Cramped? Uncomfortable? Yes, but also the best flight ever

Letter of the week: Above all

I had the privilege of flying Concorde from JFK, New York, to Heathrow, London, in 1994 (Traveller, February 9). As a frequent flyer, this is the most memorable flight I was ever on. True, as your writer says, it wasn’t spacious. But, being up there at altitudes above those of normal flights, the atmosphere appeared bluer, and you could appreciate the curvature of the Earth. And the descent into Heathrow was nothing short of spectacular. As a private pilot myself, I was thrilled by the steepness of the descent, and the obvious manoeuvrability of the plane. A great pity this is a thing of the past.
Rolf Jauernig, Emerald Beach, NSW

Chic to sheikh

David Whitley may believe Concorde was cramped and not glamorous, but my experience was of great comfort, luxury and elegance. In 1979, on our way back to Sydney after a honeymoon in Scotland, my husband and I flew Concorde from London Heathrow to Singapore, refuelling in Bahrain where the BA crew was exchanged for those from Singapore. At Heathrow there was a special boarding lounge from which we watched a fleet of Rolls-Royces draw up on the tarmac with a sheikh, his 27 wives, numerous children and a large retinue. They had all spent a day shopping at Harrods. My 190 centimetre tall husband wasn’t at all cramped during the total of 10 hours in the air. I still have two folders of Concorde’s gold crested notepaper; the similarly crested envelopes were given to a cousin who coveted them.
Jennifer Dewar, Double Bay, NSW

Sonic is super

I spent most of my business life working for a global advertising agency, so I went to London and New York about eight times a year. I flew the Concorde many times. Amazingly, when you left London on the 10.30 am flight you landed in New York at 9.30 am. I also took one of the few Concorde flights from London to Singapore. As your writer David Whitley points out, it wasn’t very comfortable but, boy, it was fun particularly when you heard this huge boom and the pilot announced you had just cracked the sound barrier.
Alex Hamill, Sydney, NSW

Direct action

Peter Wilson’s letter about Qantas hotel bookings (Traveller Letters, February 7) bought back bad memories. A few years ago we had to cancel a Qantas hotel booking for seven nights in Hong Kong. My mother had died. The Qantas agent told me that Qantas had a separate company which managed these bookings. He informed me that he had contacted the hotel who had advised it had a strict no refund policy. So, I contacted the hotel management directly. The managing director was quite shocked that these circumstances did not result in a full refund. He told me there was no record of Qantas contacting the hotel about a refund. I passed on this information to the Qantas agent who had clearly misled me, and voila, a full refund emerged. My tip? Contact the hotel before you abandon your quest for a refund from Qantas.
Jim Gracie, Lavender Bay, NSW

Bad connection

I read with interest the experience of another writer who booked a hotel through Qantas. My wife and I booked a motel room close to Brisbane Airport last year through Qantas using frequent flyer points. It was appalling. Noisy and with dirty floors and exhausted bedding. I wouldn’t say it was the worst motel room I’ve ever stayed in, but given it was in a capital city we certainly expected something far better than what we expect in some far-flung outback service station or in the wilds of Patagonia. I don’t want to shame the establishment because the staff were friendly and helpful, but we were certainly shocked that Qantas would be connected with such a downmarket provider.
Peter O’Keefe, Collingwood, Vic

True grit

It was serendipitous that, upon opening your transport feature (Traveller, February 6), I was sitting in a train at Phnom Penh railway station, Laos, waiting for it to depart for the city of Kampot. The 133-kilometre journey has a travel time of around four hours and 30 minutes and provides a bird’s-eye view of first, the grittier side of life in central Phnom Penh as then as more idyllic rural landscapes further along in the journey. It’s definitely not a luxury experience but a more memorable and languorous journey would be difficult to find.
Vicki Copping, Oatley, NSW

Free at last

The wise words about the folly of airline loyalty schemes haven’t been enough to dissuade me from booking my domestic flights exclusively with Qantas. But this week I have been freed from the tyranny of frequent flyer servitude by Qantas itself. Having seen the seating and pricing offered on a premium economy enabled flight from Sydney to Adelaide, I’ve booked my first-ever flight with Virgin Australia.
Ruth Armstrong, Balmain, NSW

User pays

Admission charges may be that little unexpected extra, but they go to good use (Traveller, February 9). They are usually put towards maintenance and cleaning costs, and these days, sadly, for security. There appears to be a mentality that feels it necessary to initialise any site they visit as a proof of visit. Surely, a photo is better? Admission charges should not be for revenue reasons only.
Marjie Williamson, Blaxland, NSW

Tough lesson

Like Lee Tulloch in Venice (Traveller, February 3), I was pickpocketed in Italy. It occurred in an elevator at Rome’s Termini Station. I never felt a thing and was lucky to have only €40 in my purse and nothing else. But I learnt that, when something seems weird, it means you are being set up because the pickpockets work in gangs. They put their hand into a bag to find a wallet to pull out so in future, I won’t take out a purse or wallet but rather have loose notes in a zip pocket of a bag that faces my body. Also, I never leave my mobile on a table because it won’t last two minutes.
Stacey Vickery, Ryde, NSW

