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Air Travel / Opinion / Tips & Advice

Anti-Bacterial Wipes a Necessity in the Cabin, Definitely

Some will be thinking, “I won’t be taking any wipes with me and do the cleaning others should have done for me”. I’ll guarantee you, you will get strange looks from other passengers if you start doing the wiping and cleaning after sitting down in your seat. They do it to make you feel out of place as most won’t bother. But there is no dodging this fact; airline pilots and cabin crew recommend antibacterial wipes. Why? Because they know their workplace and know what goes on. Do I agree with them? Wholeheartedly even though I haven’t asked them specifically. I have always suspected the airplane cabin to be a place that harboured bacteria. I can tell you this through observation. Others should do...

Apartments

An airbnb Alternative in Hong Kong: Weave Living

Since the permanent closure of the Rosedale Hotel Kowloon, a hotel I have stayed in twice and reviewed here, this hotel has been transformed into small apartments for short to long term use. The room sizes have remained the same as before with the only difference being the remodelling that’s added new fixtures, furniture and revitalised the decor. In the past when this property was a hotel it enjoyed good patronage and was very popular especially with mainland Chinese and SE Asian clientele. Those prosperous times ended when the political and social unrests of 2019 and COVID-19 in early 2020, in particular, hit the hotel hard. The property was put on the market and was acquired by investors and since has been remodelled into...

* Review / Tips & Advice / Trains / Transport

Leonardo Express

Another short review about the best way to travel between Rome’s airport at Fiumicino and central Rome at the Roma Termini railway station. I have used this service virtually every time I am in Rome and I cannot fault it. It’s not cheaper than catching one of the bus services that run the same route to Roma Termini. If time is important the Leonardo Express is the best solution as the buses take about twice as long to get to Fiumicino and traffic can be a problem depending on the time of day. Also the buses do not run as frequent. Taxis are expensive and Ubers although more competitive are still prone by those road issues. If your destination is not central Rome or...

Air Travel / Opinion / Tips & Advice

The Risks FAs Take on The Job Deserves Respect

The recent events of severe turbulence on two flights Singapore Airlines SQ 321 (London to Singapore) on the 21st of May and Qatar Airways QR017 (Doha to Dublin) on the 26th of May, has highlighted the dangers of being a Flight Attendant (FA). Yes, passengers did get hurt some severely with one elderly person dying from a heart attack, but cabin crew do this everyday with higher probability of getting injured while making sure passengers are safe. Their job is not all rosy and glamorous as some may think. They work very hard. Passengers need to understand this. Next time you fly please spare a thought for the FAs and what they have to endure while doing their job and the risks they take...

Loyalty / Opinion / Tips & Advice

Hotel Memberships and Newsletters; Their Value

Just recently one of the hotel chains based in South East Asia, Far East Hospitality, sent me an email with a discount voucher. It was a nice surprise. They valued me as a member, even though I haven’t been that loyal. My last stay with them was many years ago. It’s not because of their product, which is good, it’s just that I’ve stayed elsewhere during this time. Just after that stay I signed up to their loyalty programme and newsletter which I receive regularly and keeps me informed of their products, services, promotions and new hotels. This particular email was sent to all their members celebrating “Members’ Day”. A promotion they do every year during the month of May. A nice gesture for...

* Review / Luggage

High Sierra Access 3.0 Eco Backpack

The perfect carry-on backpack with plenty of space Preparing for my recent trip to Italy I was in two minds whether to take my current backpack, a Slavenger bought in Singapore used many times or go for something slightly bigger. The Slazenger is still going strong. It’s good quality and has plenty of compartments and pockets, including room for a laptop, tablet and smartphone(s). Because I was travelling in the middle of winter and carrying heavier clothes I thought I should go for something with extra space so I decided to look for a bigger backpack. As I am doing more shopping online I checked a few luggage places and Amazon to compare prices and delivery. I found Myer (the Australian retailer) with their...

* Review / Accommodation

Meininger Roma Termini

This was my third visit to the Meininger Roma Termini hotel. Like in the past I enjoyed my stay. Here are some details… Location The location of the hotel is one of the best reasons to stay here. It’s in a safe area close to many amenities. The Roma Termini railway station central to much of Rome’s public transport: fast trains, regional, suburban, metro and buses, is 5-7 mins walk away; Castro Pretorio underground station a hundred or so metres; and the CONAD City Supermarket 200 metres down the road in Piazza dell’Indipendenza where you can acquire food to be prepared and consumed at the hotel. The footpaths to and from the hotel are mostly better than other areas around the Termini station allowing...

Air Travel / Loyalty / Tips & Advice

Is Pursuing Status Worth It?

There are various perspectives to whether status is worth its weight…in Gold. It can be complicated. The simplest answer; does the individual see value in chasing status? Holding on to it is also a challenge. So the question beckons. Is it worth it?

