Travelwise column

Column by Henk Luf

Travelling the World - Part 1
When we say that travelling around the globe has become a lot easier in recent years we may well correct but when we look closer at what is involved in travelling from one country to another, the notion of easier travel is only partially correct. ..read on

Travelling the World Part 2 - Airlines - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Having looked at what a 20-year old German person might have to look at before he or she hits the road into the wilds of Europe, we might, this time, look at what is happening within the airline industry and what is viable in terms of value for money..read on

Travelling the World Part 3 - Hotels and Accommodation
One of the biggest expense when people go wondering around the world is accommodation and one can lose large amounts of money in wasted hotel accommodation if the subject as to where to stay is not properly considered. Take this scenario for insta..read on

Travelling the World Part 4 - Business Travel Declining
While most countries might be in recession right now, there is still a fair amount of business travel actually taking place. When we look at both the leisure/holiday and business travel markets, we can come to the conclusion that the two markets ..read on

Travelling the World part 5 - High Speed Trains a Possibility for Australia
Australia must be one of the world's few economically developed countries that has not as yet seen the development of a high-speed railway network; the reason for the lack of such a system being a lack of Government initiatives, a lack of vision in t..read on

FIJI. 07 August 2009
Fiji is a Pacific Ocean island nation located half-way between eastern Australia and Hawaii. The population largely consists of people of Indian descent as well as the local Fijian population. Fiji's main sources of income are the tourism industry..read on

TIMOR-LESTE (East Timor) 07 August 2009
Timor-Leste, or perhaps better known as East Timor, is one of the world's newest independent nations. It is located between Indonesia and Australia and while half of the island is Indonesian territory, the other half, East Timor, is now independent. ..read on

New Zealand 11 August 2009
New Zealand is one of those countries that people from around the world should visit at least once in a lifetime. The country, located in south-west Pacific Ocean, is an island state divided into two main islands, one the North Island, one the So..read on

Travelwise - An Overview
Travelwise was designed to provide prospective travellers with information that neither travel agents and/or representatives of the tourist and travel authorities of the various countries are interested in giving you. I shall give an example. ..read on

BURMA 15 August 2009
Burma, or Myanmar as it is called these days, is one of the largest South East Asian countries within that region. Its population is about 33 million of various different ethnic groups. At this point in time, Burma is a member of ASEAN (Associa..read on

Vanuatu 18 August 2009
Vanuatu is a small island nation located in the Western Pacific east of Australia. Consisting of numerous small islands, the country was once ruled by both the British and the French when it was then known as the New Hebrides. The current capital..read on

Bali. Indonesia 18 August 2009
Bali is perhaps one of the world's best known tourism destinations and while I have no great love for Bali as a resort destination, I do admire Balinese culture and some of the scenery in the more outlying areas. Bali is visited by people from all..read on

SINGAPORE 8 September 2009
Singapore is one of those places that most people in transit to other destinations in Europe would have visited at one time or another. I am of the view though that Singapore represents much more than just the transit lounge at Chang Airport and that..read on

TRAVELWISE TRAVEL WARNING. 17 September 2009. JETSTAR AIRLINES
After an incident with one of its aircraft at Bangkok, whereby passengers has to sit in the aircraft on the tarmac without airconditioning and food for 3 hours 40 minutes, I have decided to issue a 'no fly' warning on Qantas subsidiary Jetstar. ..read on

SYDNEY. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. 25 September 2009
Sydney has been one of Australia's main international destinations for visitors from other countries and while other Australian cities are now beginning to make an impact, Sydney is likely to remain Australia's main gateway for some years to come. ..read on

LONDON TO PARIS IN JUST OVER TWO HOURS. 2nd October 2009
Yes, for those of you wish to have a real train experience, I think a trip on Eurostar from London to Paris or from London to Brussels might be one that would put a whole new light on one's opinion of what train travel should be like instead of what ..read on

TIGER AIRWAYS 10-10-09. CAUTION ADVISORY
Tiger Airways is one of the more recent entrants into the Australian domestic airlines market. It is an 'el-cheapo' budget carrier flying Airbus A320s to and from Australia's major capital cities. The airline is part-owned by Singapore Airlines. ..read on

The Indian Pacific - An Australian Journey from East to West
[pic1] There are few train journeys in the world that are able to make an impression on people. There is the Orient Express, Eurostar, the French TGV and then there are the Ghan and the Indian-Pacific in Australia. The Indian Pacific near Huddl..read on

TRAVELWISE TRAVEL WARNING 17 OCTOBER 2009. PAKISTAN. DO NOT TRAVEL TO PAKISTAN.
As a result of a current Pakistani Army ground offensive in the Pakistani Tribal Regions bordering Afghanistan as well as the fact that major air strike activity in the Pakistan / Afghanistan border regions is being intensified, Travelwise is issuing..read on

TOXIC QANTAS THE BLUE CHEESE AND VOMIT AIRLINE. 29 October 2009
Australia's major airline Qantas is not travelling well at the moment with Qantas off-shoot, Jetstar, being on the Travelwise 'no fly' list and an increasing number of questions being asked in Australia as to the maintenance standards of the whole Qa..read on

TRAVELWISE TRAVEL WARNING. DO NOT TRAVEL TO FIJI. 5 NOVEMBER 2009.
As a direct result of the latest developments in Fiji whereby the Fijian military dictatorship has thrown both the Australian and New Zealand High Commissioners out of the country as well as the removal from Fiji of a Fijian-born Australian academic,..read on

TRAVELWISE. 14 DECEMBER 2009. TRAVEL ADVISORY. DO NOT TRAVEL TO ISRAEL.
Travelwise advises that it recommends people avoid travelling to Israel for both business and leisure purposes. The recommendation comes after mainly EU private and corporate international boycotts became effective in recent days the reasons for s..read on

TRAVELWISE TRAVEL ADVISORY. 14 DECEMBER 2009. DO NOT TRAVEL TO IRAN.
Given the political and human rights situation in Iran, Travelwise advises potential visitors to Iran to avoid travelling to the country for both business as well as leisure purposes. In political terms, Iran is in dispute with a substantial numbe..read on

TRAVELWISE 2 APRIL 2010. QANTAS.
Some concerns have been raised in relation to some of the maintenance practices of Australia's national airline Qantas and the Australia authorities have put the airline on a 'watch' list. Qantas A380 The latest incidents include a faulty brake sys..read on

TRAVELWISE 6 APRIL 2010. AUSTRALIAN AIR TRAVEL. THE BEST WAYS TO TRAVEL BY AIR IN AUSTRALIA.
Regular readers might have seen and read the various advisory and no-fly notices in relation to the various airlines in Australia. The latest episodes with Australia's national airline Qantas highlights the fact that, now more than ever, air trave..read on

TRAVELWISE. 16 APRIL 2010. EUROPEAN TRAVEL ALTERNATIVES
Travelwise issues the following advice in relation to cancelled flights to, from and between European destinations. The diversions, cancellations and delays are due to the volcano under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in Iceland erupting. For trav..read on

TRAVELWISE TRAVEL ADVISORY 5th June 2010. DO NOT TRAVEL TO ISRAEL.
Given the recent incident whereby the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad, used copied and thus falsified real passports belonging to foreign nationals for the purposes of assassinating a Hamas official in Dubai, Travelwise advises foreign nationals ..read on

Travel Warning 13 September 2010 - DO NOT TRAVEL TO IRAN
TRAVEL WARNING. DO NOT TRAVEL TO IRAN. TRAVELWISE has been watching the situation in Iran for some months in relation to travelling to the country for either business or holiday purposes. Given the current political situation within Iran, inclu..read on