Must do beta

I’m in the process of applying to renew my expired UK passport. What a palaver. Because this passport was issued 40 years ago I cannot renew it, so I must reapply as if for a first passport. I admit that my appearance has changed, but don’t they have facial recognition technology to verify that it is the same person? Instead, I must find someone from a select group of professions to verify my identity. But in a concession to the 21st century they do allow me to upload a digital photo. I naturally have to send in my expired UK passport, but they also demand my current Australian passport. Too risky, as I value that passport more than the British one I will receive. Or I can send them physical photocopies of every page in my Australian passport. It’s good to see that the UK passport office has emerged from the Edwardian era into the late 20th century, but why not just scan and upload the pages? The website states that it is a beta version and feedback is welcome. I do hope that they take the feedback seriously because this process can be greatly streamlined.
John Williams, Jindabyne, NSW

Editor’s note: A great many Australians with expired British passports will also be renewing them given new rules that are coming in next week, which will not allow you to enter the UK on an Australian passport if you are also a British citizen.

Tip of the week: Don’t give an Amsterdam

Our first visit to Amsterdam was just a couple of days. We wanted more, so were keen to spend time there on our next trip to Europe. We had trouble finding the right accommodation that suited us so we got creative and found a great spot in the city of Utrecht just a half-hour train ride from Amsterdam. Utrecht is a university town with all the charming canals and heritage of Amsterdam without the bustling tourist crowds. There are great cafes on the canals with rich history and architecture with a highlight for me was the Rietveld Schroder house that dates to the 1920s but which looks like a modern marvel.
Michael Flynn, Belgrave, Vic

Love, actually I

Where do we start with Italy (Traveller, February 8)? For us, it was backpacking in 1976 and, in the ensuing years, several return visits. We tend to head to southern Italy, where the little coastal regional trains will stop for the driver to take his espresso while passengers happily chat and wait for him to finish. Landing in Rome, it’s the baggage porters and cafe attendants in their stylish uniforms, the first coffee and pastry standing at the bar. The constant expressive conversations, the haggling of a reasonable taxi price into wherever, and the architecture that always, no matter how familiar, is still breathtaking. Oh Italy, don’t change.
Michael Acocks, Rochester, Vic

Love actually, II

The best thing about Italy is the people. They know how to enjoy life. If you want to have a good time, hang out with Italians. They try to enjoy all their life, not just their life outside work hours. Hence, the two-hour social lunches and more relaxed and social attitude at work. It’s not all about productivity or the customer. It is awesome to see someone burst into song while waiting for a train. Italians are so emotional. It is built into the language. I am a different, more emotional person when speaking and expressing myself in Italian. I lived in Italy for two years and made friends and went on holiday with Italians. People that just do the tourism thing and see the wonderful sights and enjoy the incredible food miss the best part.
Graham Sutherland, Wilkesdale, Qld

Mussel up

Gather the clan (Traveller, February 12) for family fun no further away than Victoria’s glorious Mornington Peninsula. Get lost in Australia’s oldest maze, Shoreham’s Ashcombe Maze or explore the Sculpture Park at the Pt Leo Estate winery. The scenic cable car ride with views over the bay on Arthurs Seat Eagle is always a hit, and then for those seeking an adrenaline rush, head to the nearby Enchanted Adventure for “tree surfing” and a few hours of challenging fun. Summer is for leaping off Flinders Pier and then grabbing fresh mussels from “Harry” the local legend, right on the pier.
Roxanne Le Blanc, Croydon, Vic

Power trips

I’m willing to wager that your correspondent – who claims that driving very long distances, such as across the Nullarbor, in an EV is easy (Traveller Letters, February 7) – most likely owns a Tesla. I reckon that in many regional locations there are at least twice the number of Tesla chargers around than non-Tesla ones. Tesla chargers never seem to recognise our electric MG, so we get no benefit at all. Driving into Goulburn, for example, which was already a detour for us because of charging issues on the motorway on the way to Canberra, you will find a long line of Tesla chargers at the tourist information centre, but the only other charger we could find was a pretty slow one (yes, just one) at the RSL club there. Sigh.
Kerrie Wehbe, Blacktown, NSW

Late starter

I’m just back from a winter trip to Europe during which I visited Paris, Venice and Rome. As many Traveller letters note, it is a great time to visit for so many reasons. While fewer crowds and comfortable walking temperatures are definite advantages, no one has mentioned the best advantage – the sunrises and sunsets that happen at a very agreeable time for those who value their sleep. In Paris, sunrise was at 8.45am with sunset at 5pm. One tip about airports: allow plenty of time when departing. There were hundreds of people in the queue at Rome Airport as its slow computers tried to capture biometric data for the new EES (entry/exit system). Avoid stress and get there early.
Tatiana Podmore, Cremorne, NSW

Sorry, Enrico

Your correspondent (Traveller Letters, February 7) praises the “Dandola Bar” in the Hotel Danieli in Venice. Others should be aware it’s the Dandolo Bar, named after Enrico Dandolo, doge from 1192 to 1205.
Peter Price, Southbank, Vic

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