12/16/2015

Gastrolyte Effervescent

A must have in any first aid kit and recommended for travellers.

I took tons of these tablets a few years ago when I go the stomach flu, but they are needed when you get any stomach upset involving diarrhoea, heavy colds and the flu. I tend to take a tube of these, or just a few, when I go on holidays and I know for sure that I will be doing lots of walking, trekking or strong physical exercise, as I can dissolve a tablet in a bottle of water and carry it with me ready to drink. Besides this sort of tube, when empty is most handy and you can reuse it to carry small things inside (small coins, small tools, other pills, rolled banknotes, whatever small) and rake them with you  safely. 

My only complaint is that the product is expensive, about 10 bucks the tube. That is not much if you are buying just a tube for a trip. However, if you are sick, especially with gastroenteritis, you will be taking lots of these. I wonder why the manufacturer hasn't thought of providing customers with bulk packages to save money and visits to the pharmacy in those cases. 

They come in at least two flavours and are quite pleasant to drink.

12/10/2015

Virgin Australia

I travelled domestic with Virgin Australia and twice was enough not to bother again. 

The only thing I liked was their pricing, but the rest was average or not good. I expected the service on board to be basic, due to the pricing, and it was, but I also found that customer service was poor.


There is a young-and-fabulous culture in Virgin that I don't like. When I travel I want the culture of I-am-really-helpful-to-customers, but I found I-don't-give-a-dam-about-you attitude instead that put me off immediately. The thing is that the staff were very friendly and smiley, just not into customers unless you were a toddler or a kid. I ordered a paid meal, and they forgot about it. I could see the staff 'too busy' chatting among themselves, so I had to order it again.

They have good prices if you don't carry any check-in luggage, but their flights are basic and Virgin has more probabilities of cancelling a flight than other companies (together with Tiger Air). Their pricing is similar to Jetstar and Qantas, but they aren't as good to me. So they are at the bottom of my domestic preferred airlines in Australia. 

Air France

I always wanted to travel in the Concorde. They died before I could even been able to think about that.

I have used Air France a couple of times in my international flights to/from Europe as they were the ones offering the best pricing for the same itinerary. 

I was super-excited the first time I travelled with them. My excitement was short lived. 

The flights and intercontinental planes were average, on the cheap side regarding spaciousness and comfort of the planes, quality and quantity of the food, and attention to customers. The entertainment program was good. This would have been OK if it wasn't because I found Air France staff in their majority, unfriendly, uptight, and some of them bordering rude.  This might be the exception to the norm, of course, but I won't pay again to give it the benefit of the doubt.

Air France? Pas du tout! 

Qantas Airways

Qantas used to be one of the best international airlines in the world, and I was always looking forward to finding a good ticket with Qantas to enjoy the Aussie experience. That was about fifteenth years ago.  

Flying internationally with Qantas is still very enjoyable and a good experience, but not as good as it used to be. However, they still have comfortable planes, good generous meals, a great entertainment system, very helpful cheerful staff on board, and, since everything is bigger in Australia, they usually allow travellers to check-in more kilos than other airlines. What I miss these days in Qantas is the finesse and generosity in the service they used to have.  

Qantas Domestic has always been my preferred carrier for domestic flights in Australia. They are very good value for money and the broad smile and care of the Qantas staff on the plane makes a difference to me. The customer is their focus not the uniform they are wearing, or to have fun on-board. Some of my domestic flights felt like an international flight minus the price, as the plane and the on-board service was fantastic and similar to the one they offer for International flights. Other times the planes were smaller, not as comfortable and spacious, but the service was still great regarding courtesy and professionalism of the staff, quality of the meals and entertainment program. Their pricing is great for domestic, at times the same price as with a budget airline, other times about 10-50 bucks more, like the last flight I bought with them, 10 bucks more and a whole world of goodness for those. I pay happily the difference because there is a huge different in service, for the best, with Qantas Domestic. One of my friends and his wife don't travel Qantas domestically, and they are Australians!, and I think this is a huge mistake :) 

Air Asia

I spent a month in Malaysia about 5 years ago and booked all my International and domestic flights with Air Asia.  This was before the accidents that have given a bad name to the airline. To be honest, very reputed airlines have had also accidents, and others had been put down by terrorists, so you never know when you are going to die, or a plane you travel in is going to fall, even if you pay first class in the best airline in the world there is no guarantee.  Call it destiny. Call it bad luck. Call it you have a heart attack. Whatever.