Air Travel / Tips & Advice

Losing my iPhone at Fiumicino Airport

A moment I never thought would happen to me; losing my iPhone. Something I would dread to experience again… Like many people today we carry our lives on our smartphones. We are so dependent on them for most of our daily tasks: phone calls, messages, email, notifications, banking, air and train travel, identification, etc. To make matters worse most of the world around you requires a smart device to actually get things done. What would we do without them? This is why if your smartphone goes missing you are in a jam. The feeling of helplessness will overcome you, but, there is no place for panicking. A level head is required. As long as the smartphone is missing or lost and not destroyed there...

* Review / Chauffeur & Taxi Services / Tips & Advice / Transport

My first experience with Uber

I don’t usually catch taxis (cabs) on my travels, whether it is going to and from the airport or for general transport between places I visit. I tend to always catch public transport when it is convenient. However with luggage in tow not all public transport is suitable. Trains from airports to central stations are fine. Most places I’ve visited have this well sorted and just to name a few: Athens, Rome, Milan, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Singapore, Hong Kong… I have caught taxis too in the past in Barcelona, Hong Kong, Rome…, but I think unless they are the only option I now have an alternative. One I didn’t really fancy trying before. When travelling between home and the airport and back I was happy...

Opinion

Travel Bug: Is there such a thing?

Yes, but it is not a real bug, or a disease or some other ailment. It is an urge, a feeling that comes over you and lingers in your body for a while. It’s there after you’ve returned back home to the everyday repetitive routines that makes life what it is. This mental state enacts itself just after the first withdrawal symptoms. We all get this as soon as we realise our travel adventure is over. Some get it on the return flight home. Others when they open the front door and realise they are back to what they had escaped. No matter how, it hits you, and then…the so called “travel bug” bites. The urge to get back to travelling and the feeling...

Opinion

After Four Years…

Yes, that’s how long it has been since my last international flight or for that matter any travel overseas. To be precise it was since November 2019 just before COVID-19 was officially announced. I have my personal and very strong opinion about COVID, the pandemic and the restrictions on travel. I won’t get into a discussion or detail here otherwise the post will not be about travel…I’ll say no more. How did I go? Better than I expected. I did stuff up a few minor things mostly due to stress rather than not remembering how to do things. My mind was always on matters happening back home. I had read an article a while back how COVID affected a travel writer who for a...

* Review / Air Travel / Tips & Advice

The Worst Seat Imaginable

Yes, I finally had the opportunity to score the worst seat on a long haul flight. How did this happen? I took a gamble by switching seats before my recent long haul flight from Singapore to Rome with Singapore Airlines. Why did I do this? Well, because I thought if I scored three seats I could lie down and get sleep during the 12.5 hour flight. Knowing those seats were bad also should’ve worked to my advantage. I thought no one with a sound mind would ever select them. I originally was located midway down the tail of the Airbus A350-900. In the aisle seat of the middle row of three. When I booked a couple of months earlier there were a lot of...

Opinion / Tips & Advice

Tipping, When, How and Whom?

When is the right time to tip and how much and who should benefit? I’ve had several experiences with tipping. Not a lot but they were in different situations. Tipping just doesn’t only happen after been given great service. It can also be an incentive to get better service, perhaps even again and again. In the right places tipping can make a difference…

Petitions / Polls / Surveys

Petitions, Polls and Surveys

We have two petitions and a poll running currently. One petition asking Aegean Airlines to consider a service to Singapore and the other asking Singapore Airlines to expand their services to Adelaide. Click the heading and visit the posts and sign the petition(s). After signing you’ll receive an email. Make sure you confirm receiving it. If not your signature will not be counted. You can also leave a comment. We also have a poll regarding Qatar Airways whether they should be allowed to increase their flights to and from Australia. Thank you.

* Review / Cafes & Bistros / Eatery

Cafe Bravo, Norwood

I don’t usually write reviews on restaurants and cafes in my home city but I was compelled to write one this time for a couple of reasons. It was my wife’s birthday and she wanted to go out somewhere to have a bite and spend time together and talk over what had transpired in the previous few days. The day before was actually my birthday, but the day before that her mum passed away from lung cancer. So there weren’t any celebrations. Getting out of the house was enough for us. The kids were with us too, our son and daughter. Our son decided we should go to Cafe Bravo on The Parade at Norwood. I’ve been here before a couple of times if...

