Children and Air Travel

Summer holidays have finished and children are back to school. This means a lot of children have been flying in the last 6 weeks and the issue of their behaviour whilst flying is in the news again.

Parents need to ensure that children observe a few general courtesy rules such as not kicking the seat in front. However it is not easy to keep young ones entertained on a long haul flight. Books and games can amuse for only so long. It would be nice if planes had a small area where children could quietly play instead of being restricted in a seat - maybe take out the last couple of rows. But I guess seats means dollars.

Last year an airline put a ban on children in First Class. This might be a great solution for passengers but why don't airlines look at the underlying issue - WHY do children become disruptive?

When I first started flying in the 1970's, the cabin did not have the "rules" that exist today. The routine now is, after take-off a meal is served then the cabin lights are turned off and blinds closed. This system is in place whether departure is in the day or night. In the last few years I have made several flights ex Australia departing around midday. Turning off the lights is not an issue for me because I can watch movies or read or sleep. A child is not ready for sleep mid-afternoon but is expected to be silent and stay still. Try explaining to a toddler that all of a sudden they have to sleep. No wonder they are not happy - it's still daytime!

Why do airlines insist on this routine? Why can't cabin lights stay on and blinds stay up until it is "night" for the passengers' bodies and they are ready for sleep? Is it to make less work for the cabin crew? If they make us sleep, they don't have to provide service? Strangely, most airlines provide eye masks but not the conditions to use them!

Last year I flew from London to Hong Kong. The flight departed Heathrow at midday. After lunch, lights were out and blinds down. Despite the best efforts of the parents, the children behind me were unsettled and crying until the lights came on for the last couple of hours - then they did not make a sound and were happy!

Don't blame the children. Blame the intransigent airline policies.


Light travelling!

Marie


 PS I prefer children over drunks talking loudly and constantly going to and from the toilets!

New rules for liquids in hand luggage

No doubt you will have seen the item in the newspaper last week about new rules for liquids carried in hand luggage. New scanning equipment can now detect minute traces of explosives in liquids.
My first thought was "great"!! but after reflection I'm not sure if there are many benefits.

The main one is that women will find it easier to carry a decent range of cosmetics and toiletries - no more adding them to a partner's bag!

If you can now carry liquids of more than 100ml I assume these will be scanned by the new equipment. Instead of speeding up check-in as claimed, I would have thought that it would do the opposite. With no more than 10 containers of less than 100ml in my bag, security was a doddle - no hold ups. But now I will need to have my duty free perfume or whisky scanned? Hmmmm...
The new rules will be in force in Australia in 2012 and in 2013 in Europe.

It will be interesting to see how it goes - fewer passengers fuming over their duty free purchases being confiscated maybe, but more scanning of bigger containers, which also takes time.

Also bigger containers means more weight!! Not ideal when travelling with only cabin baggage.
For me, I think I'll stick with the old system of smaller containers.



Light travelling!
Marie

The Ghan, Darwin and Kakadu

With Elizabeth and Jonathon at Adelaide

The last thing I thought of when we boarded The Ghan in Adelaide was being held up by bushfires! We left Adelaide at midday Wednesday for this iconic trip up through the "red heart" of Australia. On Thursday morning we awoke and found ourselves stopped in the middle of nowhere (actually the far north of South Australia) and with no reasons why from the crew. Eventually we were informed that because of bushfires near the track we needed to await permission to procede. So we continued through burnt-out country, stopping for hours, then moving forward  until the next stop. Apparently, we had to wait until trains ahead of us had completed a "section" before we could then enter it. There was a surprising amount of vegetation in the unburnt areas - not the red centre at all, more like the green! The consequence of all the rain since the breaking of the drought I suppose. In the meantime the staff were helpful and informative and the meals and wine excellent! Arriving at Alice Springs 6 hours late meant that we couldn't do the tours we had booked - we had planned to do a camel trek. Having already been to "The Alice", this was not a problem but for passengers who hadn't seen it, there was disappointment. We made up little time in Alice so, again, couldn't go on the tours arranged for Katherine - this time a canoeing trip up the Katherine Gorge. C'est la vie.

Typical tropical woodland vegetation

Spent the weekend in Darwin with my sister before hiring a 4WD Prado to take us out to Kakadu National Park.October is not the best time for Kakadu - it is beginning to steam up for the wet and the days are very muggy and hot. Of course I was travelling with just my cabin bag and I trialled my tennis tops in the humidity - what better place to test clothes for hot, humid conditions! They did really well, especially the Lululemon Athletica gear - a great fabric which did not get sweaty and felt cool. July is the peak time to visit. We visited most of the main sites - starting with the Mamukala wetlands on our way to our hotel. There is a bird hide where you can watch the birdlife such as magpie geese feeding on the lily roots dug from under the water.We stayed in Jabiru (saw several namesake birds) at the Gaguju Crocodile Holiday Inn - recommended and providing a great range of gluten-free meals!

