Travel Tips

- Canadians and Americans need a visa to enter Australia. Most travellers don't even notice this, because the agent who issues your plane ticket automatically assigns the electronic visa (called an ETA) to your ticket reservation. Unfortunately, my ETA was issued in my maiden name while my ticket was in my married name. However, the Air New Zealand check-in lady was very helpful and fixed it up. Still made our plane, but definitely a rush.

- Heather tried to get some traveller's cheques in New Zealand. However, the paperwork I was carrying at the time consisted of my maiden-name AmEx card and my married name personal cheques, so the lady said No Go. Tried again in Sydney a few days later, this time with my matching chequebook. However, the Sydney AmEx office claimed I *had* received authorization for money in Auckland and so wasn't eligible again for 21 days. Grrr. They were very unhelpful. Luckily, our solution was easy: John bought the traveller's cheques under his name. Nonetheless, the whole escapade greatly undermind my faith in AmEx to help a traveller in distress!

- John's mom sent his new ATM card to us care of the AmEx office in Sydney. Though we received other mail there (credit where credit is due), we never received the ATM package. No fear, we have other methods of accessing the money, but a pain.

- Heather keeps reading books too quickly! Expensive, heavy, and inconvenient to keep hunting out new ones. Solution: found a thick novel with small print that should keep me going for a while.

- Neither of us are keeping up with our journals. sigh. And we probably aren't taking enough pictures, either. But we are keeping our travelogue and email up! To each their own memory aid, wethinks.

- Our Teva sandles are getting stinky! Solution: bought some Pine Sol and a scrub brush and gave them a good going over. Definitely helping. phewph.