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Australia, we’re a bunch of heartless travel snobs

Lucy Kippist

by Lucy Kippist

21 Feb 01:45pm

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Filed under: Air Australia, Budget, Society, Travel

103 comments

Low cost air carriers have turned us into a bunch of travel snobs.

Bet he's glad that he put a toothbrush in his carry on. Photo: AFP

Tell someone you’re about to take a flight to Bali or Fiji and you’re bound to be met with a raised eyebrow or two. That and a swift dig about Bintang singlets, fake tan, Batique sarongs and hair braiding. 

Other people can be more direct.  Check out this tweet from @flak in response to the collapse of Air Australia:  “I love it when cheap airlines for bogans go bust”.

Well have a heart! The bitchy tweet refers to the approximately 4000 people left stranded when the Air Australia airline was put into voluntary administration and grounded last Friday, leaving most of their passengers without the means to buy another ticket to get home again. Talk about frustrating.

Just what @flak could “love” about this kind of scenario is beyond us. But it’s not unexpected. We all know people with the @flak attitude when it comes to travel. They’re the ones that sit around at BBQs complaining about group travel, Contiki tours and package holidays.

They use words like “deserve” and “solitude” a lot. They travel to once-dangerous places like Kashmir or Bosnia, and come back singing the praises of the “incredible produce” and the “warmth of the people”.

They’ve probably got a dusty orange tajine that they bought in Morocco on their kitchen counter. And a Goat hair “throw” rug from Greece on their couch.

They spend hours telling you about the “soul” of a place. And are also more likely to boast about the cost of their tickets. Or how much their business frequent flyer points got them a “quick trip” first class ticket to New York for “so and so’s” birthday.

Well, lucky them. That really is a privilege and well out of the realms of most Australians. But these kind of people don’t own the experience of travel. They’re just one part of a huge, amazing, exciting and diverse adventure that is seeing the world.

And what’s so wrong with package holidays anyway? They’re efficient, usually cost-effective and you get to meet new people. Basically they’re realistic way of fuss-free travel. Long gone are the days of the glamorous three month tour of Europe – who’s got the time for that kind poncing about these days anyway? Well hardly anyone with families, jobs and responsibilities.

Air travel should be cheap because the world is everyone’s playground. Not just another privilege for the big salaried lucky few. Unlike expensive cars, big houses and fancy labelled clothing, travel is more than a notch on a belt. Or a measure of status.

Propelling yourself into completely new territory gives you perspective. Teaches you about other cultures, and different ways of doing things. It broadens the mind and helps you understand how diverse the world is. Or at least it should.

The real test is how you behave when you get back home. And if you’re the one sitting around bagging out cheap airlines and poking fun at popular destinations, then you’ve completely wasted your travel money and the experience. The joke my faux adventurous friend, is on you.

Most commented

418Australia, you have nothing to fear but fear itself
353"Gifting", "journey" and other words we hate
311Thomson didn't answer the question everyone is asking
260Who murdered the Arts degree?
246A big day for Thomson, who thus far is guilty of nothing...
231Craig Thomson speaks. Meanwhile, in Australia...
230South Australia. It's the middle bottom bit.
224The most laughable, err, spoof since Einfeld

103 comments

Show oldest | newest first

    • I'm like. wow says:

      12:56pm | 21/02/12

      Low paid workers, Labor voters, Green Voters,Muslims,  and welfare beneficiaries can only afford to travel by bus and by train now.
      Only the rich , liberal voters, National voters and the Christians can travel by air and by seas

      Reply

    • Kika says:

      01:16pm | 21/02/12

      Hey I vote labor and I know the different between a tangerine and a tagine!

    • RyaN says:

      01:57pm | 21/02/12

      I wish I could afford to travel, unfortunately that is the domain of the Labor elite.

    • Simpleton says:

      02:29pm | 21/02/12

      RyaN says: “I wish I could afford to travel, unfortunately that is the domain of the Labor elite. ” a) what the hell does that mean? b) If you’re a poor Liberal supporter then you’re a traitor to your own kind c) you’re taking the ps d) I guess there’s no need for Liberals to broaden their horizons, they already know everything!

    • ImTheOnlyRealGodHere says:

      09:36am | 22/02/12

      Wow - way bring religious crazyness into this.
      The planet making fairy lovers are really grasping at straws now.
      I think you’ll find most Muslims flew here. On expensive international flights.
      But hey - don’t let facts get in the way of another imaginary religious persecution story.

      Out dated myths about pretend fairies have absolutely nothing to do with it.

      It’s 2012 - time to grow up and stop setting the table for your imaginary friend.

    • RyaN says:

      10:10am | 22/02/12

      @Simpleton: Indeed!
      a) It means that if you think Labor represents the people your are entirely delusional.
      b) Well considering how much WORSE things become (mainly for middle to low income earners) under successive Labor governments then clearly as a Labor supporter you are either one of the elites or a “traitor to your own kind”
      c) What is “the ps” and where might I be taking it to?
      d) I assume by your comment that you are one of the Labor elites then, that point being exactly what I am referring to. Screw the poor people huh, why should they have any rights in this world, only you Labor elites should be allowed to travel.

    • The Real Craig Thomson says:

      12:15pm | 22/02/12

      I vote Labor and I have to put hookers on my union credit card.  Stop whinging.

    • Fog Badger says:

      12:56pm | 21/02/12

      Never fancied such discount travel, including Easy Jet in UK/Eu.

      You get what you pay for, except if you fly Qantas.

      Reply

    • Paul says:

      01:19pm | 21/02/12

      Exactly. Although the whole airline going bust is pretty extreme.
      Discount airlines shave costs by minimising their aircraft fleet, servicing schedule, aircrew, groundcrew etc so it’s inevitable to get delays, cancellations etc…

    • Shane From Melbourne says:

      01:28pm | 21/02/12

      Don’t say that- I’ve got a Qantas flight from Melbourne to Orlando, Florida and from Copenhagen to Melbourne coming up. Fingers crossed for no more lock outs or strikes…....

