Letters to the Travel Editor

Insurance lesson Dear Sir, Reading Tim Roxborogh’s article “Why white men shouldn’t hire motorbikes on Southeast Asian holidays” [ Travel, July 25] brought back memories of a trip to Phuket.

I met a young Australian male who looked the worse for wear and on asking him how he was, his girlfriend burst out laughing.

She was a seasoned traveller, the new boyfriend not so, this being his first trip overseas. He was fascinated with the number of scooters, thinking this would be the way to get around but the girlfriend disagreed, citing the number of accidents and no cover on their insurance. She went for a lie down to rest in the heat of the day.

Undeterred he went out and hired a scooter and when he was riding it back to the resort the inevitable happened — eventually he returned with numerous cuts, abrasions and dented pride, to say nothing of the damage to the scooter. A stiff whiskey or two would ease the pain.

It didn’t take long for sticky heat and alcohol to take their toll, so a dip into the pool was needed, again not heeding a female’s advice. He hit his It pays to check your insurance before hiring a scooter in Southeast Asia. travel@nzherald.co.nz head on the bottom of the pool requiring stitches. His parting comment: “I have listened to and followed her advice ever since.” Ann Kidd The Travel Editor replies: If it ain’t covered in your travel insurance, don’t do it. It’s Han Solo, not Hannah Solo Dear Sir, [Re: ‘We don’t like’, Travel, July 25]. “The idiots reacting badly to the announcement the new Dr Who will be a woman. Travel is for everyone, guys, and that includes time travel.” Guys? As in males? I am a woman and Dr Who, for me, will always be a man. Captain Kirk, Mr Spock and Captain Picard are male characters. Captain A top tip from Scotland A few months ago we started planning a trip to Scotland and I noticed in the Travel magazine a plug for the three-hour Safari Tour on the Balmoral Castle Estate, and the possibility of booking cottages. The cottage bookings are for a minimum seven-day stay, so did not suit our itinerary. However we decided to take the plunge and book the safari. What a gem! It’s easy to book online and pay via The Estates Office.

George, our safari driver, was full of knowledge about the flora and fauna, and life at the estate in general. A bonus was seeing many deer and a red squirrel, which are usually shy.

So if your readers are planning on going to Balmoral I urge them to do the safari, which must be pre-booked due to popularity.

Thanks for the tip. Linda Inglis The Travel Editor replies: Glad to hear your trip worked out! For readers looking to visit the estate, go to balmoralcastle.com.