Check it

My wife and I recently flew to Melbourne with Virgin Australia. As Gold Velocity members, we were entitled to two checked bags each, with a weight allowance of 23 kilograms per bag. At check-in, we presented a single bag weighing 28 kilograms and were surprised to be charged an additional $60.

While I understand that Virgin Australia’s policy includes fees for overweight baggage, I had assumed this applied to the total combined weight across all allowed pieces – not on a per-bag basis. In our case, we were well under our total allowance of 92 kilograms, yet incurred a fee simply because one bag exceeded the individual limit. I wanted to share this experience as it may be helpful for others to know how the policy is applied in practice. Craig Roberts, Roseville, NSW

Three from three

Every time we deviate from flying Qantas, Virgin fluff it. On the latest occasion we booked adjacent seats in business class from Darwin to Melbourne, then found during check-in the night before departure that we had been seated separately and on the extreme opposite sides of the aircraft. Seat changes are occasionally necessary, but the couple sitting in the seats we had booked said they booked two months later than us, and found the seats unallocated.

The previous attempt to fly Virgin we found our Melbourne to Brisbane flight in business class cancelled with notification being received only 10 minutes before we were due to leave home for the airport (Qantas took off with us just an hour later than the cancelled Virgin flight). The time before that our Virgin flight was also cancelled. Uncertainty, energy and time spent failing in three out of three bookings. Sigh. Back to Qantas. Richard Gould, West Melbourne, Vic

Letter of the week: Talking Turkey

I was sorry to read about the traveller who was double-charged by an Istanbul taxi driver (Traveller Letters, August 23). Sadly, this is a common scam and I encourage travellers to lodge a complaint even though they don’t have the driver’s plate number. Any bank transaction details can also help identify drivers at fault. Complaints can be filed through the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (cozummerkezi.ibb.istanbul) or by emailing the Public Transport Services Directorate (topluulasim@ibb.gov.tr). The Istanbul Taxi Drivers’ Chamber also accepts complaints via its website (iteo.org.tr). Istanbul is a spectacular city, and knowing how to report these scams helps protect future visitors and honest drivers. Monique Sweep Akalin, Melburnian living in Istanbul

Arrival drinks

I agree with Michael Gebicki that duty-free shopping is usually more of a hassle than a good deal these days (Traveller, August 18). The one remaining advantage is being able, on departure from Australia, to buy a bottle of booze or two to savour at your destination, thereby avoiding paying inflated prices at your hotel, or elsewhere in countries where alcohol taxes are even more exorbitant. Ross Duncan, Potts Point, NSW

Falling for Iguazu

There is another and slightly less expensive way to see some of the Iguazu Falls without the crowds (Traveller, August 25). Stay at Hotel das Cataratas on the Brazilian side. The hotel is within the national park which does not open until 9am and is next to the falls. Until then, you will only have to share the falls with fellow guests and if you get up very early, there is a good chance you will be on your own. It is a priceless experience and well worth the high cost of the accommodation. There are plenty of transfer options to and from the airport and across into Argentina. On your way, you might want to stop at the Parque das Aves, a sanctuary full of exotic birds and butterflies. Kirsten Walla, Vaucluse, NSW

Landed without bags

Flying Jetstar to Rarotonga, we arrived, my luggage didn’t. Baggage handlers at Rarotonga said this was a regular occurrence. We travel with back-up clothes and essentials in hand luggage, but a family with young children arrived with no luggage and zero communication from Jetstar. There was no advice about options or likely delivery and minimal compensation only when chased. Luggage gets delivered a day or two later, depending on flights. If you are flying Jetstar direct, expect that your luggage won’t arrive with you. Ian MacDonald, Newport, NSW

Clean living

When travelling I visit a laundromat about once a week. As the laundromats are usually a distance from where I am staying, I unpack my case and put my dirty laundry in it. I’m then able to walk there without clutching bulging plastic bags. Another advantage is that the clean clothes can be folded flat. I also take an expandable elastic washing line for overnight washing of underwear and socks. Even if they don’t dry overnight, I bundle them in a waterproof bag, and they dry on the second night. Plastic over-door hooks are good for hanging coats or extra towels. Patricia Harrington, Kerang, Vic

Heritage pinnacle

We have recently returned from a three-month trip through South Australia, the NT and Western Australia and were blown away by the magnificent Pinnacles 200 kilometres north of Perth (Traveller, August 24). They are so unexpected, peaceful and awe-inspiring. It seemed to us that they should also be on the UNESCO list. Don’t miss them. Sue and Peter Hosking, Hampton, Vic

Budget blown

I recently booked a rental car through Budget for three days in Cairns (Sunday, 11pm, to Wednesday 8pm) for a very reasonable $60 a day. I then found I had to attend a funeral before flying from Melbourne, so I went online and delayed the start of the rental period until 4pm on the Monday. The price automatically doubled. There seemed to be no reason for this, and the beleaguered representative who answered my call could only say it’s the commonest cause of complaint they get. Steve Trumble, Aireys Inlet, Vic