    • Kika says:

      01:31pm | 21/02/12

      Ahahahah absolutely!

    • Flying Viking says:

      01:34pm | 21/02/12

      Nothing wrong with easyJet. At least their planes were made this century, unlike Qantas. Swish!

    • SimonFromLakemba says:

      01:48pm | 21/02/12

      @ShanefromMelbourne

      Shouldn’t happen, as far as I know FWA banned any strikes or work stoppages.

    • NR says:

      01:02pm | 21/02/12

      Plenty of Rich Snobs end up broke when their big fancy companies fall on their arse,best remind them of that…..

      Reply

    • Rich says:

      05:12pm | 21/02/12

      Not unless said snobs are in the public sector *extremely shiny grin*

    • braunman says:

      01:04pm | 21/02/12

      In many ways we’re really lucky being this close to Asia. We can have cheap holidays AND experience lots of different cultures all within a quick flight from your city of choice.

      Bali is an interesting case as in many ways it is a victim of its own popularity. I have been there myself (and yes, bought a bintang tshirt) and it is a great place to visit. Probably won’t go back due to all the pushy sales people and the fact that I caught bali belly. Still it’s worth going at least once.

      Reply

    • Tony of Poorakistan says:

      03:27pm | 21/02/12

      Why not go somewhere where there *is* a bit of culture, like Europe

    • Your name:Rich says:

      05:09pm | 21/02/12

      Re: tony

      I’ve lived in Europe and Asia for decades and trust me there’s more variety and history in a single Chinese backstreet than all of Italy. Sure Australians are brainwashed by documentaries and distance into thinking the rain in Spain falls only on gold plated bottoms but in reality for every pretty building there is there are three illegal taxi drivers itching to scam you. (hyperbole employed there, and a narrow example, but the point stands)

    • Amy says:

      05:14pm | 21/02/12

      It’s really stupid to put “Bali” into one big basket. You can find every single kind of human being on that tiny island - all doing different things. There’s righ businessmen and celebs in VIP secure resorts with their own helicopter pad, there’s mid range places for weddings, there’s Kuta (and if you go there whatever happens is your own bloody fault IMO), there’s small diving spots with amazing hospitality, there’s surfer hang outs, there’s homestays and cultural exchange in Ubud, there’s a million and one NGOs and .orgs - I volunteered for 5 months at an orphanage and my friend is working at a turtle sanctuary.

      Going to Bali a ‘bogan thing’ - I don’t bloody think so!!

    • marley says:

      05:44pm | 21/02/12

      @Rich - well, I haven’t lived in China but I’ve lived in Italy, and you’re talking out of your orifice. 

      I’m certainly not ignoring the history or culture of China.  But any back street of Italy has variety, history, art, culture, feuds, restaurants, you name it, all there.  And probably some architecture that’s a millennium old.  The flat I had was two blocks away from a third century church and catacombs.  There was a Mussolini-era church as well, a 19th century market, and a restaurant with pillars dating back to the Romans.  The Chinese may do as well;  they don’t do better.

    • Rich says:

      06:15pm | 21/02/12

      @ merley Well I am by no means a sinophile (actually, i am, it took me four years to get over going back to australia and i still want to leave) but i would say that the China has been a constant in the world for 3000 years, and that there is a huge amount of ancient architecture.

      Anyways, i was using hyperbole… But in my mind Europe’s just about as stagnant as the USA and I don’t anticipate my mind being changed, after living there for years.

    • Marco Polo says:

      08:50am | 22/02/12

      For what it is worth, I’m an Australian/Italian duel-citizen and my wife originally from China and we both agree that there is a LOT MORE cultural variety and history in Europe than China. We have travelled quite frequently to both countries. Don’t get me wrong there is quite a bit in China (and not just the obligatory “Great Wall” and “Terracotta Warriors” stuff) but Europe (especially Austria, Italy and France) is miles ahead. Just our opinion.

      China is great for shopping, markets, night-life and so forth but not cultural aspects. You can thank the communist uprising and Mao Zedong and his cronies for destroying a lot of China’s cultural heritage.

    • Marco Polo says:

      09:28am | 22/02/12

      Oops sorry, I meant to say “Have travelled frequently to both areas.” Yes, I know Europe isn’t a country. Cheers

    • braunman says:

      10:50am | 22/02/12

      Wow, some interesting responses here. Having been to many countries around the world, I think most places have at least some form of culture worth learning about. Even countries which are seen as “tourist traps”, like Bali. Comparing which country has the most culture is a bit of a red herring. After all, a pizza is as delicious as a curry laksa!

    • Louise says:

      02:12pm | 26/02/12

      Try the north coast, up near Pemuteran. You get a beautiful drive through the middle of the island and wonderful snorkeling.  Then fly to Lubuanbajo on the island of Flores to visit the world heritage listed Komodo national Marine Park for the most extraordinary snorkeling and diving. Then back to Bali and drive up the east Ahmed coast.  None of the accommodation is 5 star but the nature is 10 star.  And this advice from a person who flies business to Europe twice a year and stays in luxury. I have my own business, I’m not a bogan.  Does that confirm me as a travel snob though? Oh, and I won’t divulge my politics. Particularly not this weekend!

    • AdamC says:

      01:06pm | 21/02/12

      I think you are conflating a number of different travel snobberies into a single, super travel snobbery, Lucy. After all, the guy who flits off first class for a Big Apple birthday is hardly the same kind of travel snob as the girl who bores all her friends banging on about traditional Persian architecture.