At Twin Falls

Pool at foot of Jim Jim Falls

The following day we took a day trip to Twin Falls and Jim Jim Falls (rental vehicles not allowed because of the sandy track). This tour takes about 10 hours and was quite exhausting. We went to Twin Falls first - walking for a short while on a bush track then a boat trip up the river, spotting barramundi in the clear water, then another walk to the falls. Not as much flow as in the wet but still spectacular. Swimming is not allowed here because of crocodiles. Apparently a huge croc was spotted several years ago and until it is caught, swimming is forbidden.

The "walk" to Jim Jim Falls

Next stop was Jim Jim Falls. Again a walk through bush, then climbing over boulders. We stopped for a delicious lunch prepared by our guide in a shady spot then made the last, hardest, push over the boulders to the falls. It is quite a difficult "walk" but can be done with care - a reasonable level of fitness is handy. The falls don't flow at this time of year but were quite spectacular - like a huge amphitheatre of rock with a beautiful swimming pool at the bottom. It is 150 metres across for the gamer ones but it is lovely lying on the boulders in the water at the edge, watching the black bream swimming around us. When we arrive back at the truck, Steve has frozen orange segments and face washers dipped in icy water to cool us down!

It's not easy to strip pandanus!

The next day we check out all the rock painting sites, firstly at Ubirr (used for the sunset scene in the first Crocodile Dundee film!). Here we also had a lesson in basket making with two aboriginal women - how to strip the pandanus leaves (really hard!), the dying process, then weaving bracelets. A lot of fun and a nice insight into aboriginal culture.

The Kakadu/Arnhem border is here - the East Alligator River - so went to spot crocodiles and were rewarded with sightings of three just lazing around in the water. Headed to Nourlangie to see more rock paintings - some terrific examples. And as all the paintings are on rock it means we have to climb up to them - tough going in the heat!

Art at Nourlangie

The Lost City, Litchfield NP

Our stay at Kakadu done, we drove to Adelaide River on the Stuart Highway before visiting Litchfield National Park. Adelaide River is the sort of town you would normally just drive through but has a couple of things of interest.There is a War Cemetery where servicemen killed in Darwin and surrounds were buried during the Second World War. Not only Australians but British and one lone Canadian. Part of the cemetery has civilian casualties. Anyone who has seen Baz Luhrmann's "Australia" would remember the scene of the bombing of  Darwin Post Office. The staff killed in that attack are buried here at Adelaide River. On a lighter note, in the Adelaide River Hotel bar is the stuffed buffalo "Charlie", hypnotized by Paul Hogan in "Crocodile Dundee"!
Litchfield is a lovely park - not huge so easy to get to all the sites - mainly waterfalls but very pretty. We drove out on a track to the "Lost City" - a area of rocks which did indeed resemble a city lost in the bush - worth the torturous drive. Then back to Darwin to catch our flight home very glad to have seen Kakadu and travelled on The Ghan.

Light travelling!
Marie

Mental Baggage

I love the letters in the Traveller lift-out of Saturday's The Age - there are often good tips. Lately however it seems to have become a whinging forum about seat backs being reclined to the annoyance of the person behind. Seat backs need to be upright during take-off, landing and meal service - with cabin crew advising people when appropriate. At other times it is the choice of the traveller, and everyone is free to recline their seat whenever they like. I have found that this does not stop me from watching the in-flight entertainment or reading or sleeping.
The letters made me wonder about not only the physical baggage we carry on a flight, but also the mental baggage. If such a trivial thing is so important, how do you cope when something serious goes wrong? - if this is the worst thing that happens on your trip, be thankful!
Lighten up!

Light travelling!
Marie

Successful Safari

Running through Sydney Airport to catch our flight to Johannesburg I thought - "here's another reason to travel with just a cabin bag!" Due to high winds all flights into Sydney were delayed but we managed to get on an earlier, but still delayed, plane out of Melbourne. By the time we reached the boarding gate, the tail of passengers was disappearing fast! Would checked luggage have made the transfer? I don't think so, especially at Sydney with so much distance between the domestic and international terminals. So travelling with checked luggage we could have had to wait until we reached Cape Town, 3 days later, before our bags caught up as we had taken the train from Jo'burg! On the issue of having to fly to Sydney to catch the Johannesburg flight - the plane flies directly over Melbourne, south of Adelaide and Perth then to Jo'burg! Where's the sense in that Qantas?? Have a stop in Melbourne!

