Some people love to shop. I am not one of them, and I certainly don’t come back from holiday with my bags full of designer goods.
But it occurred to me that I should spend more money when I’m away — not on luxury items, but on cheap basics.
Category: Life
Right on time
What time should you arrive at the airport? Well, for international flights, the general advice used to be at least an hour and no more than three hours.
These days, for various reasons, many airlines are requesting that you arrive even earlier than three hours – although, in my experience, that can just mean hanging about waiting for check in to open.
Sixth time’s a charm
What you do on a repeat visit after you’ve already seen the sights?
Like many travellers, I like to visit new places but there are destinations that I find myself in again and again for various reasons — to see friends and family, or because I’m on the way somewhere else, or it’s a port of convenience.
My recent trip to Bangkok was one of those occasions. Continue reading Sixth time’s a charm
The F word
Before I start, I want to say that I love Thailand and the Thai people. I’ve lived in Bangkok and would do so again if the opportunity arose. And, even though I’ve just finished a holiday there, I am keen to go back as soon as I can.
However, there’s one thing that always concerned me when in lived in Bangkok, and it surfaced again on my most recent visit.
Calculating the risks
I recently read that Hawaii could one day be hit by a massive tsunami, but the story added that tourists (and presumably the locals) shouldn’t be concerned about this.
Of course, every day you’ll read a potential reason not to go somewhere. Egypt, Turkey, Tunisia and Lebanon are off some people’s itineraries at the moment Continue reading Calculating the risks
Savour the serendipity
On my first ever solo overseas adventure, I happened to be allocated a seat on a Boeing 747 next to the friend of a friend.
We went our own ways in London, but ran into each other in the streets of Bloomsbury just two days later.
In Bangkok one day in June, 2016, I was waiting at the BTS (sky train) station, and when the train pulled up and the doors opened, one of my oldest and dearest friends jumped out at me. Continue reading Savour the serendipity
Back in Bangkok
I flew in to Bangkok on Sunday morning. There’s a lot to write about, including comprehensive reviews of the flights and airport lounges, which will appear in due course.
For now, though, there are pictures. Not the best pictures ever of this fascinating city, nor even the best I’ve taken of it, but a selection taken over a couple of hours in one day to give you a taste of this place.
As always, there’s more to come.
The art of packing
I’m heading off on a magical mystery tour. I don’t even know where I’m going yet. But I do know when — on Friday. Which, as I am writing this, is the day after the day after tomorrow.
I’ve been surfing the web, trying out various options, and expect to decide soon. But there’ll be more of that when I do. Right now, I’m staring at what remains in my suitcase from the last trip I took.
Travelling north
The thing about being an Australian with a taste for travel is that it’s all too easy, and extremely tempting, to jump onto a plane tosee the world without first seeing your own country.
Although I’ve done a lot of travel within the great big, broad, brown land, there are parts I’ve missed or neglected — including northern and far north Queensland, in my own home state.
Best bar none
How can anyone objectively name the best drinking establishments in the world without visiting all of them*?
Well, some brave souls have tried, and here I collect some of their best suggestions — with the caveat that I, too, have not tried them all.
BA names best dressed
I’m not quite sure why an airline would compile a list of “best dressed travellers” – purely because it’s going to offend a lot of people who aren’t included, or are not as high up that list as they might like to be. Continue reading BA names best dressed
Activities up in the air
To doze or not to doze? That is the question. To sleep, perchance to dream, or to watch the latest cinema blockbuster on the inflight video?
The issue of what to do on a long-haul flight has vexed many a traveller and travel blogger, so I thought I might as well weigh in.
Hot or not?
"Well, hello there, handsome ..."
So, I’m travelling on my own, and I’m sitting at a bar and this beautiful young woman comes up and starts chatting to me. After some small talk, she suggest we have a drink. Should I be suspicious? Continue reading Hot or not?
Going up (or down)
Pay careful attention, because I am about to teach you a valuable life skill: how to use an elevator (a.k.a. lift) on a cruise ship.
You may think you already know this, but I’m pretty sure that you don’t. Continue reading Going up (or down)
Rant: sign of the times
The problem with people tasked with putting up signs is that they already know where they are going.
That means they are not approaching the job from an end-user’s point of view. And that’s why a lot of people get lost and frustrated.
So it was for me today as I tried to negotiate my way off the Costa Diadema and on to a shuttle bus to Barcelona. Continue reading Rant: sign of the times
Genoa? Hardly at all
One bad choice can spoil a whole holiday. Had it been my intention to stay in Genoa (Genova) for a few days, then the hotel I chose would have been a disaster.
