Traveller

Your destination for travel inspiration from Traveller in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. So, what are you still doing here?

Traveller is the essential resource for Australians who love to travel. We are dedicated to providing the best travel advice by offering the perfect mix of inspirational content and comprehensive destination guides with things to do and places to stay. Most importantly, Traveller is your daily escape to dream destinations. Be transported to the wild Kimberley Coast of Western Australia or a sun lo

unge on the Cote d’Azur in France, with a mimosa in hand. Start searching for your next holiday. Our Facebook policy

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10/09/2026

A one-letter mistake on my booking meant cancelling my entire holiday.

I recently booked a trip from Melbourne to Taipei that had to be cancelled due to a one-letter spelling mistake on my partner’s name on the ticket. The flight was a rewards seat booked through Qantas Frequent Flyer for China Airlines. I reached out to China Airlines, who said they could not update the spelling as it was a Qantas codeshare booking. Qantas, meanwhile, said they could change it – for a fee – if China Airlines agreed. But according to Qantas, China Airlines refused, stating “rules are rules”. It left me with no alternative but to cancel the tickets and, as a result, our whole holiday. It was a terrible situation and, yes, my fault, but getting one letter wrong in a booking that could have easily been changed has left me deciding I will never fly China Airlines. I would add that the advance booking with an IHG hotel was cancelled with no penalty even though they could have charged us for one night at least. Be careful everyone.
- Traveller reader David McCarthy, Hotham Hill, Vic

08/09/2026

My sleepy childhood holiday town is now a place for millionaires.

Whenever I find myself enamoured by a destination, I tend to hover outside real estate windows, eyeing up available property and questioning whether I could see myself living there permanently. That little log cabin in the woods in the intriguingly named Story, Wyoming, almost had me; then there was that Juliet-balconied apartment overlooking a cobbled laneway in Bellagio, Lake Como.

For my father, temptation came in the form of a beachfront block at Hawks Nest on the NSW Mid-Coast, our family’s favourite summer holiday destination in the mid-1970s. During a scout around the newly developed Winda Woppa housing estate in 1976, he happened upon a beachfront block on The Boulevarde, overlooking the white sands of Jimmys Beach. It was for sale for the princely sum of $7000.

“Buy it, buy it!” we three kids shouted from the back seat of the Holden Premier, the potential transaction no more complicated than the purchase of a Paddle Pop. Even my mother seemed keen, visions of a glamorous seaside holiday home competing with her innate unpretentiousness.

My father, however, was a conservative man who believed that the bank was where money was wisely invested; property was a risky prospect best avoided. Although sorely tempted (and harangued by his children), he eventually declared the land too expensive, and not a safe enough financial bet.

Oh, Dad …

We never did forgive our father for this decision; and, 50 years on, my siblings and I still lament his lack of foresight, with waterfront properties in Hawks Nest now worth up to $3 million.

- Julie Miller

07/09/2026

I thought I knew every travel scam in the book, but this one surprised me.

In May, after collecting a hire car from Rome’s Fiumicino Airport, I was driving along the A1 autostrada towards Florence when a car pulled in front of me, slowed until he was about 10 metres from my bumper bar and slammed on his brakes. In full panic mode, I hit the skids. The collision alarm shrieked, and I could feel my Renault’s automatic braking system activating, stopping just short of locking up the wheels. By some miracle, I avoided smashing into his rear end.

From more than 100km/h we came to a complete stop before he started off again. I did the same, pulled out next to him and showed him a few gestures that would have surprised even an Italian. He responded with clasped hands suggesting, “Sorry, my bad.”

“See how polite Italian drivers are?” said Liz, my wife. But I begged to disagree. It was all planned.

He’d been lying in wait, saw a newish vehicle, probably figured I had full insurance and that made me a prime target. If I had slammed into the back of him, it would have been my fault, and I’d have had no chance of convincing the police otherwise. Call it crash for cash, or the brake check scam. I’ve driven thousands of kilometres in Italy and I thought I knew everything there was to know about what could go wrong, but this was a revelation.