How gorgeous is this leopard!

Our trip was fantastic - everything went well and great sights were seen. A highlight was getting a lifetime "Big 5" but it got better when we managed a trip "Big 5", thanks to some very lucky sightings of the shyest of cats, the leopard. The Big 5 comprises lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros, and water buffalo - these are the hardest for hunters to catch for trophies (like to think that doesn't happen any more).

Warm jacket, thermals, buff, gloves, beanie - I'm warm!

I was very happy with my packing. Every thing was worn except my swimsuit (bit cool for swimming in African winters!). All garments washed and dried overnight, sometimes even in a few hours! Never did I have dirty washing in my bag. And everything was perfect for the climate - we reaped the benefits of checking each countries' climate before we left. The best buy for me was a warm jacket (thanks Snowgum!) for early morning game drives in open vehicles - think I was the only warm person in the tour! My husband is heading to the latest Snowgum sale to buy the same jacket! Polarfleece is warm and Gortex can keep out a lot of wind but this jacket with Polafil Insulation was perfect. And we did hit zero degrees one morning in Botswana!

Which would you prefer to carry?

Thanks to blog follower Jacqui, I had a supply of rice cakes and a jar of peanut butter to tide me over if no gluten free food was available - a life saver as gluten intolerance is a fairly new concept in parts of southern Africa. Qantas provided excellent GF meals ex Sydney although the ones ex Jo'burg were suspect so beware.

A highly recommended trip - the tour company is Kiboko, a South African company. The guide was very happy loading my bag (the zebra print) and my husband's (red) into the safari truck - compare the others! Go to www.kiboko.co.za and check it out - we did the "comfort" trip as camping is not my style.

Light travelling!

Marie

Paperwork? Cut it out

Sick of lugging around heavy travel books in your cabin bag/day pack?
 

Look at this example - the Lonely Planet "Southern Africa" is over 800 pages. I have reduced this to cover the 4 countries we are travelling to - 140 pages!
That is over half a kilo of weight saved! For book lovers like me, it is a wrench to take a craft knife to or use brute strength to pull the pages out but it is worth it.  Just tell yourself that the information will be out of date soon enough and you will need to buy an updated version anyway for next time!

The tour operator's itinerary comprised 4 double-sided A4 sheets.I have compressed this, plus flight and other independent travel plans, into 1 double-sided A4 page. Just use the reducing option on your photocopier!

Light travelling!
Marie

Ready to go!

Wednesday is the day for our 4 week trip to southern Africa - barring volcanic eruptions/ash plumes, fog or airline maintenance workers strikes! Or whatever else the fates throw at us!
Here are some photos of the final pack - one is of my cabin bag and contents and the other of what I will wear at check-in.
My cabin bag weighs just under 2kg and the limit for Qantas is 7kg therefore contents must weigh less than 5kg and ta-da! clothes etc come in at just over 4kg! Room for souvenirs and gifts - perfect!
The weather in southern Africa in July is warm days (low 20's) but down near freezing at night, especially inland, so need to cover all bases. Plus need to cover up to keep mozzies at bay, day and night.

A cold day has been forecast for Wednesday in Melbourne which is great, because at check-in I will wear my heaviest clothes - briefs, bra, flight socks, thermal top and legs, long-sleeved T-shirt, pants, jumper, jacket, walking shoes and money belt. The jacket is really warm (tested it at the footy at the MCG!) but lightweight, and packs down into a small sack. Once through check-in I will put it into my cabin bag.

My cabin bag (left) holds - 2 pairs of pants, 2 long-sleeved shirts, 1 woollen turtle neck top (skivvy), 1 short-sleeve lightweight wool T-shirt, silk pyjamas, 1 "good" top for evenings, 1 pair briefs, 1 bra, 2 pair woollen socks, sunhat, buff (scarf), woollen beanie and gloves, sandals, swimsuit, micro-fibre hand towel, binoculars, liquids/toiletries bag and stuff bag for washing line, first aid items, torch etc.
A whole lot of extras are in my hand bag - papers, passport, sweets, wipes etc. And muesli bars in case Qantas forgets my gluten free meal!
Pure wool garments can be worn for several days without washing (and don't smell!) and dry surprisingly quickly. All other items are quick drying and non-iron - perfect if you are not staying more than one night in the one spot.

Now for a great trip!!