Advice Archives : Plane Sailing

You should be vigilant, but not panic, about air safety

Update, November 22, 2018: The general thrust of this article is that you should look carefully at the safety record of the airline you intend to fly with. This New York Times story suggests that Lion Air has grown too quickly and without instilling a safety culture among its workforce. It also raises questions about the Indonesian air safety authorities.

Update, November 2, 2018: As I mention below, Indonesia has an air-safety problem. Read more about it here. The headline of this article has also be changed, and a footnote added.

Forget about privacy, everyone’s got your number

Updated (see second footnote)

Another day, another data breach. Revelations that data held by Cathay Pacific has been “compromised” do worry me a little, as I have flown with the airline several times, and plan to do so again next month.

But, as a frequent traveller, I’ve got used to the idea that many people have the details of my credit cards, passport and much, much more.

Price discrimination: a challenge for travellers

In much of the world, discrimination is illegal. And rightly so.

But if you are a traveller, you’ve probably been the serial victim of one form of discrimination that is generally legal and extremely common — before you’ve even left home.

When in Rome, should we speak Italian?

The Flavian Ampitheatre (Colosseum) in Rome.

Before I took my first European trip, I invested in a phrase book, and I taught myself how to order a coffee and a beer in four languages. As it turned out, it wasn’t necessary, although my tortured pronunciation did provide some light relief for the locals.

As a native English speaker, I have a big advantage everywhere I travel: I talk the language much of the world already knows or is keen to learn. But is it simply lazy, or even disrespectful, to try to get by with English when you travel?

Top travel tip: Don’t get put in prison abroad!

(Probably not) Socrates’ prison cell in Athens.

We all like to let our hair down (in my case, figuratively) when we are on holidays. But sometimes a bit of harmless fun can go very wrong.

The latest case involves two young British women who spent three days in a Greek prison cell after what they claimed was a harmless prank. Such stories are not uncommon.

Is it even possible to name a favourite travel experience?

Petra: one of the world’s may great destinations.

I recently got asked on Quora.com: Where did your favourite cruise take you?

I gave my answer and I stand by it — but, on reflection, I realise that it’s almost impossible to name a favourite cruise, or a favourite travel experience of any kind, because they are all so different. And that’s what makes travel fun and compelling.

Some people like the middle seat, but I’m not buying it

Social media drew my attention to this story on Nerdwallet about why some passengers actually prefer to sit in the dreaded middle seat on an aircraft.

Things ain’t what they used to be. when it comes to airline seating.
(Copyright holder unknown. Source: worksthatwork.com)

Yes, I know. You did read that correctly.

Your holiday pictures don’t have to be perfect

One of the first investments many travellers make is a good camera. That makes sense, because we all want to share and take home some great memories.

But is it really necessary to sweat about getting the “right” picture? Isn’t it sometimes better to just enjoy the moment?

Why tourists are not always welcome

No sex please, we’re German. The Hofbrauhaus is at the centre of Munich’s festivities.

The tourism industry is a big contributor to the economies of many countries. But that comes at a price.

When you welcome a large number of tourists, you risk spoiling your own natural surroundings and sacrificing some of your cultural heritage.

Five things to consider before you book your next holiday

Is this the kind of vacation experience you want?

Travel is cheaper than it used to be, so most of us can afford to take some kind of holiday. But no matter how flush you are with cash, or how time-rich you are, you can still make a costly mistake.

Here are a few things to consider before you commit:

The hearty, warming food and drink add to the Russian experience.

When we travel, we usually talk about seeing new places. But the reality is that it involves just more than one sense.

I was reminded of this in a mundane way when a woman pointed at a stall on the side of a road in Ban Phe, near where I am currently staying in Thailand, and asked me if I knew what fruit was being sold.

When you recline, are you stealing somebody’s space?

After a little hesitation, I think it’s time for me to address one of the hottest topics in travel: reclining seats on aircraft (and buses).

Some people judge a seat’s comfort by the amount of recline it allows. Other people have been taking devices on to planes to ensure that the person in front of them can’t recline at all.

Who’s right, and who’s wrong? Or is there no single correct answer to that question?

Five things first-time visitors should know about Thailand

Thailand is one of the world’s most popular holiday destinations, and it’s one of my favourite places.

Regardless of your interest — be it exploring temples, fine dining, water sports, jungle trekking or bar-hopping — you are more than likely to have a good time. But there are a few things you should know before you set out.

Continue reading Five things first-time visitors should know about Thailand

Make sure you have the right medicine when you travel

If you rely on medicine or medical equipment — be it blood-pressure tablets, asthma treatment or EpiPens for allergies — don’t simply assume that it will be available everywhere you travel.

You will certainly find that some prescription-only drugs are available over the counter in other countries, but you may find that something you really need is unavailable, overpriced, often faked or even illegal.

Continue reading Make sure you have the right medicine when you travel

How I became a budget airline’s dream passenger

Recently, I became an airline’s dream customer — the person who booked and paid for a flight but didn’t turn up at the airport.

In all likelihood, the airline was able to sell my seat again and make a small but tidy extra profit.

Continue reading How I became a budget airline’s dream passenger

Five things you really can’t leave home without

“Once again, you forgot to mention the Imodium.” That was the Twitter comment about one of my posts that made me realise it’s time to go back to basics.

So, forgive me if you’ve read this before, but here are the five indispensable things to take on your travels.

Continue reading Five things you really can’t leave home without

Five things that can get you arrested when you travel

Even though I love to travel, I’m the first to admit that it’s not without its pitfalls.

Recently, I’ve been reminded about some cases where travellers or expatriatess — usually Westerners — have got themselves into big trouble because they didn’t know what they were doing was illegal.

Continue reading Five things that can get you arrested when you travel

Five reasons not to believe all that travel advice

This might seem like a strange thing to read on a travel blog, but you shouldn’t believe everything you read, or hear, about travel.

Some things last forever, others change.

It’s a big, bad world out there, and not everybody is being entirely honest in their posts, newspaper and magazine articles, podcasts, vodcasts, tweets, instas, Facebook Live broadcasts and so on.

Continue reading Five reasons not to believe all that travel advice

You’ve got to go before you really know

Imagine a world where we all thought the same way and did the same things. Pretty bland, eh?

And yet so many of us*, when we travel, don’t embrace the differences of the places we visit. Worse still, are those who rail against places and people they know nothing about.

Continue reading You’ve got to go before you really know

How to score a cheap flight by tricking the science of seat prices

It’s a mystery to most of us why airfare prices fluctuate so wildly. In this video, CNN’s Richard Quest (yes, I know, some people do find him irritating) explains why that is, and describes a newish way that you can score an upgrade.

Sadly, the video does not explain why return flights are cheaper than two one-way tickets — I believe it’s because airlines want to lock you in getting there and Continue reading

Tag: Advice