Boats on Vietnam's famous Halong Bay. Picture: Thinkstock Source: National Features
The main gate at the Auschwitz concentration camp. Picture: AFP Source: National Features
DOC Holiday gives tips on getting from Warsaw to Auschwitz to visit the concentration camps, a tour of Vietnam and Cambodia and changes to the Qantas frequent flyer scheme.
- HOW will the new Qantas-Emirates Airlines alliance affect my frequent flyer points or Qantas Club membership?
DOC: Recently the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission granted Qantas and Emirates interim authorisation for the alliance. This agreement allows the airlines to begin implementing their partnership on April 1 (pending the final ACCC approval, expected next month).
The hub for Qantas European flights will move to Dubai and the airlines will work together in the pricing, scheduling and sales of the codeshare services.
From Dubai you will transfer on to Emirates, with the benefit to travellers being that you will have a choice of most cities across the UK and Europe with only one transfer.
Qantas will no longer fly into Frankfurt, but will still offer services to Singapore, offering the city as more of a destination rather than just a stopover.
There will also be codeshare flights on Emirates' daily Airbus A380 services from Sydney to Auckland, and starting in October they will add Melbourne to Auckland. There will be reciprocal rights between both airlines' frequent flyer programs, they will be aligned and miles will be earned when travelling on either airline. There will be shared lounges.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said: "This is about taking the very best of both airlines' frequent flyer programs" and if they don't match up "we've agreed to make the higher benefit our standard".
There is a website now dedicated to this (qantasandemirates.com).
--
- IN THE next year or so I will be flying into Warsaw and I want to visit Auschwitz. As it will be a quick visit, could you advise me the quickest and most direct way to get to this site?
DOC: The best option for you would be to fly from Warsaw to Krakow. A lot of Polish airlines have several flights a day for about $140 a person return. Once in Krakow, there are two ways to reach Auschwitz - either by bus or train, and both take about 90 minutes. The buses run about every half-hour, the trains less frequently. At present, the bus costs about $3.50 each way.
Auschwitz is the generic name given to the cluster of concentration camps built by the Germans during World War II, and was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979. It is about 60km from the city of Krakow, which dates to the seventh century.Entry to Auschwitz is free, although donations are encouraged.
Be aware that during tourist season, November to March, if you arrive after 10am you will have to tour the area in a guided group, due to the large number of visitors, and this can be a little rushed. You are welcome to go at your own pace if you arrive before this, or another option would be to book a private tour guide from the museum for a more in-depth tour.
The Auschwitz-Birkenau complex comprises two concentration camps, with Auschwitz 1 showing more of the history and life in the concentration camp, whereas the enormity and scale of what went on there is most evident at Auschwitz II-Birkenau, the main camp. There is a bus that runs between the two. Go Poland has lots of helpful information (gopoland.co.uk).
--
-- WE ARE looking to travel in April to Vietnam and Cambodia and want to do a tour for about 19 days. I have been looking into local companies that provide a private guide, but am unsure of their reliability and authenticity. Could you provide information on a reliable travel company for Vietnam?
DOC: While it is possible to wait until you arrive in Vietnam and then look into the tours being offered locally, often things can be lost in translation and you may not end up with quite what you had expected.
Waiting until you arrive in a huge bustling city such as Ho Chi Minh and then delving into the enormous range of touring options available can be great fun and all part of the adventure, and is well suited to day trips and shorter two or three-day tours.
A long and involved trip such as yours is best left to the experts to avoid any disappointment. There are many companies that operate tours to this region from Australia. Intrepid (intrepid.com.au) offers tours for people ready to do more than just scratch the surface of a new country.
They provide options to suit almost every budget, comfort zone and level of physical activity, and rate their trips to let you know how much of a culture shock to expect. Travel Indochina (travelindochina. com.au) is another long-time company providing small-group and tailor-made trips to this region.
If you prefer the more leisurely way of travel, APT (aptouring.com.au) provides itineraries that include cruising along the Mekong and into Cambodia, visiting remote towns and villages. You can sit back and enjoy the view and watch the floating markets pass by from your river ship.
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét