Travel/Overseas destinations | PUNT ROAD END | Richmond Tigers Forum
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Travel/Overseas destinations

tigertim

something funny is written here
Mar 6, 2004
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SSUDuLP.jpg


https://smartraveller.gov.au/Countries/asia/south/Pages/maldives.aspx

...which is in line with my original post on this subject. It wasn't something that needed to be disputed.
Apparently an Australian man and 2 Chinese people stabbed in a terror attack by a “radical Maldivian group affiliated with Islamic state” . Video shows the Australian man being transported to the hospital on the back of a scooter.
 
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Ian4

BIN MAN!
May 6, 2004
22,180
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Melbourne
any advice on these places? I am staying for 5 days each in July and August:

1. Crete: Heraklion or Chania? my Greek mate says Chania hands down.
2. Malta: Do I just stay in Valetta or is there a better option?
 

lukeanddad

Tiger Champion
Nov 17, 2008
2,971
211
any advice on these places? I am staying for 5 days each in July and August:

1. Crete: Heraklion or Chania? my Greek mate says Chania hands down.
2. Malta: Do I just stay in Valetta or is there a better option?
On the second, Valletta is the stand out in Malta. We stayed at Mellieha (NW) and caught a bus into Valletta a couple of times. I must say that aside from Valletta and Gozo (a beautiful island off the north), there is not much to do on the island. We hired a car and drove around for a day. Some nice historic areas, but a dry, barren island overall.
 
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Ian4

BIN MAN!
May 6, 2004
22,180
4,679
Melbourne
On the second, Valletta is the stand out in Malta. We stayed at Mellieha (NW) and caught a bus into Valletta a couple of times. I must say that aside from Valletta and Gozo (a beautiful island off the north), there is not much to do on the island. We hired a car and drove around for a day. Some nice historic areas, but a dry, barren island overall.

i said I'm staying 5 days, but I could cut that down to 4. would you say 4 days is enough?
 

lukeanddad

Tiger Champion
Nov 17, 2008
2,971
211
i said I'm staying 5 days, but I could cut that down to 4. would you say 4 days is enough?
One day in Valletta, one in Gozo. Blue Grotto on the west side and the fishing village to the south could be a third. But, I'm with Baloo. Two days is probably enough. And unless you like rabbit stew, the food is 5/10.
 

Baloo

Delisted Free Agent
Nov 8, 2005
44,113
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One day in Valletta, one in Gozo. Blue Grotto on the west side and the fishing village to the south could be a third. But, I'm with Baloo. Two days is probably enough. And unless you like rabbit stew, the food is 5/10.

Sparrows another local Maltese delicacy
 

23.21.159

A Tiger in Denmark
Aug 9, 2003
6,116
2,277
Denmark
www.dafl.dk
We spent a week in Malta a few years back. Agree that for a fly in visit, 2-3 days is enough.
Definitely see Gozo and the Blue Lagoon between Gozo and the main island.
If you're into nice swimming spots, try to see Peter's Pool near Marsaxlokk - one of the more fun spots I've been to.
But really, if you have a car, Malta is so small that it doesn't matter much where you stay.
 

Ian4

BIN MAN!
May 6, 2004
22,180
4,679
Melbourne
We spent a week in Malta a few years back. Agree that for a fly in visit, 2-3 days is enough.
Definitely see Gozo and the Blue Lagoon between Gozo and the main island.
If you're into nice swimming spots, try to see Peter's Pool near Marsaxlokk - one of the more fun spots I've been to.
But really, if you have a car, Malta is so small that it doesn't matter much where you stay.

how about a vespa or ATV instead of a car?
 

23.21.159

A Tiger in Denmark
Aug 9, 2003
6,116
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Denmark
www.dafl.dk
Funny story about Malta ... in the lead up to our trip there, an Australian business acquaintance who I have never actually met in person but speak to on the phone alot, told me that his wife was Maltese and that he had a Maltese passport (this discussion had come up in the context of me considering getting a Danish passport). I was asking him for tips about the place and after he rattled on vaguely about some things, he finally came clean and said he had never actually been there. I found this strange that Malta would offer up passports to spouses of its citizens who not only weren't residents but has never even set foot in the place.

The first time I spoke to him after we had been there and come back, I mentioned a few things to him and when discussing further about what his wife might have to say about some of our experiences there, he mentioned that even SHE had never been there !!! By saying she was "Maltese", what he had meant is that her father was! She was born and bred in Australia and had never set foot on the island ... yet they grant her husband a passport on that basis.

It would NEVER happen in Denmark !
 

scottyturnerscurse

Tiger Legend
Apr 29, 2006
5,167
2,009
Just back from Georgia and look forward to going back in winter. Great mountains, food, wine and people. Also, very cheap. Met a few Aussies along the way and they all said they would be back. All had come from the Gulf, which is only a three-hour flight.

No quarantine if you are vaccinated.
 
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AngryAnt

Tiger Legend
Nov 25, 2004
27,017
14,792
Funny story about Malta ... in the lead up to our trip there, an Australian business acquaintance who I have never actually met in person but speak to on the phone alot, told me that his wife was Maltese and that he had a Maltese passport (this discussion had come up in the context of me considering getting a Danish passport). I was asking him for tips about the place and after he rattled on vaguely about some things, he finally came clean and said he had never actually been there. I found this strange that Malta would offer up passports to spouses of its citizens who not only weren't residents but has never even set foot in the place.

The first time I spoke to him after we had been there and come back, I mentioned a few things to him and when discussing further about what his wife might have to say about some of our experiences there, he mentioned that even SHE had never been there !!! By saying she was "Maltese", what he had meant is that her father was! She was born and bred in Australia and had never set foot on the island ... yet they grant her husband a passport on that basis.

It would NEVER happen in Denmark !

Malta was always a trade and commercial city-state so doesn't surprise me they are relaxed about citizenship and generating income through selling passports :) interesting place.
 

Baloo

Delisted Free Agent
Nov 8, 2005
44,113
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Just back from Georgia and look forward to going back in winter. Great mountains, food, wine and people. Also, very cheap. Met a few Aussies along the way and they all said they would be back. All had come from the Gulf, which is only a three-hour flight.

No quarantine if you are vaccinated.
I take it that's the ex-Soviet Georgia rather than the USA Georgia.
 
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Panthera Tigris

Tiger Champion
Apr 27, 2010
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Hi all. A question for those who may have a bit better knowledge on migration to the UK.

As a bit of background I’m around 6th generation Tasmanian on every single family lineage I trace back (yes leaving myself open, bring on the inbred jokes). The most recent arrivals appear to be one lineage who arrived here from Bavaria in the 1850s. Every other line is earlier than that (all from the UK and Ireland)! Suffice to say it’s pretty clear I have absolutely no rights or avenues to UK or European passports. Or rights to abode in the UK, despite the vast majority of my ancestry being from that part of the world.

My wife and I had always intended on doing the overseas living experience to the UK and Europe via the youth mobility visa scheme open to under 30 YOs. But a house, pets and general life kind of all got in the way. Plus a global recession in 2008, when we intended to go, made us gun shy to quit our perfectly good jobs here to possibly join the unemployment queue in the UK. We did some extended travel for a few months over there, but it’s not really the same. And rather than satisfying the wanderlust, just made me hungry for more.

Anyway, it’s one massive regret that I’ve got that we never did it. And as I approach middle age and mid-career you start to realise how short life is and how you don’t want to live with regrets eating away at you. Hence, I’ve started trying to manufacture ways that we might be able to still open the door to doing something like this now we are older and certain visa avenues are closed.

We are both bachelor degree qualified. However neither of us has any special skills that would allow us to migrate under skills shortage lists as far as I can tell. So I started thinking, perhaps I could look to take a career break, apply for a post graduate course at a UK University and come in under a student visa. My question is, does anyone know if Mrs PT and our primary school aged children came with me under accompanying visas can Mrs PT work a regular full time job and our kids go to regular British school?

We’re in a financial situation where we fully own our house and could rent this out as an income stream to perhaps cover our rent in the UK. But if possible we would require one of us to be working to cover living expenses (this would be Mrs PT while I studied).

When in the UK, I observed the evidence of mass migration from all corners of the globe, but looked at every avenue I could find on the internet as to how I could possibly migrate (given we are past the age of being eligible for the youth mobility visa) and struggled to come up with much. Just cannot comprehend how all these people, often from countries with no historical links to the UK all get in, yet I struggle to. Our parents generation had it so much easier when there was freedom of movement among Commonwealth countries to the UK. But this was cut off after the UK joined the EU.

Alternatively, any other suggestions of migration pathways?
 
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mrposhman

Tiger Legend
Oct 6, 2013
17,850
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Hi all. A question for those who may have a bit better knowledge on migration to the UK.