      Also, while I felt sympathy towards the passengers of Air Australia, I thought their plight was somewhat exaggerated. For example, they weren’t so much ‘stranded’ as badly inconvenienced and subjected to unexpected expense. A downer, yes, but ultimately just one of those frustrations of life.

      Reply

    • iansand says:

      01:20pm | 21/02/12

      Don’t you know about the darling Persian mosque in the East Village?

    • SimonFromLakemba says:

      01:50pm | 21/02/12

      “For example, they weren’t so much ‘stranded’ as badly inconvenienced and subjected to unexpected expense. A downer, yes, but ultimately just one of those frustrations of life.”

      Exactly right, people need the ‘man’ up these days. I could think of a lot worse places to be stuck than Phuket!

    • James1 says:

      01:57pm | 21/02/12

      At the risk of sounding like the snobs from the article, could you list those places Simon?

      Starting at the bottom, I would list Mogadishu, West Baltimore, Charnwood, and then Phuket.

    • Hamish says:

      02:21pm | 21/02/12

      Agree AdamC, there’s also a lot of room between deriding people who go to the Cranbourne of south east Asia and being one of those ‘Freetown, like it’s history is totally f@%ked, but it has such a beautiful soul’ tools. I seriously hate knobs who go crap holes just to be different. There’s a reason why no one goes to sub-Saharan Africa for a holiday…

    • SimonFromLakemba says:

      03:13pm | 21/02/12

      Kabul, Damascus.

      Baltimore? Charnwood? haha..Not sure they are great destinations.

      Phuket isn’t too bad if you are away from the main drag

    • Gregg says:

      01:15pm | 21/02/12

      Hey come on now Lucy Girl, swaggering down fleet street so fancy free!
      ”  Long gone are the days of the glamorous three month tour of Europe – who’s got the time for that kind poncing about these days anyway? Well hardly anyone with families, jobs and responsibilities. “
      Have you forgotten that warm beer and sun drenched Dublin days few and far between that would engender much imbibing of that awful black guiness.

      As for travelling being for everyone, as sad as it may be travellers are mostly very fortunate when you consider the masses in countries that we might visit.
      And then you have the stupid who will put themselves out there without some reserve funding.

      Reply

    • Kika says:

      01:36pm | 21/02/12

      Awful black Guinness? Careful!

    • Phil says:

      06:33pm | 21/02/12

      Kika
      Wouldnt normally agree with a labor voter, but Greg FFS Guiness is like mothers milk

    • Kika says:

      01:15pm | 21/02/12

      What is a dusty orange tangine? Tangerine? Why would I bring back a Tangerine from Morocco? Ah do you mean Tagine? Hahhaa. Jetstar passenger.

      “Air travel should be cheap because the world is everyone’s playground”

      No. The world isn’t everbody’s playground. I think that’s fairly established. Next time I land at arrivals I will demand entry into that country because it’s my playground.

      We have to suck big fares up. We live at the a7ss end of the world and to get anywhere we have to pay. If you live in Europe, yeah fine. 30 minutes you are in Russia or Italy or wherever. We have to travel a minimum of 12 hours to get anywhere near Continental Asia. That costs fuel and taxes. We have to pay for it.

      Nothing is more embarassing that seeing other Aussies at airports OS. Tell me, what’s with the akubras? I bet you don’t ever wear them at home. And the flag… and the inflatable kangaroo…. cringe.  We really are the blonde bimbos of the world too. So embarassing.

      Reply

    • SteveKAG says:

      01:39pm | 21/02/12

      Now i find myself agreeing with you, I love going to Asia, i have lived in India, Western Europe, the US and South America but the yobbo’s that you find at Bangkok or Singapore airports is simply staggering…...

      50 year old men still wearing the truck driving wife beaters…........arrrgghh give me a break.

      I am also totally over Kath and Kim style all in one lesuire sutis, we are in the 80’s any more…............I know you will hate me Kika but i know they are all labor voters…...I just know it (Wink)! grin

    • SimonFromLakemba says:

      01:58pm | 21/02/12

      “.I know you will hate me Kika but i know they are all labor voters…...I just know it (Wink)! grin”

      Of course you would because the conservative white sock brigade are too busy clogging up the roads in their Jayco camper vans as they listen to Alan Jones on talk back.

    • Paul says:

      02:14pm | 21/02/12

      @ Kika: I agree to a certain extent that some Aussies can be a little embarrassing overseas.

      Sitting at breakfast last year in Thailand I was surrounded by a group of non-english speaking Russians / CIS citizens when a very large, read obese Australian walked past with his plate over-flowing with sausages, bacon and omelettes in one hand and a stubbie of singha in the other, stated to his wife, ‘Geez them Frogs are arrogant!’

      Oh dear. Admittedly I was sporting a hangover that would kill a brown dog from doing the cocktail list at a bar with a group of Germans and Brits I had met. As for the other Aussies I met, not one put in the effort to even learn some basic Thai phrases but they sure knew the local terms for cannabis and methamphetamine.

    • Gregg says:

      02:28pm | 21/02/12

      @Kika
      Thirty minutes is something of an exaggeration eh!
      But look, travelling as well as the destination is supposed to be fun too so you can always do a few shorter hops, even from the bottom of the bottom or underdownunder, but say from mainland anyway, you could make it
      Melbourne - Darwin or Perth and onto Singapore or wherever for about $500 or even less if using the likes of Airasia or Tiger and unfortunately Viva Macau ex Sydney is no more.
      Out of Singapore and Bangkok, greater Asia and Europe is your oyster.

      A slow stew eh! - http://www.maroque.co.uk/catalog.aspx?p=00423 and it reminds me of a Ninja Turtle style trip I had from Barcelona back into Switzerland with an about a1M dia, Paella dish strapped to the back of the pack, no Aussie flag or Akubra though and I cooked up Paella for about 100 people on a bbq in the middle of a Swiss forest, that being a slow process too.

