Arrivals & Departures Weekly Travel News & Views 10 June 2025

NO TIME TO FRET

Knowing you will be picked up and not left pacing is worth a lot, particularly if you are away and waiting for a transfer to a flight back home. I use MyTransfers.com. On the way home from Italy, I’ve booked a transfer for 1pm and at 1.01pm, a clean black people-mover van swings into the drive of the villa where I’m staying, in Mira, near Venice. A minute late? I don’t think anyone can develop an ulcer in that time (though I do know some who might try). MyTransfer has never let me down. When you put in the trip that you are planning, you are shown a set price. After making the booking, you receive a confirmation email, and then another, with contact phone numbers, well before the pick-up. But you can’t cancel or make changes to the booking within 24 hours of the pick-up. MyTransfers.com

BEHIND THE SCENES

I was in Italy to welcome travellers and for the first full day of Italy, Off The Beaten Track, in which we have partnered with Albatross Tours. We stayed in a heritage villa outside Venice and Vicenza, the home of Palladian architecture and a less-visited place. Indeed, in the hamlet where we stayed, I didn’t see another tourist. Off the beaten track, indeed.

There are a lot of experiences ahead for them: visiting Assisi and the UNESCO heritage gardens of Villa D’Este; the cheese tasting at Mondaino Pecorino; seeing the amazing vertical village of Grottammare, on the Adriatic coast; taking a cable car ride in San Marino (another country!).

Our readers and friends will stay in a palazzo and heritage villas. Most of the stays are for three nights, for the tour was chosen for its pace, rhythm and approach as much as for where it goes. I hold my friends at Albatross in the highest regard. Their philosophy and ethic fit ours, and they are true specialists in Europe. albatrosstours.com.au or (07) 3221 5353 to speak to a human being.

BACK OF BIONDA

The manager and guide is the most important person on a tour. Albatross Tours particularly asked Gilberto Bionda to lead our partnered tour. Gilberto lives in a small village, at 1300m above sea level, near the Swiss border, and is highly experienced. He has worked as a tour manager in Italy and around Europe for more than 20 years — and now works exclusively for Albatross as he, too, likes their approach. He says: “I am proud to be working for Albatross Tours, which has delighted me for the quality of design of the tours, the philosophy, the guests and the great staff.” Gilberto is widely travelled, and recounts his time in Perth, Rottnest Island, Broome and Kalgoorlie. “I was very impressed by that big hole in the ground,” he tells me, referring to the Super Pit. “It is amazing what you do.” He explains: “Since I was a boy, having an outgoing personality, my passion was to travel and see our beautiful world.” But Gilberto adds: “Italy is a truly beautiful country and I love it. We are so lucky to have the culture, arts, history and nature. I love my profession which allows me to meet new people, communicate my knowledge of the places we visit, show my enthusiasm, while enjoying every single day.”

WELCOME WINNER

Qatar Airways’ signature lime and mint welcome drink in business class is a winner for me. Sharp, intense, invigorating. It vanishes very quickly, except for the lime leaf stuck against the side of the glass, backlit as the plane is pushed back at Doha’s Hamad International Airport. Let’s go home.

VIDEO LOSER

I’m giving Qatar Airways my personal award for airing the most distasteful safety video that I’ve seen in years. In an effort to make it modern and not boring, Qatar’s is presented by actor Kevin Hart. I’m sure his mother thinks he’s funny, but honestly, in parts it is aggressive, then offensive, and then just plain stupid. The video, produced by Hollywood director Tim Story, started airing in December 2024. At one point, Hart points and shouts aggressively at passengers, who are clearly intimidated by him. And watching him forcing luggage into the overhead locker . . . well, I wouldn’t want him sitting near me.

Model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Anwar and Amal Jibawi, Khaby Lame and Adam Waheed make cameo appearances.

Hart says: “This safety video is unlike anything you have seen onboard a luxury airline before.” He’s not wrong.

A spokesperson for Qatar says: “Travellers will not want to miss a moment of Mr Hart’s performance.” Well, I’ve got news for them.

FULL REFUND

We’ve been following the story of airline Citilink stopping its flights between Perth and Bali, and have heard from readers who’ve had good news. One couple writes: “Thank you for helping so many people with the Citilink saga. We received a full refund a few days ago. Keep up the good work and your fantastic reading.”

OFF TO INDIA

You might be surprised that, as you read this, I’m in India. I flew here with Singapore Airlines, with a comfortable four-hour connection at Changi Airport, then flying on to Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. I’ve already travelled around the Golden Triangle again, from Delhi to Agra and Jaipur.

Today, I am joining the Uniworld river cruise ship Ganges Voyager II in Kolkata. It cruises for three days on the Ganges River. Today we will see Kolkata from the river — from the bathing and ferry ghats on the riverbanks to its colonial buildings. And then we will leave the city and sail into rural life. The ship sails to Kalna and Chandernagore before returning to Kolkata. There will be a full story on Uniworld’s three-day river cruise, and other stories on the experiences along the way, in future editions. uniworldcruises.com/au

And I should mention that I’m a big fan of the Uniworld river cruises that I’ve experienced in Europe, particularly on the Rhone and Saone.

LIGHT RELIEF

The words of Bhargab Chatterjee, my friend in Kolkata, ring in my ears. I remember us in an auto rickshaw in the crazy traffic, approaching traffic lights. “Do they mean the same in Australia?” he asks. “It depends what they mean here,” I reply. Mr Chatterjee replies: “Red is for stop. Green is for go. Orange for decoration.”

WELCOME HOME

The first text I receive when we land in Perth is from DFAT: “Enjoying a drink on your overseas trip? Look after yourself and your mates. Be aware of the risks of drink spiking and know the signs of methanol poisoning. Find out more at smartraveller.com.au.” A bit late for that, as I’ve just arrived home.

And then we are all funnelled through the airport’s duty-free grog shop (whether we like it or not). Welcome to WA.