TravelCommentator

Italy and Rome souvenir t-shirts. Photo © Clickerhappy / Pexels

Opinion / Tips & Advice

A Base to See Italy

A reader (future traveller) asks, “Where should I base myself for a month on a trip to Italy? Should I hire a car? When is the shoulder season, and do shops close during certain times?” While the “expert” travel writer gave some good answers, I’d like to expand on them…

View of the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (New Building) in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. © Alea-Film / Unsplash

Destinations

Kuching, Vibrant Capital of Sarawak

Situated on the island of Borneo, Kuching, the capital of the state of Sarawak, Malaysia, is a charming riverside city that blends rich colonial history with wild natural adventures. Often called the “City of Cats,” Kuching offers a laid-back atmosphere, incredible local food, and easy access to ancient rainforests. Whether you love culture, wildlife, or history, this Malaysian destination delivers an unforgettable experience.

New travel category headings. Photo © Carlo Irlitti

Blog

New Categories Added to Links Page

Over the last week or so I have added several new categories on the Links page: Airline Seat Maps, Foreign Currency, Travel Phone & Data and YouTube Travel Channels. I have also updated and added a few new entries in several established categories.

Loyalty / Opinion

Future of HSBC Star Alliance Credit Card in Doubt?

HSBC will be closing its retail banking in Australia and winding down various banking products over the next 18 months. One of these products, the HSBC Star Alliance credit card reviewed back in November 2022, may be one of those given the chop. For now no communication has been made by HSBC or Star Alliance.

Tips & Advice

How to Refresh Your Vacation Rental for More Bookings and Better ROI

Vacation rental owners know the tough balance: guests expect a fresh, memorable stay, but every upgrade has to earn its keep. The real challenge isn’t doing more, it’s avoiding costly improvements that look great on day one and quietly drag down returns. With ROI-friendly property upgrades and cost-effective renovation strategies, it’s possible to start boosting rental appeal in ways that support higher rates, better reviews, and increasing vacation rental bookings. The goal is a rental that feels updated, photographs well, and pays back fast.

Solo woman traveller

Tips & Advice

How to Start Living and Working Remotely as a Solo Female Traveler

Retirees and near-retirees eyeing second homes or long stays abroad often wonder whether location-independent work can realistically support a flexible life on the road. The tension is real: remote income sounds freeing, but concerns about affordability, choosing the right place to base, market risk, and reliable property management can make the digital nomad lifestyle feel out of reach for solo female travelers. Add female solo travel safety to the mix, and the question becomes less about wanderlust and more about day-to-day stability. With the right expectations, remote work opportunities can offer steady structure, confidence, and genuine empowerment through travel.

Tips & Advice

Buying a Vacation Home in Retirement: Practical Advice for Getting It Right

Retirees often picture a vacation home as a place to slow down, gather family, and enjoy a favorite setting year after year. For many people nearing or in retirement, buying a second home is less about prestige and more about comfort, predictability, and protecting long-term finances. The right choices early on can turn a vacation property into a joy rather than a source of stress.

Tips & Advice

Rolling Wi-Fi and Wanderlust: Life on the Road for Digital Nomads in RVs

Digital nomads have rewritten the rules of work. For many, the dream isn’t just remote work — it’s total mobility. The RV (recreational vehicle) lifestyle has exploded among freelancers, designers, developers, and entrepreneurs who want to combine professional freedom with the open road. Working from a moving home offers unmatched scenery, autonomy, and flexibility — but it also demands smart planning, adaptability, and a keen sense of rhythm between motion and stillness.

Airbus A380-800 at takeoff © b1-foto (Norbert) / Pixabay

Air Travel / Opinion

SQ308: Our Flight to London

A recent flight to London with Singapore Airlines was one of the best I have ever had in Economy Class. I’m not talking about the service that is always top notch by the Singapore Airlines cabin crew, it was how comfortable the flight was. I flew just over 13 hours and arrived in very good physical condition, with no hint of the tiredness typically caused by a lack of sleep or stiffness.

