TO PROCESS

In September last year we travelled to Europe with a stopover in Singapore with Singapore airlines. At Sydney Airport, we were advised by Singapore Airline staff of the entry card requirement and possible delay on entry if not processed beforehand. They gave us a website to download cards which also requested credit card details. The site charged us $122 a person for processing. On arrival, we had no entry issues but were alerted to an alternative free site via the Singapore government. Despite calls and emails to Singapore Airlines, we have had no luck in discussing these exorbitant and ultimately unnecessary charges. Travellers should beware of this pandemic processing procedure.

Peter & Cheryl Waugh, Beecroft NSW

TIP OF THE WEEK

CHILE RECEPTION

Planning a trip to South America, I discovered that a tourist visa is required for Chile with the process being quite onerous. Tourists from such countries as the US, Canada, New Zealand, Europe (the Schengen Area), the United Kingdom and others do not need visas. The reason must be that Australia has not included Chile in its 601 Electronic Travel Authority visa stream. All of the aforementioned countries allow visa free travel to Chilean passport holders. But not Australia. Chile is classed as a full democracy by The Economist Intelligence Unit and by the World Bank as a high income economy. Time has come for Chile to be included in the 601 Electronic Travel Authority program. As a result, I have decided to bypass Chile on our trip to South America.

John Kennedy, Frenchs Forest, NSW

POWER PLAY

May I offer two points to note in response to James Robinson's "Bank on it" letter (Traveller Letters, February 11)? USB adaptors can be obtained which carry the power only and not the data lines, thus making the device immune to hacking. And airlines may not allow chargers of more than 20,000mAh onboard due to potential hazards, and will confiscate them.

Dave Horsfall, North Gosford, NSW

In relation to the warning about USB ports in hotels and possible virus or malware transfer by using them there are wonderful devices called Data Blocker USB Connectors or even Data Blocker Cables. They allow you to charge your device but do not allow the transfer of data to or from your device. They are available in USB A, as well as USB A to USB C type. These data blockers are used by places like the UK Parliament and the Canadian National Defence.

Kirsty Hayden, Dubbo, NSW

INCLUSION V EXCLUSION

I loved your story on the "20 all time, best value destinations," but as a member of the LGBTIQ+ community and a gay traveller who often travels with his husband, I wondered selfishly how many of the featured nations would welcome us? We've felt safe and welcome (or at least our relationship was misunderstood) in some of these destinations like India and South Korea. But we hesitate to book a visit to places like Egypt, the Philippines and much of Eastern Europe. I feel like I'm missing out. I'd love to know if it is safe to be a gay traveller on safari in Kenya or hiking in Jordan, on a beach in Boracay or Rarotonga. If there are accepting tour companies in interesting but unusual places we'd love to feel comfortable visiting some less obvious destinations.

James Mackay, St Kilda, VIC

TASTING NOTE

Further to the question asked by L.Hutton of Castle Hill in "Ask the Tripologist" (Traveller, February 12), a reminder that many wineries in France require reservations and many larger ones want you to do their designated tour before any tasting. As for the Bordeaux area, we had a good tour organised from the local city tourist office which consisted of a small group walking tour around the old merchant area, a good tasting and surprisingly delicious lunch. After lunch we joined a bus tour to the Medic area to two wineries while the next day we took a local bus out to St Emilion, a lesser experience as most places in town are geared up for Europeans buying wines.

Tony Sullivan, Adamstown Heights, NSW

EDITOR'S NOTE We welcome readers sharing their own additional advice to that of the Tripologist, whose answers to reader travel queries usually appears on this page.

BORDERING ON APATHY

In relation to your "Tip of the week" letter regarding Hong Kong (Traveller Letters, February 11) recently travelled there with two friends. We knew we were required to undertake a COVID-19 test within 48 hours of our return and we did the required test at a medical centre at a cost of $80 per test, which was pretty simple. On our return, we did not receive any information, either at Hong Kong airport, on the flight, or on arrival in Melbourne, regarding the requirement to show proof of the test. In fact there was no mention of COVID-19 at all on our return. Either the Australian government has made a superfluous political statement with the intention to check all travellers from Hong Kong (or China), or airline staff and border control simply couldn't be bothered to check anymore.

John Fox, Mulgrave, Vic

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