Arrivals & Departures Weekly Travel News & Views 22 January 2025

BARGAINS GALORE

Talk about “January sales”. I’ve been bombarded with them this week (among those 300-plus emails a day). Airlines, tour companies, cruise lines, you name it. I wrote about a lot of them for eTravel Digital Edition (our free email to inboxes on Wednesdays). But a highlight is Qatar Airways’ return economy airfares to lots of places from $1799 (jump to Q in our A to Z of International Travel feature which you can read here).

CARRIAGE COUP

Rocky Mountaineer has announced its first deals of the year. Called Explore In 2025, the sale fares are for Canadian and US rail routes through the Canadian Rockies and American Southwest.

Three Canadian routes are included and for each of these, there is $825 off per person or $1650 off per couple when booking GoldLeaf Service and $575 off per person or $1150 per couple in SilverLeaf Service. As an example of a GoldLeaf package, the five-night Journey Through The Clouds Classic would be from $4175 per person. A SilverLeaf package on the five-night First Passage To The West Classic Banff is from $2947 each.

On the US Rockies To The Red Rocks, there is $1175 off per person or $2350 per couple when booking SilverLeaf Plus. That brings a SilverLeaf Plus package on the six-night trip down to a price from $4911 per person. rockymountaineer.com/promotions

TITFER TIPS

A reader recently asked me: “How do you travel with your hat?” My (slightly facetious) reply was: “On my head.” But it’s mostly true. As much as the old Akubra CEO (the “chief executive officer” model name that my co-workers find hilariously not-me ) is good for keeping the sun off when it’s hot and keeping my head warm when it’s cold, it is also useful in stopping me bashing my bonce on open lockers in aircraft cabins. I tuck it beside me in a window seat, and in one of those squeezy Jetstar seats I just put it upside down on my lap with my phone, notebook and AirPod case in it, and wait for it all to end.

PACK A HAT FLAT

You can pack a Flexibraid travel hat in a case, and it pops out perfect. I know; I’ve just tried it. They are handmade to Australian design by a company called Before Dark and, to use their words, they are “packable, foldable and crushable”, which makes them good for travel. They have a UPF50+ sun protection rating and there is a wide range of styles for men and women. I bought one to try from Rigon Headwear, which has been Australian-owned and operated since 1975, and I am impressed. The Flexibraid hat has an adjustable headband inside, which can be comfortably tightened — and the hat really stays on well in the wind. It is colourfast and can be handwashed. I bought the Cafe Fedora, which comes in 10 colours and is $69.50. (But the old, black Akubra will still be the go). rigonheadwear.com.au

FOLLOWING FASHION

Paris Fashion Week starts on Tuesday and A-lister spotters give us travellers a good insight into nice arrondissements to have on our list for a future visit. The local company Paris Tickets & Tours has been working out the best spots to see celebrities, with Elysees (the 8th arrondissement) at the top of the list. For us, it has the Pont Alexandre III, Place de la Concorde, Grand Palais, Madeleine Church and Palais de l’Elysee.

Next on their list of places where people are most likely to encounter an A-lister is the 1st arrondissement, Louvre. The Louvre Museum is its centrepiece, but don’t miss Sainte-Chapelle (perhaps the finest royal chapel, and built by Louis IX in the middle of the 13th century) and Jardin des Tuileries. Oh, and Musee de l’Orangerie — seeing as “orangeries” is under O in our A to Z of International Travel feature.

ETA & ETIAS

Again, looking at our A to Z feature. E is for ETAs and ETIAS. An ETA is the electronic travel authorisation (visa) required for Australian passport holders to enter the UK. That started on January 8. ETIAS is similar for the countries of the Schengen group — 30 countries in Europe, and just about everywhere we’d normally go there. But the start date for that is more confusing. It is currently not in operation and no applications can be made yet. It is due to start six months after the EES (a digital border entry/exit system that registers non-EU visitors travelling into the Schengen Area). The EES was due to be launched at the end of 2024 but has been delayed and the European Union has yet to confirm the new date. So the best thing is to watch these pages and we’ll keep you updated. But the official website is travel-europe.europa.eu/etias_en

FLYING HIGH

A recent poll of 6500 travellers in 14 countries by the International Air Transport Association shows that air travel continues to deliver value, with 96 per cent of respondents saying they were satisfied with their travel. An IATA spokesperson adds: “Moreover, 88 per cent agree that air travel makes their lives better and 78 per cent agree that air travel is good value for money.”

+ 41 per cent of those surveyed (who all had to have taken one or more trip in the last year) said they expected to travel more and 53 per cent expected to travel at the same frequency. Only 5 per cent expected to travel less.

+ Ninety per cent agree that air travel is a necessity for modern life and the same percentage see air connectivity as critical to the economy.

+ Eighty-eight per cent said that air travel had a positive impact on societies.

COMMITTED TO CHANGE

The air transport industry is committed to its goal of achieving net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050, an IATA spokesperson stresses. In the poll, 81 per cent of travellers surveyed agreed that the industry was demonstrating commitment to work together to achieve this ambitious goal. The insider adds: “Seventy seven per cent agreed that aviation leaders are taking the climate challenge seriously.”

TAUCK CENTENARY

Tour company Tauck celebrates its centenary this year — and 100 years in business is no small feat in the travel world. A spokesperson says: “We’re filled with gratitude for the century of travel memories we’ve created together.” For four generations, the family-owned company has been building to now offer 150 land tours, safaris, river cruises and small ship ocean cruises across more than 70 countries in all seven continents.

To celebrate the centenary, the company is asking its travellers to share their favourite stories and photos to “help us bring 100 years of travel to life” (send to share@tauck.com).

Tauck has just launched its 2026 itineraries, offering a chance to lock in 2025 prices. This is available for select 2026 departures for bookings made before February 28, 2025. It covers European river cruising, land tours and small ship cruises. 1800 962 043 and tauck.com.au

PRICKS FOR PERU

Reader Alastair Walker kindly says he enjoys reading these pages and “all the handy tips”. They are, in part, prompted by your questions. And Alastair, who is travelling to Peru, asks about vaccinations. My suggestion is always to first talk with your GP, if you have a regular one, and ask them to point you towards a preferred vaccinator. But I have used Travelvax, which has providers throughout the metro area — travelvax.com.au.

I’ll just add that I am more focused on altitude sickness when advising readers about visiting Peru.

WHAT’S IN WORDS

Readers often interchange the words “vaccination” and “inoculation”. To put the record straight, each has a distinct meaning. Obtaining a vaccine is referred to as vaccination. Inoculation is the process of developing immunity through vaccination.

FREQUENT ISSUES

And reader Carolyn Bickford writes: “I have just come back from Europe and we are Qantas Frequent Flyers forever, but as Qantas does not fly to most places in Europe we chose One World partners. I submitted my boarding passes for missing points and status points but to my surprise an email comes back saying ‘sorry you are not eligible’. Now, I don’t think $2800 each is a cheap economy fare, so does this mean I have to fly business class to receive my points and status points?”