But I chose the Best Western Airport Hotel purely because, as its name suggests, it’s close to the airport. I knew I’d be exhausted after flying from Abu Dhabi to Munich, and then taking two more flights across the day (with many hours of waiting time in between) to get to the Italian Riviera. Continue reading Genoa? Hardly at all
Havana holiday
A few weeks ago, a colleague went to Cuba. I was envious, because Cuba is on my bucket list and I know, as he knew, that since the American decision to drop sanctions on Havana, it’s only a matter of time before that destination will lose a lot of its unique identity.
Ideally, I’d like to get to Havana before the first McDonald’s or Starbucks, but since they are multinational corporations with more money than I can imagine, it’s not looking good.
I hope that the lot of the average Cuban will get better, although I am mindful that capitalism, like communism, doesn’t work for everybody.
It’s also a reminder of why we travel: to see destinations through the eyes of the people who live there. If they welcome the American dollar, then we should too on their behalf.
The video above is Los Paraguayos performing what is almost certainly the most famous Cuban song, Guantanamera.
Help the helpers
There’s a lot of discussion on travel blogs about the comfort factor of passengers, so I was struck by a discussion on the Quora website that began with the question: “What are some ways to make a flight attendant’s trip more pleasant?”
We may think that the women and men in uniform are solely there to serve us food and pour us drinks, but the reality is that that have an important part to play in the operation of the aircraft, and they are highly trained to protect our health and safety. And let’s face it, we really don’t want to be in a position to see them put that safety training into action.
The answers varied, and many of them are worth repeating:
Gigi J Wolf suggested: “Everyone could stay home that day. But that wouldn’t be very lucrative for the airline.”
Her more practical suggestions included acts of common courtesy (which seem to disappear when some people go flying): not constantly pushing the call button, not blocking the aisles, follow regulations (such as turning off mobile devices when asked) and be polite.
Nuralia Mazlan also emphasised politeness and following the rules. Those seatbelts are there for a reason, she says. Also: use the rest room before the food service begins, and take out your earphones when talking to the crew.
Others stressed the necessity to pay attention during the safety announcements (or at least shut up so others can hear them), not to push your way on or off the aircraft, and to obey the rules about the overhead lockers.
It’s really not too much to ask. After all, we’re all entitled to a pleasant flight.
Update: Of course, there’s always the occasional flipside, where the aircrew don’t respect you.
Air-rage incidents
What is it that makes some people misbehave on a plane? The alcohol? Perhaps, but not everybody drinks. The different air pressure? The sense of claustrophobia?
Whatever the reason, “air rage” is an increasingly common occurrence, and something that cabin crew and the rest of us who just want to get where we’re going really don’t need to deal with.
In the latest incident, a passenger on an Emirates airlines flight was arrested for allegedly attacking crew members on a flight from Dublin to London. The man had to be restrained and three rows of seats had to be cleared. Other passengers said they were frightened by the incident and concerned both for the crew and the man himself, who is now facing court in London.
The case is not unusual. Similar incidents are reported every few weeks, and it is clear that others, of a relatively minor nature, go unreported.
I suppose the very unnatural nature of flying triggers many of these incidents. But so, too, I would argue, is a general breakdown in standards of behaviour.
Like children having tantrums, many adults no longer feel inhibited about the way they act in public, be it in a shopping mall or on an airplane.
We’ve all had our moments when it just gets too much, but for may people the trigger event can be extremely minor. Can’t find what you want on the supermarket shelves? Well, just yell at the nearest shop employee.
Yelling is one thing but, too often these days, many people stoop to physical violence.
The problem when we’re flying at 30,000 feet is that the potential consequences of bad behaviour are so much greater. And that’s why we should all support action of the airlines and other authorities to minimise these events and punish the offenders.
Life’s a team sport
When the separation that ultimately became my divorce happened, I received some calls and messages from friends assuring me that they were on “my side”.
This confused me, because I didn’t know I had a side. I didn’t see separation and divorce as an adversarial thing, and neither, I think, did my now ex-wife. Divorce is common — perhaps too common — and there are mechanism to make it go smoothly, which it more or less did.
I was reminded of this because I heard recently that some mutual friends of mine are no longer talking to each other. I don’t know the full details of the dispute, but it made me sad.
While I acknowledge that there are serious transgressions of friendship from which there is no going back, I’m pretty much a believer in the let-bygones-by-bygones / forgive-and-forget / move-on / life’s-too-short school of thought.
I guess there are one or two people from my past I’d rather not see again, but as I get older and mellower, that list shrinks — especially when curiosity kicks in. I sometimes think that I wouldn’t mind catching up with the school bully I last saw nearly 40 years ago just to see how his life has turned out, and perhaps to ask him why he behaved the way he did.
And there are also a few people I’ve known over my life who I may have hurt. I’d like to see again so we can talk about.
Perhaps it’s true that time heals all wounds. I hope my friends do resolve their differences one day, but I know that there is nothing I can do to make that happen.