As a bit of background I’m 5th-6th generation Tasmanian on every single family lineage I trace back (yes leaving myself open, bring on the inbred jokes). The most recent arrivals appear to be one lineage who arrived here from Bavaria in the 1850s. Every other line is earlier than that (all from the UK and Ireland)! Suffice to say it’s pretty clear I have absolutely no rights or avenues to UK or European passports. Or rights to abode in the UK.

My wife and I had always intended on doing the overseas living experience to the UK and Europe via the youth mobility visa scheme open to under 30 YOs. But a house, pets and general life kind of all got in the way. Plus a global recession in 2008, when we intended to go, made us gun shy to quit our perfectly good jobs here to possibly join the unemployment queue in the UK. We did some extended travel for a few months over there, but it’s kind of not really the same.

Anyway, it’s one massive regret that I’ve got that we never did it. And as I approach middle age and mid-career you start to realise how short life is and how you don’t want to live with regrets eating away at you. Hence, I’ve started trying to manufacture ways that we might be able to still open the door to doing something like this now we are older and certain visa avenues are closed.

We are both bachelor degree qualified. However neither of us has any special skills that would allow us to migrate under skills shortage lists as far as I can tell. So I started thinking, perhaps I could look to take a career break, apply for a post graduate course at a UK University and come in under a student visa. My question is, does anyone know if Mrs PT and our children came with me under accompanying visas can Mrs PT work a regular full time job and our kids go to regular British school?

We’re in a financial situation where we fully own our house and could rent this out to perhaps cover our rent in the UK. But if possible we would require one of us to be working to cover living expenses (this would be Mrs PT while I studied).

When in the UK, I observed the evidence of mass migration from all corners of the globe, but looked at every avenue I could find on the internet as to how I could possibly migrate (once not eligible for the youth mobility visa) and struggled to come up with much. Just cannot comprehend how all these people, often from countries with no historical links to the UK all get in, yet I struggle to. Our parents generation had it so much easier when there was freedom of movement among Commonwealth countries to the UK. But this was cut off after the UK joined the EU.

What jobs do you and your wife do? Anything in healthcare?
 

Panthera Tigris

Tiger Champion
Apr 27, 2010
3,705
1,729
Unfortunately not. I did a general business degree and have worked in banking/financial markets in the banking and government sector. Mrs PT did a BA in communications and has worked in politics (got over that pretty quickly) now works in a policy job in the state public service which she really enjoys.

Interestingly, I did a bit of service time in the ADF in my late teens, early 20s. Didn’t actually realise until I hit my 30s years later, that as a quirk of history citizens of Commonwealth countries (even those who aren’t eligible for grandparent or parent linked citizenship) could actually enlist in the British Army. In one of those ‘what if’ moments, had I known that when I was of the right age, I would have very seriously looked at taking that path as my ticket in.

Another option I conjured up for an overseas living experience was getting a teaching English as a foreign qualification and going somewhere like Spain or Portugal for 6 months to a year. But schooling for the kids (they only speak English at this stage) could be tricky. And unless Mrs PT wants to also do English teaching, she wouldn’t really be able to work. Hence the UK looked a better option.
 
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BT Tiger

Moderator
Staff member
Jun 5, 2005
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Warragul
Hey guys, got a questions regarding Qantas changing the departure city for a return international flight.

I booked a "classic rewards" return flight from Melbourne to San Francisco a couple of months ago. The deal pretty sweet: 140,000 frequent flyer points + $400 AUD (equates to about $1800 AUD if you take 100 points/$1)

The outbound flight departs 26th September '22 (2 days after the grand final - can't miss another tigers flag ;)) and I'm returning to Australia in mid October '22.

The return flight was supposed to be from San Fransisco to Sydney, however I received an email yesterday announcing this had been cancelled, and I need to accept an alternative flight from Los Angeles to Sydney - so a different departure city!!!

They said nothing about an interconnecting flight between San Fran and LA until I complained about it in length to the Qantas Rep. the rep had to consult their supervisor and eventually call me back where I was offered an interconnecting flight from San Fran and LA, which sounds great except but this flight is from 6:00am - 8:00am, leaving me with a 14 hour wait at LAX as the international flight to Sydney leaves at 10pm - Not all that keen on this option but they wouldn't budge on anything else. They won't book/pay for any other commercial flight because of the T&C's regarding "Classic Rewards" flights.

Is it worth complaining to the ACCC or the Aviation complaints body? Just never heard of an airline changing departure city for an international flight before and it gives me the *smile*.

If i just need to suck it up I will do so - I'll still be better off booking a later flight from San Fran to LAX at a later time considering the good deal i received in the first place.