My experience with Air Asia was fantastic all the way, and I took plenty of domestic flights plus the Perth-Kuala Lumpur-Perth. I booked everything online through their website, way in advance, and I managed my bookings online. Everything was stated clearly and I knew exactly what I was paying for, the seat area and type I was getting and the meal I would have on-board because you can pre-order those at very discounted prices if you want. Also, you can book no check-in luggage but then change your mind and upgrade to check-in luggage, or choose a number of kilos for the check-in luggage and them upgrade because you are carrying more than initially thought. You can do that online as well. I actually did.

This is a budget airline. As you can expect, you will pay extra money for premium seats and for meals on board. However, their planes and the service on board was decent, the punctuality was great, and the pricing was awesome. I did not feel I was travelling with a bad company nor did I have bad flights or anything that disrupted my action-packed holidays.

Air Asia has its own budget airport in Kuala Lumpur, so you don't land on the International airport there. However, this is decently-sized airport, well communicated, with basic services and a good information system. 

I would certainly use Air Asia again when travelling to/fro Asia and within Asia as they have an excellent network of destinations in Asia. 

I thought this budget airline was better than Virgin Australia, and similar to Jetstar, at times better. 

This was my experience with them. Very good.  

Having said that, Air Asia is a budget airline, you know. Personally, I take for granted that this airline, like any other budget airline, won't be good if problems arise, so I always get travel insurance with comprehensive cover. I do even when I travel with good airlines, even more when I travel with budget airlines as their compensation policies and their ability or willingness to help customers when problems arise is not good most of the time. If you travel with Air Asia you just need travel insurance to go with it as it will give you peace of mind.

12/09/2015

The Body Shop Drench Sponge


Although, generally speaking, I am not into The Body Shop products or shops, I am a devotee of this sponge. It looks like a natural sea sponge. It behaves like a natural sea sponge. It is not a sea sponge, it is a mutant! Artificially engineered to give you the best of the natural sponge without any of its inconveniences. 

If you leave it dry, it becomes totally dry, the consistency of volcanic porous rock and you can use it as exfoliator if you wish. If you keep it in a moist area or put it under running warm water it softens and becomes a wonderful soft sponge again. This sponge cleans well, doesn't irritate my skin, maximises any body wash by using just a drop of the product, it feels good to touch and it has a long life, forever, no deterioration so far. Like a mummy. 
I have used this sponge as my every-day sponge since it came out to the market. This is also my-every-travel sponge as it can be carried safely when dry, and it dries fast enough for bring it with me when I'm moving around. If I have a shower in the evening it will be dry in a few hours and ready to be packed next morning.
My only wish is that this was half its size, as any traveller kit is always small and the smaller anything you carry the better. Of course, you can easily cut it in two or tree pieces, and voilà. 

This is an expensive sponge, as you will pay around 13 bucks for it. A lot of money for an sponge, you might say, but it lasts forever so, in that regard, it is a great investment. 

Goat Soap Bar

Goat's milk products are living a golden age, with goat brands popping up as flies in summer, some of them with very similar branding and products. This bar is made by Goat (how original!), an Australian company. To be honest, I don't know anything about the company as their own website doesn't give many details either. 

Although I don't use soap bars much these days, I do use them when travelling, especially when travelling to remote areas of the world, when I am staying in cheap or medium-range hotels, or when I am travelling constantly and showering in different kinds of water.

These soap bars aren't glamourous but they are excellent for people with sensitive or problematic skin as they are designed for them. They are mild on my  skin, but leave it velvety soft after washing, as if I had applied a moisturiser. 

The bar is small enough to carry in your suitcase without the need of bringing any liquid or lotion specific for your sensitive skin. They have many varieties, coconut,  manuka honey, oatmeal, lemon myrtle, argan oil and the original one which is the best if you are having skin problems right now.

They are usually less than three bucks, and tend to be discounted quite often.  Great value for money.