A dual citizen, I have always travelled on my Australian passport, using my British one solely for entering and leaving the UK.
asserted
I → travel → UK
Recently departing Heathrow on my British passport, as British-Australians are now required to do by the British government, I had problems at Bangkok.
asserted
I → depart → Bangkok
I had registered and tried to enter Thailand on my Australian passport, which I had done in the other direction a few weeks previously.
asserted
I → register → direction
I was almost denied entry until I presented my British passport and received a very firm talking-to by the immigration officer about entering only on the departure passport, as recorded by the airline.
asserted
I → deny → airline
A wrinkle of the new UK government entry rules for dual citizens that I only now fully appreciate.
asserted
I → appreciate → that
Andrew St John-Brown, Armidale, NSW
Lost in transaction
Ross Tanner (Traveller Letters, September 5) had the opposite experience from me with booking.com.
asserted
Tanner → lose → booking.com
I booked an Australian house from within Australia, advertised in Australian dollars with an Australian credit card.
asserted
I → book → card
I was then charged in euros and had to pay an international transaction fee.
asserted
I → charge → fee
Despite me challenging the cost, booking.com has never refunded the fee.
asserted
booking.com → challenge → fee
I’ll never use them again.
asserted
I → use → them
I’ve not dabbled with AI for my travel planning yet, like your reader Christina Benedict (Traveller Letters, September 5), but during a recent visit to Warrnambool’s tourist information centre, it was the passion a staff member shared with us that opened up opportunities only locals knew about.
asserted
locals → dabble → opportunities
She shared the story about an artist’s street art of a wombat “temporarily” sketched onto a bridge wall.
asserted
She → share → wall
What happened when the artist tried to remove the artwork became a YouTube sensation followed by an ABC interview about the very funny and intriguing story.
asserted
artist → happen → story
Yes, AI can share the art trail details with you, but not with the passion of a proud local.
asserted
AI → share → local
Roxanne Le Blanc, Croydon, Vic
Case dismissed
It makes sense to check if wheels can be easily replaced when buying luggage as wheel damage is not uncommon and probably won’t be repaired under warranty.
asserted
damage → dismiss → warranty
During a recent Japan trip, the rubber tyres on both our three-year-old High Sierra wheeled duffel bags split and fell apart for no apparent reason.
asserted
tyres → split → reason
Samsonite (owner of the High Sierra brand) refused to repair them, even after NSW Fair Trading intervened.
asserted
Trading → refuse → them
Without examining the wheels, Samsonite stated that the failures were not a manufacturing fault, but were due to “airline mishandling, normal wear and tear or abuse”.
asserted
failures → examine → mishandling
A web search showed that this is a common response by luggage manufacturers.
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this → show → manufacturers
Riveted luggage wheels are costly to repair as the wheels have to be drilled out – we were quoted $200 to repair our bags.
asserted
we → rivet → bags
If the wheels had been bolted or screwed into place, I would have done it myself for a fraction of that.
asserted
I → bolt → that
These days, I rarely catch sight of the cockpit crew, but I remember the good old days when the captain would stroll down the aisle on long flights chatting to passengers.
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captain → catch → passengers
On a recent flight, I caught sight of the captain and screamed with delight.
asserted
I → catch → delight
She was exactly what I wanted to be back in 1970, when the chaps at my flying school laughed when I said I wanted to go commercial.
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I → want → school
She asked a passenger to take a pic of us together.
asserted
She → ask → us
I just returned from an Arctic cruise and travel in Europe and want to applaud all the accessibility airport staff.
asserted
I → return → staff
Due to an injury, my mum had to use a walker and we asked for support at the airport.
asserted
we → have → airport
We were met at the aircraft door with a wheelchair and smiling faces.
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We → meet → wheelchair
We even received assistance with luggage and getting a taxi.
asserted
We → receive → taxi
So many people with a disability can travel today and be well taken care of.
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people → travel → care
Jennifer Bray, Corindi Beach, NSW
App happy
I recently returned from a fantastic five-day trip to Suzhou, China, after reading an article about it in Traveller.
asserted
I → return → Traveller
Before going, I was warned that Google Maps, WhatsApp, and most other Western apps wouldn’t work.
asserted
Maps → go → ?
However, because I used my phone’s international roaming, every app worked smoothly for navigating, paying and staying in touch with home.
asserted
app → use → home
Installing WeChat and Alipay before leaving made payments seamless.
asserted
payments → instal → WeChat
Booking train and attraction tickets online was a breeze.
asserted
Booking → book → tickets
Once booked, your passport acts as your ticket – no need to show paper or online passes.
asserted
passport → book → paper
As a senior citizen, I was pleasantly surprised to skip the queues at several attractions.
asserted
I → skip → attractions
Hotel staff used translation apps, and I relied on my own whenever needed.
asserted
I → use → own
Suzhou was truly one of the most hassle-free destinations I’ve visited.
asserted
I → visit → destinations
Australia’s liquid rules make little sense.
asserted
rules → make → sense
…and 13 more, not listed.
The Aporia
