Expedia booked us into a hotel that didn’t exist, leaving us terrified

Falls guys

I would like to share a problem that we faced during our recent trip to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. I had booked accommodation at the Outlook Hotel there from July 24 to July 27. After making the booking through Expedia, we received a confirmation from the hotel. But when we tried to check in to the hotel on the evening of July 24, it was nowhere to be found.

Terrified in the darkness at this unknown place, we called the number provided, with a person informing us that the hotel was still under construction and that he would provide alternate accommodation. We instructed a taxi driver to take us there and it turned out to be a house in a remote area of the town.

The person present showed us a room which was not at all up to the standard for which we’d paid and unsure of our safety, we refused to stay there. I had to find another hotel and paid a premium for it. I complained to Expedia and after several calls and follow-up emails I received a refund, but I wanted to share this experience – people should be careful when booking online, even with known companies.
Raja Nagaraja, Florey, ACT

Letter of the week: King hit

I was so interested to read Riley Wilson’s article, “King for a day” (Traveller, September 6) mentioning the Cataraqui shipwreck monument. During a recent holiday to the UK I wandered into an ancient church in Tackley, Oxfordshire and on the wall there, I discovered a detailed story of a shipwreck on King Island, Tasmania, in 1845. It appears that 45 impoverished Tackley villagers were “persuaded” to migrate to Australia under a “Poor Law” amendment. Ten families left this isolated village to travel to the other side of the world. The ship, the Cataraqui, was wrecked due to a navigation error, with 395 migrants, nearly all from Oxfordshire, perishing. Imagine the desolation of the Tackley villagers when the news eventually reached them months later? Incidentally, the information board in the church stated that the shipwreck resulted in the building of Australia’s first lighthouse.
Helen Bessey, Flynn, ACT

Wait. There’s a list

I used to tell people that Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer redemptions system was the best of all airlines. With enough miles, you could immediately book just about any seat in any class on any flight. However, some time ago, prompted by a Singapore Airlines promotional email, I went to book a business class return trip to Osaka via Singapore in April 2026. As it happened, none of the sectors were discounted, but I had enough miles to redeem a full ticket outright. To my surprise, this time, every seat in every class in every flight in April 2026 was shown as waitlisted. Thinking this would be temporary, I went ahead.

Not having heard anything from Singapore Airlines, I checked yesterday with the KrisFlyer contact service and was told there would be no confirmation until at the most two weeks before the flight date. That was far too late for me to make plans for Japan at that time of year. I expressed my annoyance at this change of policy and was helpfully informed I could always pay the full price of the booking in cash.
Peter Knight, Cremorne, NSW

My beautiful laundromats I

In response to Victoria Watts (Traveller Letters, September 13) and the use of hotel laundries over laundromats, it’s all a matter of au contraire, from our experience. In a six-week self-guided tour of Switzerland, Italy, France, England and Ireland I used many laundromats, and also the hotel laundry. Occasionally, I would deliberately strike up a conversation with locals, or staff in the laundromat, and pick up some great local advice. In Florence, I met an Australian and his Italian girlfriend who were both studying in Florence. They gave us some excellent tips, and also made a couple of calls for us that opened some doors. You never know who you might meet in the local laundromat. It’s all part of the adventure.
Ken Millard, Normanhurst, NSW

My beautiful laundromats II

Victoria, the laundromat is in the country they are visiting, and they are seeing the country. A laundromat, supermarket, chemist, library, office or train station can all be an absolute delight. My favourite thing to do in any country is to walk the aisles of a supermarket to discover what kind of toothpaste or dish cloth I’ll be taking home. I love daily reminders of my travels, and small practical items are lots of fun. Brands, logos, flavours, prices, packaging and ingredients are unique, and often nationally known to residents, but newly revealed to me.
Lissanne Oliver, Northcote, Vic

EDITOR’S NOTE: Traveller columnist Lee Tulloch agrees with you on supermarkets overseas. You can read her thoughts in her recent column here.