Air Travel / Airlines / Airports / Routes / Tips & Advice

Routes: Adelaide-Singapore / Singapore-Adelaide

My first post in the Routes series and I’ll start it off with the international route I fly the most ADL-SIN/SIN-ADL, in other words, Adelaide International Airport (ADL) to Changi Airport Singapore (SIN) and back. Airlines At present only one airline offers this route in and out of Adelaide, Singapore Airlines. Singapore Airlines is part of the Star Alliance. In Australia Singapore Airlines codeshares with Virgin Australia. The Singapore Airlines flights are designated SQ278 (ADL-SIN) and SQ279 (SIN-ADL) and fly daily, all-year round. A second service runs only in December and January designated SQ276 (ADL-SIN) and SQ277 (SIN-ADL) and fly four times a week (Tue, Thu, Sat, and Sun). Schedule SQ278 Northern Summer: ADL 09:10 – SIN 15:10 Southern Summer: ADL 10:35 – SIN...

Air Travel / Routes

Routes

I’ll be introducing a new series of posts about international airline routes to and from Adelaide, my home town in Australia. I’ll add as much information as possible about the route, the airlines that fly it, the airports, flight schedules, etc. If I have flown the route I’ll add some comments; perhaps with tips and advice but not a review. Reviews will be in separate posts. In time I will also add routes connecting other Australian cities to overseas destinations, where travellers from Adelaide are required to transit before final destination. Many of these are hubs for the respective airlines that fly out of Australia, such as: Air New Zealand/Auckland, Qatar Airways/Doha, Emirates/Dubai, Cathay Pacific/Hong Kong, Singapore Airlines/Singapore, etc. Cheers

Air Travel / Tips & Advice

Empty Seats? Yes please. Then Disappointment

On one flight from Singapore to Milan (Italy) several years ago, I asked at check-in whether the flight was full and was told no, there were seats available. Reason why I asked is when I booked my forward section seat in Economy I had a whole row to myself but then when I checked a day or so before departure someone took the window seat. I had the aisle seat and was hoping to score all three to myself. So I decided to change seats at check-in. By doing this I was wasting the money I spent for the forward section seat. No big deal as an empty row anywhere, even in the tail section, trumps a single forward section seat. The check-in agent...

Hotels & Resorts / Opinion / Tips & Advice

Hotel Etiquette

When staying at someone else’s house, perhaps a relative’s or friend’s place, do you respect the house rules? Do you behave accordingly? As a guest you will follow a few rules. Some are written, others are just commonsense but they are all rules a person with some decency would respect. These are the same kind of rules you would expect at home, so why can’t staying in hotels be the same for a few?

Opinion / Tips & Advice

Online Travel Agencies Booking Hotels, Yes or No?

Should you book your hotel accommodation with an Online Travel Agency or through a Travel Agent or direct? A question many ask when planning their travels. Here I’ll explain my experiences and what I think is the best way of going about booking accommodation. Save money, get a good deal and be loyal. In my early days of travelling I booked everything through my travel agent (TA); flights, accommodation, cruises, insurance, etc. I was happy to give them the commission for all their hard work. I had faith in their experience and they saved me a lot of time searching and organising. This went on for a few years then I decided to start booking travel myself to see if I could save money....

Air Travel

Duty Free Shopping and Air Travel Safety Questions

I’ve always wondered about the safety issues of buying duty free items after clearing security and passport control at some airports. This all done after checked luggage has already been shipped away to be security scanned and ready to be loaded onto the plane. So the question is; why are we allowed to carry alcohol, perfumes and other flammable liquids on board the aircraft and why aren’t these items banned from the cabin? The solution would be to only be able to purchase duty free alcohol, perfumes etc., before luggage is checked-in. Correct? In fact no. Reason is that it is best to have anything flammable in the cabin where it can be put out by the crew. In the cargo hold these items...

Loyalty / Opinion

Miles+Bonus Status Retention/Upgrade Changes

Elite status to become much harder in 2023 for Aegean Airlines’ flyers Aegean Airlines informed its frequent flyers and status holders on the 1st of February there will be changes to the tier retention and upgrade rules. Gaining status will be more difficult, especially for those not living in Greece and not able to fly on Aegean metal. The decision by Aegean is disappointing but understandable. They have good reasons and it has all to do with economics, which I will not delve upon here. Personally as a member of Miles+Bonus, the Aegean frequent flyer programme, I will find it much harder to obtain Gold status. I’ve already lost this status during 2022 being demoted to Silver. Aegean have been generous in the retention...

Uncategorised

Adding Links to Old Posts

I’ve started adding links to posts and reviews. Most will be regarding travel providers and services I’ve used, including where I’ve stayed, eaten, etc. I’ll do this automatically to all new posts. The older ones too (where possible), unless the provider or service no longer exists or available. In that case there will be a note in the post. I won’t be adding costs in all reviews but will just add a remark whether cheap, competitive or not. In some cases the star rating will give a rough indication. Most prices, fees, charges and taxes fluctuate and change over time so what was current then or now may not be the case in future. Note: editing of posts will show an update date together...