Traveller Letters: This premium economy seat is well worth the extra cost

How kind. The rental company had run out of petrol-driven cars, so “upgraded” us to an electric vehicle on our recent travels around England. “Don’t worry,” the pleasant people said, “there’s a charging point at every garage and plenty of extras along the highways.” Nothing, unfortunately, could be further from the truth. What charging points that were available were of the slow, overnight, variety. Many others required downloading an app (sorry, Australian mobile numbers ineligible). Others had long queues, costing us valuable holiday time and meaning we missed out on things we wanted to see and do. Fortunately, we found enough to keep us going. Here’s a tip – the fast chargers were often outside major supermarkets and these often accept payment by credit/debit card without needing an app. Even if it’s environmentally friendly, until the infrastructure improves, electric car hire remains a risky option for anyone planning to drive longer distances between cities.
Ross Millar, West Ryde, NSW

Missing in inaction

The tips in your column (Traveller, July 29) on getting the most out of your car rental deal offered some good advice, but the last paragraph let it down. You certainly should get the rental firm to sign off the inspection form when you return the car, but only if you can find a person to do it. So often, vehicle returns are unattended, and it is just a matter of parking the vehicle and dropping the keys into a box. And be wary of returning a vehicle early. If the vehicle is damaged after it has been returned, but before the rental agreement ends, the renter may be considered liable. It happened to us.
Glenn Hilling, Watsonia North, Vic

Fallen stars

It seems to be becoming more common for hosts to request a five-star rating when reviewing their property, often asking the tenant to contact them with their concerns if they are not going to give the highest rating, presumably to verbally promise to resolve any issues in return for five stars. I’ve even had one host offer a discount on future bookings in return for five stars. This all goes toward making the rating system less reliable, which is a shame, given ratings and reviews are one of the few measures we have when searching for potential accommodation.
David Parker, Geelong West, Vic

Agents of influence

A common theme of your weekly Traveller Letters are travel disasters, most seemingly booked online. It’s very timely to remind our travel-obsessed nation of the ultimate benefit of travel through a travel agent. Travel with all the joys and pitfalls is their business. They know the ins and outs of flights, trains, buses, car hire, currency, insurance, highlights, cuisine and customs. Personal experience has shown an advertised deal can always be matched, but more importantly backed by industry experts if your travel adventure goes awry.
Mary Hollingworth, Glen Innes, NSW

Fast track

Train travel is expensive in the UK (Traveller Letters, August 5) but it is also very fast. Getting from London Stansted Airport to Hounslow, for instance, you can take the Stansted Express then the Hounslow Express for a total of about £120 ($232) and taking about an hour and a half. Or if you have the time, you can take a single bus from Stansted to Hounslow for about £20 (it’s still running, I checked). When I made this trip a few years ago, as a senior, I was given a 50 per cent discount, which probably still applies. No loading and retrieving your luggage twice and no waiting around for a connection for the second train. In the bus – sit back, relax and enjoy a meandering ride through the countryside for two hours and 15 minutes.
Judith Rostron, Killarney Heights, NSW

Not so special

You don’t need to pay for special assistance at any UK airport, even though a London-based travel agent charged us £99 ($190) each way per passenger at Heathrow. My 85-year-old sister booked flights and asked for special assistance. She queried this and was told that “they charge at Heathrow”. London Heathrow management denied that when asked. Our airport experience was worse. The waiting room was overcrowded and the staff unable to handle the numbers. Our advice: avoid Heathrow if you can or talk only to your airline about special assistance.
Tony O’Mahony, Indooroopilly, Qld

Oh, Fernando

It was so nice to read a positive article about Colombia (Traveller, July 28). I travelled to Colombia seven years ago despite the reservations from my family and friends. I loved it. Colombia has a stunning and varied landscape. I followed advice from Colombians. My fondest memories are hiking the Paramo de Oceta and the cloud mountains in Cocora Valley. I enjoyed swimming in Lake Tota, eating fresh trout and drinking red wine with my new friends, Ana and Fernando. The standout thing about Colombia were the Colombians. They were friendly, helpful and kind, often going out of their way to assist me.
Barbara Lindsay-Barka, Coffs Harbour, NSW

Don’t care factor

During the pandemic, my travel money card expired. No travel options anyway. Applying for a card renewal last year I was informed that, as the card had expired for more than a year, the money (euros, US dollars and Sterling) had been moved to “unclaimed accounts”. I was furious as I operate three accounts with this bank and questioned why the money was not transferred to one of these. Apparently I had received emails regarding this event, but I rarely read my bank account inbox (I do now). I claimed the money, which then appeared in my account but there were no exchange rate details (and no email about them in my inbox) meaning another bank trip to request exchange rate details. The amount returned was $65 less than it should have been, so I lodged an online complaint and money was returned. The employee who assisted wanted to give the impression that this was done by a bank which “cares” for customers.
Colleen O’Brien, Melbourne, Vic

Best bar none

Off to Japan? Check out some of the extraordinary small bars that are unique to Japan. Some thriving, some dropping off the perch as their owners age. Temples to vinyl and high-end vintage sound systems, since WWII they have been providing places for connection, solitude and listening nirvana. Rarely do travel guides mention these extraordinary institutions (which has to be a good thing). Tiny, hard to find, often scruffy, jazz kissas are dotted all over Japan. Each one a marvel. Curious? Search “Tokyo Jazz Site” for maps, reviews and sumptuous photos of jazz spots with names like Old Blind Cat, Pithecanthropus Erectus and Basie. Pure Japan.
David Payne, Hurlstone Park, NSW

Best bra none

Your correspondent (Traveller Letters, August 5), in offering his advice about combating pickpockets, fails to mention one of the safest of places to secure your small valuables whilst out and about. The all accommodating and versatile bra.
Michele Thomas, Mollymook Beach, NSW

H2 oh

As a proud, in-exile, Londoner who cheerily drank the water for 50 years without any ill effects, I have no idea if I should belly laugh or be insulted at your expat’s incorrect allegation (Traveller Letters, August 5) that it is not properly filtered. This is the sort of misinformation that makes people buy expensive wasteful plastic bottles.
Victoria Watts, North Brighton, Vic

Slowly doesn’t do it

My wife and I recently decided to try returning from Melbourne to Sydney by train, thinking of a slow, relaxing trip. Unfortunately, slow is an understatement. The journey took 11 hours, including a transfer to a coach at Campbelltown due to track work. Hard seats in first class with no Wi-Fi or power points didn’t help either. We certainly won’t be doing that again.
Patrick McMahon, Paddington, NSW

Hard fillings

Some experienced travellers will know you can fill out your Singapore entry visa online three days before arrival. Surprisingly, few travel agents or even Singapore Airlines inform you of this beforehand. Be warned, if you have to do it in the terminal it is a cumbersome process and with only five counters to use, can take almost an hour depending on the queues.
Alex Hamill, Sydney NSW

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