Arrivals & Departures Weekly Travel News & Views 10 September 2024

POINTED POINTS

We were thinking about Europe 2025 in last week's print edition (you can read my Guide here). but we’re not naive. Travel can have its pitfalls, as we have been reminded by Sir Ben Ainslie being robbed of his Rolex watch at knifepoint in Barcelona. The most successful Olympic sailor of all time, he’s there for the America’s Cup qualifier races. The British yachtsman was threatened with a knife by a gang who took his Rolex, worth more than $30,000. The lessons learnt are simply, in my opinion, if threatened with a knife, don’t do anything rash. Oh, and don’t wear a $30,000 watch when you go on holiday. (My Swatch cost under $100. I wear it everywhere, it doesn’t set off airport scanner alarms and no one has ever held me at knifepoint for it.)

BAAAH-CELONA

Sir Ben is keen not to dissuade anyone from visiting Barcelona. In a statement to media he said: “Barcelona is a fantastic host city for the America’s Cup. The team has felt welcomed and is enjoying our stay in this vibrant city. Like in all big cities, you can be affected by opportunistic crime and my situation is no different. This is now a matter with the local authorities.”

AMERICA’S CUP

And just on the subject, I’ll remind everyone again that a West Aussie team took the cup off the New York Yacht Club in 1983, in the greatest win in sporting history — as the Americans had held it for 132 years. The winning yacht, Australia II, is in the WA Maritime Museum in Victoria Quay. (There are plenty of folk in Newport, Rhode Island, who still think they were robbed.)

ALL ON SHOW

And the Travel team will be just a few steps away from the museum next weekend, as we have a free event in the heritage Old Customs House at 8 Phillimore Street, Fremantle. You can read the full story here.

IN THE FOREST

Spring is in the air. I was down at Donnelly River last weekend, and the kangaroos certainly found a sunny spot, right outside the cottage I was staying in. Donnelly River is less than 30km south-west of Bridgetown (which is less than 100km from Bunbury down South Western Highway). An old forest mill town, Donnelly River Village has lots of small, medium-sized and large cottages, and other accommodation which includes the Old Boarding House and the Loco Shed. And the village is set in the forest. donnellyriver.com.au

HELL ON WHEELS

We’re not naive. Drive holidays in WA can have their pitfalls. A road safety summit was held in Perth this week (no, of course I wasn’t invited), with the State’s road fatalities climbing to a 10-year high, despite safer cars and the fortune we spend on improving roads. Having driven down south and back, all I can say is that there’s a lot of traffic and a lot of poorly skilled and aggressive drivers. It’s all about attitude. And it’s as simple as that.

DOCTOR IN AN APP

The Air Doctor app connects travellers to a global network of more than 20,000 multilingual doctors worldwide. That way there’s medical care anytime, anywhere. A spokesperson explains: “Active in 78 countries, Air Doctor offers clinic, at-home (hotel), and video appointments and valid, local prescriptions in up to 84 countries and 21 languages. The platform also provides 24/7 multilingual support so travellers can get assistance every step of the way.”

MPOX ANNOUNCEMENT

The World Health Organisation has announced a concentrated epidemic of mpox in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The virus was formerly called monkeypox. There are as many as 1000 suspected cases reported in the DRC and it has now appeared in a dozen other African countries. Since 2022 the WHO has delivered about 150,000 diagnostic tests for mpox globally, of which more than a quarter have gone to countries in the African region. In the coming weeks, WHO will deliver another 30,000 tests to African countries.

FLIGHT DEALS

Air Mauritius has up to 30 per cent off fares to Mauritius, South Africa, Reunion, Rodrigues and Antananarivo for bookings made between September 3 and 30, 2024, for travel between September 3, 2024, and August 15, 2025. airmauritius.com/en-au

JETSTAR FLIGHTS

Jetstar is shifting its flights to the more “convenient” domestic terminal at Perth Airport. The budget airline’s domestic services move from Terminal 3 to Terminal 2, next to Terminal 1, where its international flights leave from. And it has added flights up to four times a week between Perth and Bangkok, a month after launching services to Singapore and Phuket.

Flights to Bangkok start at $199, Singapore from $159 and Phuket at $229. jetstar.com

And Qatar Airways seems closer to acquiring a 20 per cent share in Virgin Australia.

TINY TOILETRIES BACK

European Union airports have brought back the 100ml liquid rule for carry-on baggage. The European Commission’s decision to reimpose the restriction on the amount of liquid passengers can carry in individual containers took effect on September 1.

The 100ml limit on liquids, aerosols and gels in cabin baggage is an abrupt reversal of recent changes that allowed bigger quantities. It follows the release of a technical report by the European Civil Aviation Conference which questions the reliability of advanced 3D scanners installed at many airports. The scanners (known as explosive detection systems for cabin baggage or EDSCBs) analyse cabin bags and trays for the presence of explosive material.

SALE RELOADED

Wendy Wu Tours Australia has extended a sale of 2024 and 2025 tours until September 30, 2024. A spokesperson says the Reloaded sale includes more than 750 tour date options for travel until the end of 2025. And the company has more incentives for travellers, including adding a new tour itinerary for Morocco (pictured at the top of the page). There are also extra departures to Japan during the peak cherry blossom and autumn leaves seasons and savings of up to $800 per person on selected Japan tours in 2025. wendywutours.com.au

WISE MOVE

Reader Graham Sandy writes to let us know about his recent experience with the Wise debit card, which we have been recommending. Graham says: “We checked out of our Khao Lak accommodation and paid the balance with our Wise card. I had preloaded three currencies (euro, yen and AUD). The card automatically selected the best transaction rate of the day, that happened to be AUD for the payment. No fees and the currency conversion was accurate for today. More than happy with your previous summary of the Wise card. It worked perfectly for us. Keep up the good work.”

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Research commissioned by Carnival Cruise Line seems to make a connection between early holiday bookings and improved mental health. Anticipation of a trip can boost mood and reduce stress, says a spokesperson.

The research also reveals that 33 per cent of the Australians surveyed feel refreshed with a holiday just three to five days long, while 37 per cent need at least 10 days.

Also revealed:

64 per cent find booking holidays in advance benefits them financially.

87 per cent feel happier and 69 per cent more confident when they have a holiday to anticipate.

carnival.com.au