On ABC Victoria Statewide, Prue asked me about the Federal Government’s plans to introduce a compensation scheme for travellers.
Unlike schemes in Europe, it’s not likely to be financial. It will start out offering food, accommodation and support to refund or reschedule flights.
It will be a bit like making it onto the air bridge but not quite the aircraft.
We often talk about the need to be good tourists when we travel. We should expect the same of our airlines as well. We expect good service in the air and we should get good service on the ground when there’s a problem
Every time I write about my aviation experiences I am drawn very emotionally to the poem, High Flight, by a young Canadian RAF Spitfire pilot, John Magee. The lines he wrote fill your heart and soul when you’re in a jet, glider, skydive, hot air balloon and particularly in a Spitfire, roaring through the blue skies above Kent in England.
I’m fortunate to have variations of this story published by Have a Go News newspaper and by Airline Ratings and Australian Aviation. Being published by Just Urbane is always exciting but this story means so much to me and I really hope it drives readers to embark on an action packed adventure of their own that is exciting and emotionally charged as well.
With Burgo on 6PR we discussed the attraction of the view from the top. I think as travellers we like the view from the top because it makes us feel like we’ve conquered where we are. We look out at the view around us and can say, “I’m here!”
Some of our favourite overseas views are the iconic, like the Eiffel Tower, and we also have lots of opportunities to get a better view here in Australia, from the lighthouses of Rottnest and fire lookout trees in the South West to snow capped mountains of Tasmania and a big bridge in Sydney there’s lot of ways to see a bit further on your travels. Enjoy listening to the show in the audio file below:
On ABC Victoria Statewide on the Drive program with Prue Bentley, I discussed the decisions that need to be made if you’re travelling into a war zone or if you’re already there.
Enjoy listening to audio file below.
Always remember to find multiple sources of truth when making complex travel decisions. Get advice and be informed from government sites, news sites as well as building a travel picture from social media, your booked accommodation and tours.
Travel talk with Burgo was a lot of fun describing adventures to be found in Sarawak and in Sabah as well. Enjoy listening to the audio file below. In between the laughter there’s hopefully some good descriptions of the land beneath the wind.
Sarawak is an extraordinary experience whether you’re in the city of Kuching, travelling the waterways, trekking jungle paths or hiding from headhunters.
Bako National Park has a lot to look at and a lot to look out for!Throughout Kuching are reminders of how much this community loves catsBorneo sunsets over the South China Sea are always special
On ABC Victoria Statewide the timing was perfect for Prue to want to know more about Kuala Lumpur. I’d returned from Kuala Lumpur only a few hours before our discussion.
We wandered through Kampung Baru and found a streetside stall selling Nasi Lemak. I explored the streets around my hotel, Hotel Stripes, and found a refreshing bowl of Cendol. At Chow Kit Hotel I enjoyed sambal prawns and satays with sophisticated cocktails in lamp lit dining rooms oozing speakezy vibes.
Prue and I talked about the melting pot culture of Malaysia and what this means beyond food. You can discover beautiful temples and mosques dating back to the late 1800’s. There is architecture from the 1940’s being reincarnated from laundries and residences into galleries, cafes and bars.
We discovered the green lungs of KL, those green spaces like Kabun Kabun Bangsar – a community garden with vege patches and squabbling turkeys and geese. There’s remnant jungle surrounded by urban jungle and parks with walking trails through shady trees that cast dappled light as you meander through opportunities to get away from the hustle and bustle of this amazing city.
It’s an exciting time to get to KL. Air Asia is flying new direct routes from Darwin and Adelaide and there’s always great deals on the established routes from the other state capitals. I also found that Air Asia has its own ride share service and partners with luxury and boutique hotel brands. I flew Air Asia, caught Air Asia ride share and for two nights enjoyed the remarkable Chow Kit Hotel. It’s a great way to travel, being able to bundle everything under one umbrella of service.
Hotel Stripes roof pool and bar with views to KL Tower (including remnant jungle). A beautiful hotel in a heritage neighbourhood.Chow Kit Hotel feels like a Gatsby era gambling den. It makes you smile as soon as walk into the hotel.Kebun Kebun Bangsar is a beautiful respite from the urban jungleCaptain Nasharudin and all of the Air Asia staff I met were so excited about the new direct routes to KL. KL is not a stopover city, it’s a destination.
On 6PR Weekend Wrap Up, I found myself sharing the airwaves with John Burgess, an icon of Australian television and radio. A tv game show host legend and a radio dj when dj’s were gods of the airwaves. It was very cool to laugh our way through stories about sports tourism.
From callers with tales about naked West Indian cricketers to iconic events and venues around the world and close to home, with a lot of laughter we covered more ground than the MCG.
Enjoy listening to the first half of the show in the file below. Just like a Grand Prix driver, we go off track from time to time but we got to the finish line in style!
On 6PR on a recent summers weekend on the airwaves, we took to the skies to discover how getting into the air can inspire your travel or be an exciting part of it. It was also an opportunity to reflect on my air moments.
I used to love accompanying dad out to the Narrogin airstrip when his patients needed to fly out with the Royal Flying Doctor. I’d walk around the gliders and light aircraft, imagining I was a fighter pilot waiting to hear the call to “Scramble! Scramble!”.
I love that my kids have enjoyed getting into the air. Tom has ziplined, parasailed and been in seaplanes and even done ifly indoor skydiving. Matilda has ziplined and been in helicopters and even flown up the coast in a Tiger Moth, one of the worlds most beautiful and gentle aircraft.
Astronaut Michael Collins’ wife wrote out the aviators poem High Flight for him to take into space. In his book, Carrying the Fire, Collins remarked that he wondered what Magee would have written if he’d experienced space and not just flying a Spitfire through the blue summer skies of wartime England.
Even the most non religious pilots enjoy putting their hand up to the sky and murmuring…
‘And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod, the high untrespassed sanctity of space, put out my hand and touched the face of God”.
Magee posted a copy of the poem to his parents and not long after was killed in a flying accident.
Flying a glider and looking for thermals in the air to stay in the airFlying a Spifire above the green fields of KentHot air ballooning on a cold Avon Valley morning Falling with style onto Palm BeachZiplining with Tom off Matagarup BridgeZiplining with Matilda down a mountain in South AfricaTom takes to the sky … indoorsMatilda takes to the skies in a Tiger Moth, used to train Empire Training Scheme pilots in World War IITom and I parasailing off the Fremantle coast … some big fish down there!Even a big plane is an adventure in the air
Chris Parry Writes For Us 