There are always new scams evolving. It pays to stay up to date.
- Michael Gebicki

04/09/2026

When passengers behave badly on planes, I speak up.

I’ve experienced the most egregious cases of bad manners on planes. In the past year: people talking loudly into their speakerphone. Children watching cartoons on iPads without headphones. The person next to me manspreading his big feet into my footwell. A woman across the aisle giving herself a pedicure.

The girl in the seat in front dangling her long hair over my video screen. The bare feet from the person behind pushing through the gap in my seat. The child behind kicking my seat relentlessly. People leaving me, a stranger, in charge of their child. People who don’t wash or bring smelly food onto the plane. People insisting you change seats for them.

Most of us don’t speak up, wishing to avoid confrontation, or appearing to overreact. But we’re perfectly entitled to, if it directly affects us or is causing distress to someone else. It’s not bad manners to politely state your case.

I often kindly ask people to desist in the worst cases, aware that I might sound like a cranky old schoolteacher. Most are quite shocked, as often they genuinely didn’t realise that playing a noisy game on their phone without earbuds in the middle of the night would disturb anyone.
- Lee Tulloch

02/09/2026

I remain loyal to Qantas for one reason (and it’s not frequent flyer points).

In defence of Qantas, during the last six months I have had two return international flights and two return domestic flights. Check-in at the airport was polite, courteous and efficient, as was boarding. However, I remain loyal to Qantas chiefly due to its onboard crew who make the flight memorable and as anxiety-free as possible. Although age is creeping up, I still travel economy because the service is still consistently hospitable. Upon boarding at London Heathrow, after an unsettling experience at Copenhagen Airport with British Airways, I informed the economy flight attendant that I was looking forward to the 16-hour flight to Perth for a box-set binge-watch and much-needed sleep. They ensured these small-scale desires, by meeting my refreshment needs with attentive regard. I do not expect much of an airline except that they get me there and back safely. Qantas, time after time, exceeds this basic expectation.
- Traveller reader Debra J. Phillips, Wollstonecraft, NSW

01/09/2026

After 15 years as travel editor, here are some things I’ve learnt.

After a decade-and-a-half as travel editor of both The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, my journey is at an end.

Here are some conclusions and observations regarding a pastime I still adore after 15 years.

Stopovers are better value than a premium economy seat:
Aside from the excellent Emirates offering, most airline premium seats can be no more than reconstituted business-class equivalents from the pre-reclining mechanism era. Unless you really need to get there, even a stopover stay in a pricey five-star with real flat beds (dream: proper starched white sheets) represents better value, ensuring you are far better prepared physically and psychologically for the next leg of your journey.

The greatest mystery in travel remains …
Why hotels, even five-star ones, consider transparent toilet doors in their bathrooms to be an excellent idea. Go ahead and install one in your own home, guys, and see how it goes, as it were.

And the second-greatest mystery in travel is …
Actually, there are three: (1) what on Earth have hotels got against a simple light switch? (2) Is the hotel general manager’s own air-conditioner at his or her own address as nonadjustable as the one in their guest rooms? (3) We know hotel guests love white towels in bathrooms, but who in their right mind among us has that completely unsuitable choice of colour at their home?

Eighty per cent of the world’s population has never flown:
Low-cost airlines – note that the “low cost” bit refers to the airline’s costs, not yours – have certainly democratised travel, for good and bad. And, despite the so-called “first world problems” we encounter, including those above, travel remains a complete life blessing and privilege for the relatively affluent 20 per cent of us. Tourism, for all its faults, could offer the best chance for world peace and harmony (and already does a fair job of it), if only we all tried harder at getting it right. Whatever the case, it’s been an honour to have played a tiny part in its journey over all these years.

- Anthony Dennis

28/08/2026

Some people dislike Dubai, but I can’t wait to go back there.