Caring constabulary

I enjoyed reading Anthony Dennis’ article on his visit to Algiers (Traveller, September 10); I was travelling in Algeria at the time it was published. I would, however, like to provide a viewpoint, from an Algerian perspective, of the police escort he refers to having received. While the police would have certainly contributed to the safety and security of the cruise tour group in question, they would have also been providing the same protection to the residents of the casbah, ensuring that their privacy and customs were respected and not compromised through the lens of a smartphone and via social media. In my month-long journey across Algeria, I met nothing but friendly welcoming people incredibly proud of their rich and diverse culture. And while they do wish to share it, they don’t want it negatively impacted by large-scale tourism.
Jane Francis, Port Melbourne, Vic

Uber it

Like Peter Riordan (Traveller Letters, September 13), we too had an unfortunate taxi experience, except it was at Vienna Central railway station. On arriving at the official taxi rank it quickly became obvious that cash in hand and no meter, was the way things operated. We negotiated a smaller fare, but it was still more than double what it would have been had the driver used a meter. So, travellers going to the central station at Vienna be warned. Do yourself a favour and get an Uber. We found them quick, reliable and cheap.
Ross Hudson, Mount Martha, Vic

Go with toilet

It is a truth universally acknowledged that everybody needs to pee. When travelling it is extremely useful therefore to be able to ask directions to the appropriate facility in terms which will be readily understood. The word “toilet” I have found to be reliably comprehended (Traveller Letters, September 13), whereas quaint euphemisms are not. It is useful also to make the effort to learn how to ask directions in the language of the country you plan to visit. When I was a GP I once had a charming young lady as a patient, a Miss Crapper. I enquired if she was related to Thomas Crapper, the inventor of the flushing toilet. “Absolutely,” she replied. “And immensely proud of it!” The English-speaking world is greatly indebted to Thomas, not just for his clever contraption, but for lending his name to discussion of this subject.
Peter Craig, Dulwich Hill, NSW

EDITOR’S NOTE: The august, US-based, Smithsonian Magazine states, pithily, that while Thomas Crapper was “a successful sanitary engineer (read: plumber)” he did not invent the flush toilet. “His greatest innovation was actually the invention of the bathroom fittings showroom, something that brought flush toilets out of the water closet and into the public eye.”

Tip of the week: Beyond breathtaking

We have just completed a 10-day trip to South Australia’s Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre and surrounds, with our plan to see the lake full of water and teeming with bird life after the recent Queensland floods. Unfortunately, the water could be seen only from the air, and we saw no birds. But we did see the most extraordinary landscape imaginable. What glorious country – so remote, so harsh, so rugged and so absolutely beautiful. The colours of the rock formations are beyond breathtaking; but make sure you have a four-wheel drive as the roads surrounding Lake Eyre are jaw breaking.
Ruth Pojer, Double Bay, NSW

Well conducted

We are currently on our fourth visit to Norway and so many aspects of it appeal, not least its efficient rail system. Yesterday, we were booked for the eight-hour trip from Stavanger to Oslo, via Kristiansand. Track work resulted in a replacement bus trip for the first leg to Kristiansand. We, of course, missed the train we were booked on and my questioning of the stationmaster left me perplexed. He had no idea there was track work and, fortunately, as there were 12 passengers that needed to get to Oslo he had to believe I was legit. His solution – wait an hour for the next train, then talk to the conductor to see if we could get seats. We began to wait, and after about 25 minutes the stationmaster approached me with news that a taxi would take any passenger who wished to leave. So eight of us boarded a taxi for the five-hour drive. My faith in the Norwegian rail service was restored; I can still say it is one of the best we have experienced.
Fiona Galea, Ettalong Beach, NSW

Who new?

My wife and I are regular travellers to Europe on self-drive tours and in response to the many letters from readers regarding car rentals when travelling overseas – every time we lease a new Peugeot or Renault we are absolutely delighted with the service, the vehicle and the entire overall experience. For readers wanting a car in Europe, particularly for four weeks or more, why risk getting ripped off when you can get a brand-new car direct from the factory (that is not even glanced at when dropped off) at a super competitive rate? For us, it’s the only way to travel.
Brad Downs, Bairnsdale, Vic

Spirits lifted

Brian Johnston’s item on Copenhagen, Denmark in the Traveller newsletter (September 10) brought back memories of my travels only last year. A highlight, not mentioned in the piece, was the Paternoster Lift in the Danish capital’s Axelborg Building. Referring to my travel notes, I learnt of it from the Sunday, June 9, 2024 edition of Traveller Letters. The Paternoster Lift is a passenger elevator, consisting of a chain of open compartments, each usually designed for two people, that moves slowly in a loop up and down inside a building without stopping. Passengers can step on or off at any floor they like. The building’s staircase is also a great photo opportunity.
Stewart Johnston, Mt Eliza, Vic

The Letter of the Week writer wins three Hardie Grant travel books. See hardiegrant.com

The Tip of the Week writer wins a set of three Lonely Planet travel books. See shop.lonelyplanet.com