Destinations / Tips & Advice

EES: Our Experience

In my article on the new EES (Entry/Exit System) I mentioned I’d report back what we experienced entering and exiting the Schengen Area (or Zone). Since I have a European passport and don’t use my Australian passport to enter the Schengen Area, I would not have experienced what was described in the article I wrote back in October, but my wife yes, she only has an Australian passport (for the moment).

HKIA, Flight Token boarding gate biometrics

Air Travel / Commentary / Opinion

Biometrics at the Gate

My first experience with facial recognition boarding happened recently at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA). I wasn’t expecting it. I suddenly realised that Business Class passengers and status holders (including myself) were lining up one by one at the gate in several rows to have our faces scanned.

Tips & Advice

Freedom in Motion: Crafting a Career That Travels With You

There’s a certain rhythm to working from the road — the hum of espresso machines in the background, sunlight sliding across your laptop screen, that quiet thrill of building something on your own terms. The digital nomad path isn’t about escape; it’s about alignment. Work that fits the life you actually want.

Backpack in an overhead bin on a Boeing 787-10

Air Travel / Opinion / Tips & Advice

The Hidden Dangers of Overhead Bins

On my recent flight back from Singapore there was an incident that caused concern. A man sitting in an aisle seat was hit on the head by a bag with duty free items that had fallen from the overhead bin. I heard a large bang and looked around and saw an older man holding his head and another man picking up a sealed duty free bag with two cartons containing alcohol, one was clearly identified as a bottle of Scotch. The overhead bin was open and I could see it was full of roller cases and when the man who picked up the duty free bag tried putting them back in the locker there was no room. They were sitting on the...

Tips & Advice

Pre-authorisations at Hotels: What are They?

What is a hotel pre-authorisation? Many ask this when booking a hotel direct and whether they are paying at the time of booking or at arrival or check-out at the hotel. First let’s explain what an pre-authorisation is. A hotel pre-authorisation is a temporary authorisation hold placed on a guest’s credit or debit card to confirm the card is valid and has sufficient funds to cover room charges and potential incidental expenses. It’s not a final charge but a temporary hold on funds, typically processed at check-in on arrival at the establishment, that is then released or adjusted to the final bill upon checkout. This process helps hotels prevent fraud and ensures payment for the stay.

Shooting movie at night. © Prateek Katyal / Pexels

Media / Opinion / Video

YouTube: City Walks

My first encounter with YouTube city walk videos was when I set up a small TV for my mum to watch in her bedroom. She suffers from dementia, so I wondered what might keep her mind ticking over. YouTube videos seemed like a good idea, but what kind? My first thought, of course, was travel: destinations with colourful sights, landscapes, and people. At least this way, she gets to see real places and people at the same time—something stimulating rather than just looking at the walls around her.

Destinations / Tips & Advice

Europe’s New Entry System for Non-EU Nationals: What it Means

The European Union’s new digital border control system for non-EU citizens entering and leaving the Schengen zone—the EES (Entry/Exit System)—will come into effect from Sunday 12 October. The system will be rolled out over a period of 6 months until 10 April 2026. When fully implemented it will streamline movements of non-EU travellers, monitor visa-free stays and strengthen border security. What can we expect with the roll out? At first some confusion and a few bottlenecks at the EU entry points: airport immigration and border crossings. Seaports where travellers may be coming from countries outside the EU, such as the UK, North Africa, Turkey and the Middle East will also be affected as well as passengers on the Eurostar train service from...

Tips & Advice

How to Plan the Perfect Surprise Trip for Your Partner Without Giving It Away

Planning a surprise trip for your partner can feel like juggling secrets, logistics, and love letters all at once. It’s equal parts thrilling and nerve-wracking — one wrong move and the surprise is toast. But when done right, the moment of reveal becomes a shared memory that lives longer than the vacation itself. The key? Foresight, empathy, and a stealth-level planning game. It’s not just about booking flights and picking hotels — it’s about anticipating reactions, dodging spoilers, and crafting a mini-experience before the actual journey begins. Here’s how to pull off a romantic getaway they’ll never see coming.