It’s been nearly 18 years since my sister, her then-boyfriend and I moved to Dubai, and although I’ve since departed, this city has never left me. I’ve been travelling to the UAE regularly since I left in late 2014, and with my sister’s family still based there I don’t see that ever changing. Dubai is one of my heart homes. Having been prevented from visiting this year in light of the US-and-Israel-led conflict with Iran, I’ve realised how much I miss it.

For some people, Dubai brings up big feelings. You either love it or hate it. Some hate it for what they believe it lacks or represents. And it’s not perfect. Nowhere is. We had numerous friends who got in trouble in Dubai for trivial reasons. And yes, the labour camps of poor migrant workers that come to the UAE to send money home is ethically concerning.

But for me, the good outweighs the bad. It’s safe. You interact daily with people from myriad cultures and ethnic backgrounds. The diversity of food in Dubai is unsurpassed, with restaurants representing most cuisines in the world. The luxury hotels in Dubai are in another realm. And yet if you want to go somewhere else, it’s right on the world’s doorstep.
- Jenny Hewett

27/08/2026

Premium economy was a colossal waste of money.

Earlier this year, my family of three adults flew Singapore Airlines’ premium economy from Melbourne to Europe return (with one-night Singapore stopovers) costing just under $5000 per seat. What a colossal waste of money. On all four flights, we experienced the same flight conditions as those endured by your reader Bryan Yianakis. He fared better than us, as my complaint to SIA wasn’t acknowledged and didn’t result in the minimalist offer of $150 vouchers. We are all Krisflyer members. Previously I’ve flown economy class to Europe with SIA as my preferred airline. No more. As a result of the awful premium economy experience, we will not fly with SIA in future. Our brand loyalty certainly didn’t reap any “premium” comfort and instead we were subjected to substandard, faulty seating, broken amenities and poor service.
- Traveller reader Carol Jasen, Monbulk, Vic

26/08/2026

Jetstar’s new route to one of Asia’s coolest destinations takes off.

Australians are flocking to Sri Lanka in record numbers, and Jetstar has taken notice, with Tuesday’s launch of non-stop flights between Melbourne and Colombo.

JQ5 left the terminal at 12.38pm, 38 minutes behind its scheduled departure time of midday, ahead of its 10-hour journey to Colombo.

The new route unleashes more than 50,000 additional return-trip seats between Australia and Sri Lanka a year (although Sydneysiders will need to keep flying SriLankan or travel via Melbourne).

The airline announced a fare sale to mark the launch of the flights, with one-way economy class fares from $319 (not including bags). Return economy flights, not including checked bags, in November were available on Jetstar’s website from about $850 return from Melbourne and $1100 return from Sydney (via Melbourne).

In the 12 months to June 2026, 139,410 Australians visited Sri Lanka, Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures reveal – an increase of 13 per cent over the previous 12 months.

Compared with the year before that, these most recent figures represent a 38 per cent spike, also surpassing pre-COVID traveller volumes.

Sri Lanka’s current stability is no doubt influencing that growth, with tourists putting the 2019 Easter bombings and the 2022 political crisis out of mind. The country also recently exempted Australians from tourism visa fees, replaced by a free 30-day Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA).

25/08/2026

What most people don’t understand about frequent flyer bookings.

While paid airfares get pricier as demand increases, that doesn’t apply when spending Qantas and Velocity points. These programs use the distance of your flight – not the actual price of the airfare – to determine the cost in points.

Understand this nugget of airline trickery and you’ll quickly see why short, expensive economy flights are a fantastic way to spend points.

For instance, Qantas’ two-hour Sydney-Lord Howe Island flights can cost $783 one way … or you could book for only 9200 Qantas points – the same number of points as a Sydney-Melbourne flight (plus $94 in taxes and fees) saving $689.

The principle is universal. The shorter the flight and the more expensive the airfare, the greater the value of using points for economy, provided you can find flights to suit your plans.
- Chris Chamberlin

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