My spouse and I are travelling to Europe subsequent 12 months, we’ve got pre-existing medical circumstances. Can we depend on the insurance cover that applies once we use credit playing cards to pay for our journey? P. Casarbia, Randwick NSW
Check the product disclosure assertion that comes along with your insurance cover, but it surely’s unlikely. A pre-existing medical situation normally disqualifies you from the free insurance cover that is available in such cases. Your almost definitely possibility is a stand-alone coverage and all the foremost travel insurers will take into account cover for pre-existing medical circumstances. You would possibly apply to a number of insurers on the similar time since each the response and premium might be fairly totally different. For starters I’d be making use of to Cover More [covermore.com.au], Insure and Go [insureandgo.com.au], Fast Cover [fastcover.com.au] and your state motoring organisation.
I’ve been invited to go to India by a pal who lives in Bengaluru over the Christmas holidays and I need to discover the area past, any options? L. Costa, Docklands VIC
The Christmas interval is ideal for exploring South India. From Bengaluru you can head south-west to Mysuru, one in all India’s most likeable cities, endowed with a number of spectacular palaces together with that of Tipu Sultan, who nearly managed besides the British from India. From there you can proceed south to Ooty, hoisted excessive within the Nilgiri Hills, surrounded by tea plantations and nonetheless with fading reminiscences of the times when this was a favorite hot-weather escape for the British. If time permits proceed south-west to Kerala, the place India meets South-East Asia in a liquid panorama of rice paddies, coconut palms and lotus flowers. Kochi, Kerala’s largest metropolis, sits on a cluster of islands on the fringe of the Arabian Sea. The winds of commerce have blown unusual sailors to its shores, and Kochi is residence to a Syrian Christian group, in addition to one of many oldest and strangest threads of the Jewish diaspora. The nice Keralan journey is the journey alongside the backwaters, an enormous and complex community of palm-fringed canals, lakes and rivers, winding via a jade tapestry of rice fields. Access to Bengaluru is simple due to the Qantas continuous flight between Sydney and Bengaluru.
I would like to seek out an unique, high-end resort to have a good time a particular anniversary with my accomplice. Requirements are tranquility, heat, surroundings, nice meals and a few life-rebalancing actions, throughout the Asia-Pacific. P. Riley, Hobart TAS
Como Shambhala Estate [comohotels.com], a silky wellness retreat within the hills close to Bali’s Ubud, might be simply what you are in search of. The setting is beautiful, a sequence of ethereal pavilions set amongst lawns and lotus ponds on the lip of the jungly Ayung River Valley, with neither roads nor homes in sight. The resort has an intensive wellness program during which yoga and Pilates periods, massages, meditation, pranaymic respiratory and aqua remedy all conspire to work small miracles, choreographed by professional consultants. Glow Restaurant is dietary nirvana with gentle however thrilling spa delicacies. Walk down into the valley previous the sacred spring and also you’re in a mossy jungle with therapeutic massage pavilions with floaty curtains buried among the many shrubbery and day beds set beside stone-walled swimming pools fed by waterfalls.
I’m a guided tour in Morocco and making an attempt to work out whether or not it is best to expertise the Sahara from Merzouga or Zagora. What’s the distinction? A. Ricci, Northbridge NSW
Merzouga is by far the preferred possibility but it surely’s miserable. The city has solely sprung up in the previous few years because the springboard to the camps round Erg Chebbi, the enormous dune that dominates the environment. It’s a low-rise meeting of concrete block buildings with a number of dusty lodges, and not one of the allure of the villages within the palmeries. There are many tented camps among the many dunes and most are fairly comfy and even luxurious however select with care – some are shut collectively and cater to noisy teams. On the constructive aspect, the dunes are huge and spectacular, and you will get some nice photos. Zagora is nearer to Marrakech however many of the desert camps are situated at Erg Lihoudi, just some kilometres from the village of M’Hamid. The most putting area right here is the dune system about 50 kilometres throughout the desert from M’Hamid. There are far fewer choices for lodging out right here however top-of-the-line is the Erg Chigaga Luxury Desert Camp [desertcampmorocco.com]. If you are in search of an genuine expertise of Morocco’s Sahara, Zagora is a greater wager.
I’m travelling abroad with a number of spare lithium-ion batteries for cameras and a drone in addition to a laptop computer, telephone, a powerbank and pill, all with the identical batteries put in. Can any of this stuff be transported in checked baggage? M. Evans, Malvern VIC
Qantas has clear necessities relating to the carriage of batteries and all sorts, together with widespread alkaline in addition to lithium-ion batteries, should be carried within the cabin as hand baggage, not in checked baggage. The restrict is 20 spare batteries per passenger and not more than two of these batteries are allowed to exceed 100Wh and as much as 160Wh. Singapore Airlines has related rules, however no batteries might exceed 100Wh. Both airways stress that batteries should be protected against unintentional activation, for instance by taping over the terminals.
I’ve a four-night stopover in Hanoi in February, pondering of an in a single day cruise on Halong Bay however what else is there to do within the area? S. Economu, Coogee NSW
You may simply slot in a one-night cruise on Halong Bay. February is early spring so anticipate gentle climate with potential fog in early morning, usually clearing to fantastic and sunny days. Hanoi has a vigorous and distinctive meals scene and Intrepid Urban Adventures [urbanadventures.com] has a tasting tour with an area information that takes on the street meals of Hanoi’s atmospheric Old Quarter. Another Hanoi eating attraction, Koto Van Mieu is a social enterprise that gives vocational coaching for avenue children based by Vietnamese/Australian Jimmy Pham. The restaurant is situated near the Temple of Literature, one other must-see. A worthwhile day journey from Hanoi is the boat experience alongside the river from Trang An at Ninh Binh, a few two-hour drive south of the capital. Small rowing boats take you thru a dramatic panorama of jungle-clad limestone peaks, passing via low-roofed tunnels that the river has carved via the mountains. Tam Coc has the same panorama but it surely’s extra standard, and extra crowded.
Got a travel query? Include your title and suburb or city and ship it to Michael Gebicki – tripologist@traveller.com.au
Travel recommendation is basic; readers ought to take into account their private circumstances.
