Arrivals & Departures Weekly Travel News & Views 24 December 2024

I’m dreaming of a white Christmas …

… and it still seems like a dream that just a few days ago, I was walking in the crisp, dry, clean white snow of Antarctica. I was with 18 super readers and our first landing was the first snow that some of them had seen. Ever. Imagine that, at 67 degrees south.

+ On another occasion, we walked down the gangway of a ship parked in the ice of Antarctica, and onto the beautiful snow covering it, as you can see from the photograph I took for today’s front cover. “Pulling the ship” from front to back, we have Fred and Tammy Liddle, Caroline Grzejszyk, Syd and Nat Heinrich, and Vic Grzejszyk.

I’m dreaming of a white Christmas …

… just like the ones I used to know. Treetops glistened. We all listened, to hear sleigh bells in the snow. And I remember, as a child in the English countryside, waking to a beautifully eerie glow filling my bedroom. It had snowed overnight. And I rushed to the window, and rubbed the mist from it, to see the world turned a beautiful white.

I’m dreaming of a white Christmas …

+ I see the forecast is for 40C tomorrow and 41C on Monday, then cooling for Christmas. I’m looking forward to stepping out into the bleaching light, crossing a blinding stretch of white sand and feeling the coolness of the Indian Ocean. That’s my sun-drenched version of a white (hot) Christmas.

+ Some may be at the Christmas markets in Europe, some may be heading interstate to visit family and friends, and lots will be heading to the South West. But we don’t miss a Saturday or Sunday edition. Spare a thought for the journalists of The West Australian and thewest.com.au and perthnow.com.au, who will even be working on Christmas Day.

+ And season’s greetings from all at my place, including Livingstone, the dog under my prized pink flock Christmas tree.

I’m dreaming of a colourful Christmas …

+ I am just back from Santiago, the capital of Chile, where, in a 2023 survey, the majority of respondents said they were Roman Catholic. Christmas is celebrated well. Pictured at the top of the page are two of their beautiful Christmas trees. I liked a colourful Christmas figure I spotted in the elegant restaurant area of Bellavista. Imported beers like Corona might be $12 (8000 pesos) but a pint of local beer is about $5 (3000 pesos). After years of inflation which even hit double digits, it looks like this year’s will be around 4 per cent.

GOING OFFLINE

I’m tempted to give up my subscription to music streamer Spotify. Albums downloaded to your device still need the internet. In the LATAM plane without internet, for a 15½ hour flight from Santiago to Melbourne, I tried to play a downloaded album, but my Spotify said there was “no wi-fi connection”, and I couldn’t listen to anything — even though I had downloaded music and audiobooks. The same happened on the 10-day voyage, where there was an issue between the Starlink satellite link, ship system and Spotify. Once again, I couldn’t listen to anything.

MY POLAR VOYAGE PLAYLIST

+ 50 Words For Snow, Kate Bush

+ Live In Torshavn, Eivor

+ Tripping, Nils Frahm

+ For Now I Am Winter, Olafur Arnalds

+ Shetland soundtrack, John Lunn

+ Folklore, Taylor Swift

+ Life On A Rock, Kenny Chesney

+ The Last Ship, Sting

+ Antarctica, Nigel Westlake

COOLER IS COOLEST

Cruise line MSC reckons that climatically cooler destinations will continue to rise in population in 2025. An insider reveals: “Tastes and preferences are changing thanks to external influences that are altering the way guests decide where, and how to travel. In 2025, cooler destinations are rising in popularity as travellers seek out milder climates in place of traditional summer sun hotspots.” MSC has many itineraries in northern Europe, from the fjords of Norway aboard MSC Euribia to the cultural and natural richness of Baltic sea destinations such as Lithuania, Sweden, Estonia, Finland and more on MSC Poesia.

RIVER CRUISING

+ Viking has a new 11-day Christmas on the Rhine and Main voyage from Nuremberg to Basel or vice versa. It is from $8895 per person in a standard stateroom. The voyages in 2025 visits Christmas markets along the Rhine and Main, browsing for artisanal crafts in Basel and Karlsruhe. It visits Strasbourg, Frankfurt’s Romerberg Square, Wurzburg and Nuremberg’s Christkindlesmarkt.

+ There are also eight-day Christmas on the Danube sailings, from Budapest to Regensburg or vice versa. Prices start from $6295 per person in a standard stateroom.

+ viking.com.au

NICE IN ICELAND

Reader Annette Holm noticed my story about places to see and experiences in Iceland in 2025, and adds: “We did a tour in Iceland in September with Nordic Visitor and I have to say it was wonderful. We recommend it to everyone (although I think it should be kept a secret). On returning back to Australia we took your advice and packed our coats etc into a cardboard box. We travelled with carry-on bags only to get there.”

+ Nordic Visitor is at nordicvisitor.com and I have featured them and recommend them.

+ My Iceland story is still on thewest.com.au/travel.

+ Ah, and the cardboard box. My suggestion was to travel light to get there, buy suitable jackets and bring the extra luggage home by checking in a cardboard box. I’ve done it. They are light, strong and free.

UNDER COVERED

The ICA and DFAT’s Travel Insurance Survey 2024 found that one in eight Australian travellers were not covered by travel insurance on their most recent overseas trip. The vast majority were exposed to potential under-insurance. The majority (71 per cent) who travelled without insurance gave it some thought before deciding to go without. The study adds: “A quarter (24 per cent) simply weren’t sure it was needed. And 21 per cent “just didn’t think of it”. The Quantum Market Research study was for the Insurance Council of Australia and the Federal Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

BEING CAREFUL

The research also points out a few key things to check a travel insurance policy includes:

+ Alcohol “Alcohol coverage varies across policies. If you plan on drinking alcohol while overseas, ensure you know what you’re covered for should the worst happen.”

+ Lost items ”Most policies will cover the replacement of general items, such as your mobile phone, up to a dollar value. However, if you’re travelling with expensive items, it’s important to ensure you’re insured should they be damaged or misplaced. It’s also important to know under what circumstances these items will be covered under your insurance.”

+ Medical emergencies “If you need medical treatment while overseas, you could be out of pocket thousands of dollars if you don’t have adequate travel insurance. Understand your cover and your risks taking into account the activities you plan on undertaking while you’re away.”

+ Exclusions “Understand what is and is not included in your policy. Common exclusions relate to motorcycle usage without a license, high-risk activities, pre-existing physical health conditions, losses incurred while under the influence of alcohol and losses incurred due to natural disasters.”

The survey found that almost all travellers were unaware or unsure of at least one common travel insurance exclusion.

HAPPY DAYS

Travel with care, travel with joy, travel with an open mind and heart. We wish you a very happy holiday season.