    • gobsmack says:

      02:29pm | 21/02/12

      @Kika
      I’m glad someone else picked up on this ridiculous comment:
      “Air travel should be cheap because the world is everyone’s playground.”
      Apart from the offensive idea that the places where other people live are the “playgrounds” of all Australians, this sort of logic of universal entitlement, if applied consistently, would demand that everything good in life should be cheap enough for all to enjoy.

    • Kika says:

      02:47pm | 21/02/12

      I disagree. Most of them would be ‘Howard’s battlers’ I reckon wink

    • Evalee says:

      04:41pm | 21/02/12

      “..this sort of logic of universal entitlement, if applied consistently, would demand that everything good in life should be cheap enough for all to enjoy.” 

      What is wrong with the good things in life being affordable for everyone?  Do you only enjoy things because you know someone else can’t?

    • Phil says:

      06:38pm | 21/02/12

      Kika..

      Your on fire today

    • Reguba says:

      10:50am | 22/02/12

      I’m sorry Kika but where the hell are you holidaying?? I have never seen an Australian at an airport wearing an akubra or carrying an inflatable kangaroo…...
      Australians wearing fluoro clothes, bad tans, ridiculous caps perched at weird angles on their heads, yes I’ve seen them. But akubras and inflatable kangaroos…....not recently.

    • SteveKAG says:

      01:15pm | 21/02/12

      Can’t say I am a fan of group holiday’s but it truly is because i generally have my own agenda.  I rarely use travel agents these days and will mostly research and book airlines and hotels online myself.  I do my purchasing mostly on price but sometimes on convenience.

      I certainly would not be sitting around laughing at passengers being stranded, it could be me one day.

      @I’m Like you are right, people who vote labor should be confined to a bus, let’s make it a special one!

      Reply

    • Kika says:

      01:23pm | 21/02/12

      Hey I vote Labor! And I found myself agreeing with everything you had said.

    • SteveKAG says:

      01:34pm | 21/02/12

      and here i was really beginning to like you Kika…........lol
      Sorry i am just taking the piss at I’m like really, you can sit up the front of the plane with me if you like

    • Sarah says:

      12:43pm | 24/02/12

      @SteveKag - I agree, I do the same. Group tours are not my thing, I prefer to do it all myself and not fork out for inflated prices due to commissions to travel agents and kick backs.

      Plus having the freedom to choose what you want, when you want is much more of a bonus to me - then being dragged along on another day trip to ‘learn local culture’ with 20 other tourists madly snapping away with their cameras.

      Oh yes and ALP voters - maybe we should be nicer to them today - because seriously - they’re all about to take a massive hit to their worldview at 10am Monday morning and again when the next election is called. Perhaps we can give them a ‘bye’ this time wink

    • Seamus O'Buggery says:

      01:16pm | 21/02/12

      I caught a budget airline from London to Dublin yrs ago.
      Found 10 pound note under the seat.
      Best. Flight. Ever.

      Reply

    • Patrick Fitzmichael says:

      01:26pm | 21/02/12

      That was mine you bastard. I have been looking for it for ages.

    • Sarahh says:

      01:37pm | 21/02/12

      Well that flight certainly paid for itself

    • Gregg says:

      03:34pm | 21/02/12

      You’re lucky you didn’t have to cough it up for some refueling

    • Disco Stu says:

      01:25pm | 21/02/12

      It’s Bintang singlets not shirs. Clearly you’re not Bali savvy lady. To all the Bali snobs, f**k you!! You’re missing out. Bali is something else! I’ve been to Europe 4 times too so no I’m not a ‘Labor voting bogan. bla bla bla’‘. Got more education than you i bet, but don’t like conservatives; damn right!

      Reply

    • Lucas says:

      03:45pm | 21/02/12

      Absolutely agree with this comment. Found Bali and Lombok really amazing places with beautiful unique religion, mountains, volcanoes, beaches, amazing coffee and rice plantations with fresh local food and drinks, spectacular underwater wildlife and perfect climate. Did I mention cheap so you can stay and not have to count your Euros?
      I’ve been over to Thailand 4 times now, bought the singlets but return time and again (instead of of returning to Europe). There are centuries old war sights and temples worthy of any empire, shopping is world class with bespoke tailors available for a sub $1,000 price, beaches much less crowded and more beautiful and to top it off the flight is shorter!

      I think the anti-ugly Australian crowd tend to forget that these places are not completely infested with Bogans, it is quite possible and ever so easy to escape the Australian crowd. Southwest Bali and Western Phuket it is hard, but then spend $10 on a taxi and you are out of there, and enjoy the amazing countries! Spend $50 on a return flight to another Indonesian island or another province of Thailand and again - not a southern cross tat in sight

    • Disco Stu says:

      04:16pm | 21/02/12

      yey Lucas. They obviously are thinking Kuta=bali. But that’s like going to Sydney and not even leaving say Redfern and saying Aust sucks. And how much would Aussies arc up at that sort of ignorance? (Mind you Kuta is infintely better than Redfern). Tanelot, Sanur, Mount Kintamani and Ubud aren’t Kuta! Nothing like it. Used to always go to Europe and since had el cheap but still great holidays in Asia. Can still have a great cheap holiday.

    • Cate says:

      10:56am | 22/02/12

      I agree too. Funny isn’t it that far out-weighing the ‘Aussie Bogans’ in Bali are the Russians, italians, French, Americans, Germans, Spanish, Singaporeans and Japanese on holiday? They seem to like it, so where did Australians snobbery towards Bali come from? IMO I think it’s the cashed-up Bogans thinking they’re now ‘above’ Bali and choosing to denigrate it as a holiday destination because they’ve never set foot outside Kuta.. Either way, it’s more interesting walking into a bar in Candidasa or on Lombok and meeting all of the nationalities above than meeting just another Aussie on holiday.

    • Disco Stu says:

      01:25pm | 21/02/12

      It’s Bintang singlets not shirs. Clearly you’re not Bali savvy lady. To all the Bali snobs, f**k you!! You’re missing out. Bali is something else! I’ve been to Europe 4 times too so no I’m not a ‘Labor voting bogan. bla bla bla’‘. Got more education than you i bet, but don’t like conservatives; damn right!

      Reply

    • Jane2 says:

      01:26pm | 21/02/12

      Nothing wrong with budget airlines. My big gripe is people who buy budget and then complain because they didnt recieve al the extra’s that come with paying more. For domestic I often opt for budget, for international I look more at a combination of price vs convenience to my schedule (for example I can fly to LA for under $1000 but it will take 36+ hrs due to the stop overs or I can pay an extra $200-400 and get there in 17, which is better? I will probably chose the 17 hrs than the 36 as it gives me more holiday time)

      My other major gripe with travellers (budget and other) is IMO they really cant afford to travel if they dont have the financial means to get themselves home if something happens to their airline, whether its volcanos, ice storms or bankruptcy. I guess this makes me a travel snob.

      Sorry but in my books having money in the bank (or a large empty credit card) is as much a necessity for travel as having travel insurance, if you dont have travel insurance AND spare money, you shouldnt travel regardless which carrier you chose to use!

      Reply

    • SteveKAG says:

      02:54pm | 21/02/12

      I think you are flying very close to being a snob Jane2 but so what if you are, it is your money and your holiday, personally don’t want to sit next to a bogan on a bus or screaming kids. If i can wangle extra leg room i will.

      It is my money, my holiday’s my choice as it is yours.  You would make a good travel buddy i think.

    • Marco Polo says:

      09:00am | 22/02/12

      I totally agree with Jane2. If you can only JUST afford to travel, accommodation and a bit a food without any cash reserves, insurance and so forth, well you shouldn’t really be travelling. Sorry. A lot of budget airlines unfortunately have encouraged people to go travel who really shouldn’t or at the very least, be saving a bit more.

      These kind of people just strike me as the same ones who buy a house and borrow up to the absolute maximum: Technically they are allowed but they shouldn’t cry and snivel when it goes a bit wrong and they don’t have the means to help themselves afterwards.

    • Janey says:

      09:16am | 24/02/12

      That’s right Jane2 - in the olden days it used to cost quite a bit of money to travel.  Lucy’s comment about playgrounds - language like that is traditionally associated with the rich. 

      I don’t think you are a snob, just sensible.  I doubt we will see you on tabloid television, screeching at the Australian government to do something about whatever predicament you may find yourself in.

    • Justin says:

      01:36pm | 21/02/12

      My 2 cents worth, If you feel the need to belittle other peoples holidays/methods of travel/experiences/destinations/restaurants they choose etc etc, then you should probably take a look at yourself in the mirror as well.

      People should be free to travel as they can best afford, best suits their wants and needs… they don’t need some twat telling how much better thier holiday/class of travel/experiences were. Just be happy for them, and be happy for yourself with your chosen travel. If they come back with a t-shirt and you come back with an ancient artifact and both had a relaxing/interesting/great holiday, then thats all that matters…leave them to it.

      Reply

    • Scaggsy says:

      01:39pm | 21/02/12

      I caught one of them cheap plane rides on Air Australia the hosties are really stuck up. Tiger are heaps better, the chicks will do anything Virgin hosties arent as loose as richard branson lets on. buyer beware hey? hahaha can’t wait for my next bintang!!! WOOOOO!!!!

      Reply

    • PW says:

      02:01pm | 21/02/12

      Maybe the virgin hosties just didn’t fancy you, Scag. Can’t imagine why.

    • Redeker Plan says:

      01:41pm | 21/02/12

      “Propelling yourself into completely new territory gives you perspective. Teaches you about other cultures, and different ways of doing things. It broadens the mind and helps you understand how diverse the world is. Or at least it should.” 

      Yes, you’re right, it should. The problem is, and this is what causes so much anti-bogan “snobbery”, is that in places like Bali (and yes, I know that away from Kuta, it’s a different story) you don’t get the chance to learn about culture or broaden your experiences, because it’s full of Aussie derros behaving like a they’re at a buck’s party at the Spearmint Rhino. 

      I don’t choose to associate with bogans like that at home, why would I pay to go overseas and put up with it?  And be associated with them as an Australian by the local people?  The disresepect shown to local cultures embarrasses me.  That’s why I choose to go to places that aren’t tourist traps. Not because I think it gives me some mythical bragging rights, but because I want to experience the difference, not be surrounded by bogans and the local rip-off artists who feed off them.

      Reply

    • Bertrand says:

      02:11pm | 21/02/12

      Well said.

      I don’t give a rat’s arse where people travel and what they decide to do with their spare time and money. If you want to go to Kuta and get pissed for a week, good for you. It’s not my cup of tea, but, who cares, if you enjoy it, who am I to criticise.

      But let’s not pretend you are going there to broaden your cultural horizons. You are going there for cheap booze and a week of partying. Nothing more.

    • Marco Polo says:

      09:04am | 22/02/12

      Couldn’t agree more Redeker. Unfortunately this is a by-product of having these budget airlines. I avoid those places because honestly, I would like to see what Bali has to offer (Beyond booze and shouting) but the cringe-worthy antics of these kinds of people would just make me feel embarrassed being near them.

    • only lucky says:

      01:42pm | 21/02/12

      Flew MyAir.com in 2008 from Venice to Paris for 1 Euro plus baggage and taxes (all up about AUD$77 for 2 adults).