Tips & Advice

Travel Planning Revisited

Back in December 2020 I wrote an article on how I planned my travels. However, I didn’t mention how I kept that information filed and handy. Like in an office where a lot of information and data is kept on file, some digitally on computer and others in written format filed in cabinets, the same is done with travel plans. I file all my travel information into a folder and separate the information under different headings, then I store the folder(s) on my desk or file them away in a filing cabinet, easily accessible when I need to consult or update them. How do I separate the information I collect? Principally in two folders; one with the destination(s) I’ll be travelling to...

Tips & Advice

From Office Chair to Open Skies: Build a Location-Free Life That Works

You’ve stared at the office wall one too many times. Same desk, same Slack pings, same stale coffee. But what if you could break the loop—without breaking your career? Becoming a digital nomad isn’t a fantasy. It’s a systems upgrade. With the right structure, you can live anywhere, work everywhere, and still hit your deadlines. This guide shows you how.

Tips & Advice

Smart Travel Tips for Seniors: Comfort, Safety and Confidence on the Go

Travel can be one of life’s greatest pleasures at any age—but for seniors, it takes a little more intention. The small things that used to be second nature (packing, navigating crowds, or adjusting to new environments) can introduce new challenges as we age. But that doesn’t mean travel has to become intimidating or out of reach. It just means you travel smarter. Whether you’re heading to a family reunion across the country or ticking a bucket list city off the map, here’s how to do it on your terms.

Air Travel / Opinion

Meals at 36,000 Feet: Worth It or Not?

I have been asking myself this question for a while, is it worth eating the meals supplied on long haul flights? From a monetary point of view the answer is yes, they are part of the fare you’ve paid on a full service airline, so it makes sense to eat them since they are not costing you extra. They will save you money by not buying food in airports where eating is usually more expensive than food outlets elsewhere. What about the quality and nutritional value of these meals? Many of the better airlines these days have well-known chefs curating the menus, not just for First and Business Class passengers but also for those in Premium Economy and Economy Class. So there’s...

Opinion

What I Hate the Most About Buffet Breakfasts

There are a couple of things about staying in a hotel that annoy me and both are about the guests, the inconsiderate ones. The first are the noisy ones who completely forget others are also staying in the same hotel. The second those with behavioural issues, mostly bad manners at breakfast. Of the two I detest the most the latter. A person’s character can be determined in a few ways, how they speak, how they dress, how they act, whom they associate with, etc., but also how they behave in front of food and how they eat. In hotels you’ll see this especially at breakfast the first meal of the day when people are not fully awake; like zombies acting from their...

Air Travel / Airports / Tips & Advice

Airport Hotels

Some may ask why are there hotels at airports when most people travel to the centre of cities or towns where they’ll be staying while holidaying or doing business? The short answer is convenience. Mostly for those that require a place to stay immediately before or after their flight. They are perfect for people who do not live close to a major airport and have difficulty getting there within a required time before a flight or perhaps a late flight when public transport may not be available. A good example are country people that come from outside cities and are required to travel a fair distance. Also business people who want an easy transition between doing business and flying in or out....

Air Travel / Opinion / Tips & Advice

Sky High Thieves

A few days ago well known YouTuber Sam Chui did a story on thefts on planes alerting his many subscribers (in the millions) to the possibility of their valuables being swiped. Having property stolen while transiting airports or actually on board a plane is not something many give much thought to or are aware of. We think theft while travelling is mostly pickpocketing or scams at tourist sites and while sightseeing. It does happen and stealing on planes is not a recent thing. I remember, about ten years ago or so, reading a blog post on a loyalty website. In that article it mentioned Asia as the prime hotspot, specifically flights in and out of China and Hong Kong (this last destination...