Tip of the week: Online web

There was one trap in Michael Gebicki’s story (Traveller, August 15) that I discovered on my trip to Europe this year. I normally check in online for internal flights when I receive a link from the airline, usually 24 hours before flying. However, on this occasion, I forgot to check in until I was on the way to the airport. Unable to find the email with the link, I went to the airline’s website and clicked into its online check-in portal, only to be redirected to an external online travel agent. This site provided the online boarding passes for the cost of €1 per boarding pass, which I paid using my credit card. Had I used the link that the airline had previously emailed, I would have paid nothing. A sting in the tail was that the online travel agency that issued the boarding passes then tried to take a larger sum of money from my credit card a few days later. Thank goodness for Westpac, who suspected a scam and blocked the payment. Nazli Munir, Balmain, NSW

Editor’s note: We suspect this was, in fact, not the airline’s actual website but one of the ubiquitous scam websites that use paid Google ads to appear higher in the search results than the official sites (several other readers have reported similar scams recently). Often they are dressed up to look like the official site.

Warm receptions

I travel extensively for business, both in Australia and overseas, and have suffered many almost sleepless nights in unpleasantly cold hotel rooms. I find luxury and comfort are often conflated, but in my experience, are two quite different concepts. My pet hates, apart from heating that can’t be adjusted, are synthetic blankets that are not even remotely warm, dim lighting, light switches that are hidden or unreachable, bleak decor, no electric kettle, thin towels and taps positioned directly under the shower rose. Within Australia, I now travel with a thick wool blanket along with the two hot water bottles that go everywhere, regardless of the season, even overseas. Helen Waite, Llanelly, Vic

International island

Kristie Kellahan’s airport review of Darwin, NT (Traveller, August 17) reminds me of a recent experience in an Australian international arrivals hall. Despite being an external Australian territory, Norfolk Island is serviced by Qantas flights from Sydney and Brisbane departing from the international terminal. Visitors to Norfolk Island should expect a crowded arrivals “hall” with a small luggage carousel and a couple of Australian Border Force desks. Passengers still need to complete an immigration card for forward and return journeys. Allan Gibson, Cherrybrook, NSW

French connections

I agree with Ben Groundwater’s views of French attitudes towards visitors (Traveller, July 16). We were in a smart cafe in Paris when an officious maitre’d issued the menus and returned shortly after to take our orders. I inquired,“parlez-vous Anglais, monsieur?” He snorted, “non” and walked off before turning quickly and returning with a broad smile to say, “gotcha!” He, as most French people I have ever met, do genuinely appreciate efforts to speak at least some basic French. I wish that on our first trip in 1975, I had understood the great importance of greeting everyone with “bonjour”, as enthusiastically as possible. Failure to do so is seen as extreme rudeness. John James, Launceston, Tas

French connections #2

My wife and I visited Belgium and northern France in 2015, mainly to visit World War I battlefields and graveyards. While in Amiens, we looked for the Jules Verne House but had difficulty finding it. As we stood on a street corner looking at our map, a smartly dressed young French woman approached and asked if she could help. She was obviously on her way to work but back-tracked a couple of blocks to escort us to within sight of the museum. As we were walking, she asked if we were Australian and when we confirmed we were, she simply said,“We owe you so much.” We have travelled to France a few times and have only ever encountered courtesy and kindness. John Ure, Mount Hutton, NSW

Deal direct

The advice in Michael Gebicki’s piece on travel traps (Traveller, August 15) about the booking.com email scam may not be accurate. When my husband received a dodgy email saying the credit card details he had provided weren’t accepted by the hotel, the message also showed in his booking.com account because the perpetrator had hacked the booking.com hotel’s account. Don’t trust the website, call the hotel directly. Chrissie Schubert, Windsor, Vic

No deal

I have enjoyed $5 a day Vodafone international roaming while travelling to the US, UK and India. But during my last trip from Sydney to London via Dubai transit, I learnt the hard and expensive way that a $5 a day deal does not apply in Dubai. I was charged about $500 for 15 minutes usage of WhatsApp. Vodafone has a so-called inbuilt protection built-in to prevent high charges, so my phone was internet disconnected when I landed in London. It’s a good service but not so good for me as I could not use the internet on my phone for a few days until I realised that I had to ring Vodafone to have it reactivated. Rakesh Sahore, Lindfield, NSW

The Letter of the Week writer wins three Hardie Grant travel books. See hardiegrant.com

The Tip of the Week writer wins a set of three Lonely Planet travel books. See shop.lonelyplanet.com

Sign up for the Traveller newsletter

The latest travel news, tips and inspiration delivered to your inbox. Sign up now.