It’s hardly a badge of honour, but at long last, after an occasionally indulgent life, I have acquired what travel insurers call a pre-existing condition. You may not regard it as much of a condition. It has come and gone, perhaps never to return, but so far as insurance is concerned, it can be akin to a Mark of Cain. However, as I’ve just learned, the news is not all bad. If you are stra... read more>

If you haven't booked your flights for Christmas yet, get ready to raid the piggy bank, choose another mode of transport, or stay home. We know airfares have rocketed post-COVID as the carriers take advantage of surging demand, fewer airlines are serving Australia and there’s a need to make up for earlier pandemic losses. For example, a Yuletide visit to Auckland from Sydney return could ... read more>

Whenever I go anywhere, the first thing I try to get hold of is a map. Not some poor definition tiny-screened digital version but the full fold-out paper version. And it’s getting harder and harder to find one. Agencies are keen that you download the directions and don’t you dare bother them with anything they have to print. Sadly, the excellent Cartoscope series of tourist maps (see pic)... read more>

I should have gotten a photo of her pearly whites while I had a chance, to illustrate better the results of Thailand's dental tourism industry. But her smile said it all. Go overseas for a month-long holiday, fly business, stay in a nice hotel, and have all your teeth fixed. And it still cost less than her local dentist. I was checking in this week at Bangkok airport to return home, four ... read more>

You shouldn’t break the rules in national parks, especially in the Northern Territory when it comes to fires, but unknowingly I did. The camp host at Litchfield National Park’s Wangi Falls politely pulled me up for collecting firewood inside the park. Fortunately, once out of the park, it didn’t stop Anne Griffin from demonstrating one of the handiest camping accessories I have seen for y... read more>