      A few months ago we flew Spanair from Madrid to Rome for a similarly ridiculous sum.

      Good luck getting a flight with either now (or even finding out who they are or were).

      There but for the grace of the travel gods are we were not holed up in MAD trying to get a 2000 Euro flight on Iberia or something.

      Pattern?

      If it’s too good to be true - it generally will be.

      Reply

    • Dolt says:

      01:43pm | 21/02/12

      Good piece. True, but only the Liberal voting a**holes!

      Reply

    • jase says:

      01:46pm | 21/02/12

      Strategic aka Air Australia has been going down the tube since it lost the government contracts back a couple of years ago.

      Low cost aviation is a business model which simply does not work and has no place in the industry. Safety costs money and budget airlines are a cancer on the industry. Pre budget airlines, most operations were to a standard set by the airline which are much higher than the minimum requirements of the regulator (Qantas had an enviable safety record). Post budget airlines, who already operate at the lowest standard possible have dragged down the entire industry to operate at that minimum standard to keep costs to a minimum. Have a look at the increasing number of “incidents” that are being investigated by the ATSB these days, its quite shocking.

      I am all for the free market, but to some extent with aviation people are too ignorant to realise that their price conscious decision has had a very direct implication on the safety of the flight which they are taking. Airlines in some countries work on the basis that the cost of an accident is actually less than the profit lost from doing certain heavy maintenance.. Yes this does happen and it will become more acceptable locally unless something dramatic happens.

      Food for thought..
      I had a client move to a lower cost charter option (only by a few hundred dollars for the flight which they did each month) and in the end it ended up killing them. This operator btw is still in business after numerous incidents and accidents.

      You do get what you pay for.

      Thankfully low cost will not be around for a great deal longer, fuel prices are on the way up and that will price out the bogan within the next 10 years.

      Reply

    • Marco Polo says:

      09:06am | 22/02/12

      I was going to mention the safety aspect but you said it much better than I could have jase. Completely agree, it’s not worth saving a few measly dollars with the safety implications involved. I hope these budget airlines phase out over time too, at least for international travel.

    • kris says:

      01:50pm | 21/02/12

      One does have to laugh at the package tourist, catching their package holiday to Kuta, Phuket or the ever popular Gold Coast.
      When I travel I do so on a whim with not a worry in the world, staying in $5 hostels & pensions. If you go into a bar and start mixing with the locals one might find themselves with a free bed for the night, however you must look out as it can lead to some sticky situations, even if it is with a blonde braided hair wearing Melbournian fresh from a breakup.

      Reply

    • steve says:

      01:51pm | 21/02/12

      “leaving most of their passengers without the means to buy another ticket to get home again”

      If people don’t have the means to buy another ticket to get home they shouldn’t have left the country in the first place.

      Its the same as people complaining about losing their house because interest rates got up 1%.  If you borrow the maximum amount the bank will lend you and don’t calculate possible rate rises into what you can afford its your own damn fault.

      If you don’t make sure you have enough money in reserve to at least buy a ticket home you it’s your own damn fault.

      It’s just another symptom of the over entitlement people seem to have these days.  Everyone seems to think they have the RIGHT to go overseas without thinking of the possibilities.

      Going overseas is a luxury and you shouldn’t do it if you don’t have the means, and that includes having access to enough money to buy a ticket home if need be.  I know every time I’ve been overseas I’ve always made sure I’ve had at an absolute minimum a credit card with a limit high enough to by my partner and I tickets home.  Why? because I’m not stupid.

      Reply

    • ozzie says:

      02:13pm | 21/02/12

      I agree with you about the housing issue. My boyfriend and I are saving up to buy a house in the next 5 years or so, and we are basing our budgeting on interest rates being 15%. Unlikely to raise that high, but by setting the bar much higher than it is, we will either always be in front of our loan or able to cope with interest rate rises. It will take us longer to save, but at the end of the day it’s a smarter option than borrowing the max amount and having to tighten the belt every time there is a 0.25% rate rise.

    • Rich says:

      06:19pm | 21/02/12

      No, you’re not stupid raspberry

      I’m grounded for the forseeable future in Melbourne because I don’t intend to go overseas again until I’ve the resources for the move to be permanent. I won’t go wishing around grease-spots like Bali for sh*ts and giggles.

    • thisismyface says:

      01:56pm | 21/02/12

      But the thing about these budget airlines (especially Air Australia) is that they don’t ‘propel you into new cultures’ and ‘teach you new things’ - they fly masses of (young, usually bogan) Australian tourists to Bali and Phuket so they can get drunk on cheap booze with other Australians. Where’s the ‘culture’ and ‘experience’ in that and what, exactly is the ‘diversity’ that’s been experienced? Traveling to those places for the exact same experience you can have here is not real travel.

      Reply

    • Fish Finga says:

      01:59pm | 21/02/12

      My mum an dad took me an my brothers and sisters to bali once we saw the horrible stuff happning on Jimbarin bay, all the fish being cooked and sold it was horrible and all the white people were chosing them from buckets live and they were getting cooked up and they were eating them. its really horrible what we do to fishes. we should stop eating them now!!!

      Reply

    • M says:

      09:04am | 22/02/12

      Still on the veggo crusade huh?

      I had marinated Prawns with bits of bacon and cream sauce last night as an entre. It was tastier knowing a veggeterian was pulling their hair out over cruelty to fish.

    • jg says:

      02:05pm | 21/02/12

      I can’t see a problem. I was once ‘stranded’ in Turkey due to no fault of mine.

      I went to the airport and bought another ticket on another airline to London.

      Yeah, it cost me a few bucks, but stranded?

      People are soft. As soon as something goes wrong they start screming for government assistance.

