Travel Lifestyle

The "Travel Lifestyle" category is all about enhancing every aspect of your travel experience. From airports and lounges to travel money, tools, and cruises, this section covers it all. Whether you're planning a luxury getaway or a practical trip, you’ll find valuable tips here. Explore articles below on how to elevate your travel lifestyle.

Beating Car Hire Excess with “Bingle and Dingle” Insurance

If you don’t rent cars often, it’s pretty easy to be confused by what you’re covered for in the event of an accident. Overseas, what’s compulsory for coverage can vary between states, let alone differences between countries. Terms such as loss damage waiver, collision damage waiver and single vehicle accident excess also help contribute to … Continued

1 Sep 2014 Car Hire

Frequent Flyer Careers

When you need to find an answer, it never hurts to go straight to the source. And our members are a very good source of answers, when it comes to finding out the best job to go for that involves travel. I am just interested in knowing what line of work most of the high … Continued

25 Aug 2014 Travel Lifestyle

Manners don’t always maketh the Frequent Flyer

If you have ever spent time people watching, it’s probably fair to say you may have noticed some trends in the way folk act. Depending on the location and event, you might see the best of human behaviour, or you might see the worst. Many of our members spend considerable time in airline lounges, and … Continued

Hire Car Hassles: A bill that “Hertz”

One member has discovered the hard way that it pays to be overly cautious when dealing with hire car companies. This member rented a car from Hertz Sydney airport which upon pick-up was dented and scratched. The damage was pointed out to the customer service representative and our member was told not to worry. Upon … Continued

14 Aug 2014 Car Hire

To tip or not to tip

If you’re a first time traveller to America, chances are you will not be prepared for the tipping culture. Thanks to a lack of a standard minimum wage, tipping for many employees is the bulk portion of their wages. As a result, a wad of $1 bills is almost a necessity, no doubt also helping … Continued

11 Aug 2014 Travel Money

Man Bags and Wallets

With August 1 being D Day for credit cards to lose their signatures, there has been some speculation that we are finally entering the cashless era. Technologies such as Paywave etc. allow transactions that are quick and easy negating the need for cash. But we all need to keep those cards somewhere. Throw in the … Continued

2 Aug 2014 Travel Money

Qantas Club alternatives in Paris

For the less frequent traveller, a Qantas Club membership can offer exclusive services and privileges that make a long journey just that little bit easier. While Qantas may have flights to a particular destination, there is no guarantee a Qantas Club will be available at every location. Having just spent significant money on a 2 … Continued

Ultimate Overseas Driving Guide

If you are intending to negotiate the chaos of Bangkok driving or battle the streets of Brazil be sure to check out our members guide for driving overseas. Some destinations are seen to be akin to driving on Australian roads. A lower speed limit in New Zealand seems to be the only significant difference in … Continued

17 Jul 2014 Car Hire

Qantas Cash ditches POLi

When Qantas launched Qantas Cash last year, it quickly got the attention of our members. That attention has been both positive and negative. While our members like the ability to earn points through their own funds, getting those funds onto the card has proved to be an onerous exercise. The quickest I’ve experienced is 48 … Continued

15 Jul 2014 Travel Money

The Future of Airport Lounge Food

Many of our members spend considerable time in airports, as a result what’s on offer in the lounge is often a popular talking point. While we may not plan to spend to spend mealtime there, delays or cancellations can often mean lounge food can become important. As both major Australians airlines struggle to turn a … Continued

The Death of Customer Service in Australia

This week one member feels that a recent problem with an ATM signals the death knell of customer service in Australia. This week our member had a particularly bad run with customer service. Our member had to drive twenty minutes to withdraw cash after coming across a non-functioning ATM and the bank did not assist. … Continued

19 Jun 2014 Travel Lifestyle

Get the Best Seat

One of the more popular topics discussed on our forums relates to getting the best seat on a flight. As seat selection is often an additional cost, some prefer to go without preselecting a seat. While it may be a good saving, running the risk of that dreaded middle seat near a noisy galley may … Continued