      Reply

    • RyaN says:

      02:07pm | 21/02/12

      This reminded me of a hilarious serial troll that used to contribute to the comments section on the news.com.au site. He was a classic and witty to boot.
      He used to go by the tag “Kevin of Doublebay” or something like that.
      I wonder how his wife Prudence is going with her tennis lessons.

      Reply

    • Boxcar Willie says:

      03:08pm | 21/02/12

      Indeed, Ryan of Sydney.

    • Mitch says:

      02:11pm | 21/02/12

      Lucy, you just wrote a column, an entire column, about a single tweet from some guy called “flak”. You seem to carry a lot of internalised defensiveness to be able to stretch all of that out from a single line of text.

      Reply

    • Kate says:

      02:32pm | 21/02/12

      I’m not really the type of person who’d enjoy a piss-up in Bali with a Bintang singlet and a head full of dreadlocks, but I still hate the travel snobs. The worst of them all seem to attend uni, live at home and therefore have heaps of disposable income to spend on travel. I’ve been on the receiving end of condescending comments from these people because I holiday in Cairns instead of Thailand. You try affording an overseas trip when you work part time and have rent and bills to pay.

      I did roll my eyes at one of the ‘stranded’ Air Australia people who was ‘trapped’ at a luxurious Hawaiian resort. It’s a hard life…

      Reply

    • baddog says:

      02:40pm | 21/02/12

      There’s nothing wrong with being a travel snob! I lived in Laos for 3 years. Playing “spot the Aussie” was an easy game because compared with EVERY OTHER foreigner the Aussies were inevitably sloppy, scrappy and very poorly dressed. The blokes wear boardies on every occasion - when did bathing suits become acceptable attire in international airports, Buddhist temples & restaurants- in a landlocked nation!? Thongs – if you’re lucky – some people go barefoot. Honestly, live overseas in a city that swells during peak season & you’ll be pleased when bogans airlines go bust too!

      Reply

    • SimonFromLakemba says:

      03:22pm | 21/02/12

      Poor old Farlung’s in Laos, wish we could stop tubing and killing ourselves.

    • The Prof says:

      09:36am | 23/02/12

      Boardies are not bathing suits boofhead.  Yes they can be worn in the water but there is a distinct difference.  And while I haven’t spent three years in Laos Aussies were not the only ones wearing thongs over there.  In fact there were a range of tourists from various different countries dressed casual.

      Seriously I can’t understand the issue.  It gets hot over there.  Thongs are perfectly acceptable footwear.  Obviously not if you are going somewhere you need to be a bit dressier for but still.

      Typical I am better than everyone else post baddog

    • Fred says:

      03:10pm | 21/02/12

      Bah. Bogans deserve it. Haven’t you ever heard of reverse snobbery? I’ve copped it by the truckload, and I consider myself substantially bogan.

      Reply

    • I hate pies says:

      03:22pm | 21/02/12

      Didn’t read this article, but I’ll add my two bobs worth anyway, just cos I can. From what I can see Australians travel for one of two reasons, or a combination of the both, regardless of who they vote for or their socio-economic status. It’s one or both of these:
      - to be able to tell everyone they know they’ve been there done that
      - to get drunk

      Reply

    • M says:

      11:06am | 22/02/12

      You forgot to add “bang foreign chicks or other tourists. ”

    • Elliot says:

      04:17pm | 21/02/12

      My issue with budget airlines is that now everyone takes flying across the world for granted. 

      In the words of comedian Louis C.K.:

      “People come back from flights and tell you a story like it’s a horror story. They act like their flight was like a cattle car in the 1940s in Germany.

      “That’s how bad they make it sound. They’re like, ‘It was the worst day of my life. We didn’t board for 20 minutes and they made us sit there on the runway for 40 minutes.’

      Oh really? What happened next? Did you fly in the air, incredibly, like a bird? Did you partake in the miracle of human flight you non-contributing zero?’”

      Reply

    • Ben says:

      04:22pm | 21/02/12

      The thing is - with the current exchange rates and wages in Australia, doing a 3 month trip to Europe is more affordable than ever before.  It is not the privileged few.  Why would you do a working holiday maker trip to actually live overseas when it is actually better to just go get yourself a job on the mines for 9 months, then spend the next 3 months travelling.

      As for the behaviour when people return - the issue with Contiki style tours is they are generally geared towards ensuring people are drunk 6 days out of 7.  So while you might criticise people for talking up getting off the beaten track, it is equally frustrating to hear people telling you about how great some city was when they basically say something like “oh, we saw Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower and then we got drunk”.  With that sort of baseline, I don’t think I’m a travel snob for giving someone a bit of stick about not really getting a feel for Paris.

      Feel free to spend your money how you want - but don’t expect to be allowed to judge me on how I travel then criticise me for judging you back.

      Reply

    • Ummm says:

      08:08pm | 21/02/12

      Is it just me, or does ‘@flak’ seem to tweet about nothing but where to download free movies from?

      Reply

    • youdy beaudy says:

      06:23am | 22/02/12

      Hey Lucy, I just wrote to inform you, you world traveller you, that the correct spelling is not Batique but Batik. So there you go.

      Your article doesn’t make sense to me as it contradicts itself. And Bali, well it’s the old stick in the boot there again. Well, i travel to Bali when i can afford it and save up to get there as i have family there. So i learn here that i am along with others classified as a bogan by Lucy Kippist who knows all about it but can’t spell Batik.Yes, and i have Bintang singlets and many other things collected over the years. Yes, it’s true also that it is a beautiful place which is full of love and culture as different to the failure of cultural mixing here. Australian culture, baaaa. No such thing!.

      As far as Airlines go. Well this one went down just like the others and people got stranded. It’s bad luck. Who’d want to start up an Airline in Australia, it would be destined to go down. Doesn’t seem to work here, no support i suppose, too much competition. Sad for the passengers who lose their money tho.

      Reply

    • BJ says:

      06:59am | 22/02/12

      It sounds lkie a few Australians need to open their eyes up to a new culture by meeting a few more workers.

      Reply

    • Aeroflot frequent flyer says:

      08:08am | 22/02/12

      Lucy - your bio suggests Dublin is in the UK. Even a stingy Ryanair passenger knows that ain’t so.

      Reply

    • Borderer says:

      09:58am | 22/02/12

      People become travel snobs because they think travelling makes them sophisticated and worldly. They don’t like the idea of other people being as “sophisticated” as them and therefore scorn anyone who has the audacity to travel where they have. High end and budget travellers are equally guilty of snobbery against those that have not “travelled”, its all very farcical really.
      A douche is a douche no matter what part of the plane they are in and no matter how many stamps they have in their passport.

      Reply

    • xar says:

      10:01am | 22/02/12

      You do realise a significant portion of the country can’t actually afford the budget holidays right? You do realise that this does not mean they are, by default, ignorant or lacking in perspective of other cultures? Honestly the vast majority of people in the world don’t get to travel on planes - might be an idea to stop thinking it makes you automaticly better than them because it makes you no worse than the person complaining about budget air lines!

      Reply

    • M.G says:

      10:12am | 22/02/12

      @ Lucy…..“who’s got the time for that kind poncing about these days anyway?”...I do!!! 4 months in Europe starting September…..I keep my job…my house is rented out…...great success….....Its called saving your arse off…..performing at work and justifying extended leave….my partner and I had a concerted plan in place and stuck to it so we could afford to go and not come back in dire straits…...

      Travel should be able to be enjoyed by everyone, but you have to earn it…..we are by no means rich…..but we have made and will continue to make the necessary lifestyle changes and choices so we are able to afford to travel as well as do the typical Australian ‘grow your assets for retirement’ thing….

      Reply

    • Melinda & Thomas says:

      10:30am | 22/02/12

      My family and I lived in India, Chile and Turkey due to my husband’s work, & I’m very thankful for the opportunities that were provided to travel, & to experience different cultures this way. However one thing which was extrememly noticable, was the complete disrespect for local communities, cultures and laws by large packs of drunken Australians. The majority of long term expats, (some were ex-pats of over 40 years) in each of the countries we lived hardly identified themselves as “from Australia” around specific dates such as Australia Day or ANZAC Day.  Unfortunately this is due to the loutish, bogan “I’m an Aussie and I can do whatever I like, wherever I like, the laws of this country don’t apply to me because I’m an AUSSIE!” mentaltiy and entitlement mindedness and attitude. Personally I’ve never been more ashamed than I was after witnessing 1. a mob of our ‘finest’ defence personnel destroy a restuarant in Mumbai, including the disgusting language hurled towards locals and staff. Employees of the restuarant were appalling. One of the ADF ‘Officers’ was heard to say “what are you going to do? You can’t touch US!” to one of waiters. The same ADF ‘Officer’ proceded to mock the accent and customs of the Indian people. I wrote a letter to ADFA but am yet to have a response. During our first year in Turkey, an ex-pat Aussie neighbour who was a doctor in Eski?ehir, advised us to not go to the ANZAC Day service at Gallipoli. Sadly, we failed to take his advice and went to the dawn service. My husband, kids & I could not believe the behaviour of ‘package tour Aussies” at this sacred place & event. Drunkeness, brawling, littering, “Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi” at any given second, a complete disrespect for the locals (and by the way, Australia did not WIN at Gallipoli). It’s not being a travel snob. It’s just being fed-up with the ignorance and disrespect for local laws, customs & the people, being fed-up with Australians who break the law overseas expecting to be exempt because THEY are AUSTRALIAN. We are no more special or more liked just because of where we are from. A lot (not all) of Australians, particularly when travelling in packs, have become the ‘ugly Americans’ and the ‘whinging Poms’ of the past.  Just go to Thailand for one of their Full Moon Parties. You’ll see what we mean. Bali, Thailand, Indonesia, the rest of the world is NOT an extension of local pub strips back home.

      Reply

    • HappyG says:

      12:44pm | 22/02/12

      You are so correct Melinda and sadly so. It is for that reason that I don’t identify as an Aussie when travelling. I was surfing in the southern Maldives a couple of years ago and copped a bit of aggro from some Spanish and Portugese guys based wholly on the fact that I was from OZ. I managed to get to know these blokes eventually and they related some horrible stories of Aussie blokes in the surf and their “entitled arrogant” attitude. It’s a real pity because if you take the time to meet people and show respect for the local culture and traditions you will be guaranteed to have a great travel experience.

    • Eva says:

      06:10pm | 22/02/12

      I have lived and worked, traveled all over the world and I would like to say that in my experience, once a group of people of the same nationality gets together (in a foreign country), it can be unpleasant. I have found racist, ignorant, arrogant, loud mouthed German, British, Australian, American, Italian, etc travelers all over the world. Must admit, they were usually young people though. I am still embarrassed by these people when I see how they disrespect other cultures by their ignorance. And, I have seen ignorant Asian tourists in Australia doing the same…Human nature?

      Reply

    • james says:

      10:12am | 23/02/12

      I agree with you Eva, on recent train trip from London to Paris, a group of Russians, did a very good job at the drunken bogan routine, good thing it was only a 2.5 hour trip. The group of Italians yelling swear words at people on Pyrmont Bridge the other day, made our bogans look pretty tame by comparison. Every country has its bogans.

    • chopper knows says:

      10:09am | 23/02/12

      Asian tourists have more respect and class in western countries then western tourists have for asian countries..

      Reply
 
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