Firstly I do not claim to be an expert in points accumulation and usage. There are lots of clever people out there who make it their business to do so. Such as Steve Hui at https://www.iflyflat.com.au, Steve’s nickname is “The Points Whisperer” for very good reasons. Steve and the team specialise in advising corporates on how they can maximise point accumulation and the best way to use them. Give him a try if your interested in the corporate or high net reward worth end of this points puzzle.

There are those who have taken the points game a little too seriously. The story of Ben Schlappig who has spent 18 months in the air using only points will both astonish and horrify you all at the same time – but it is a glorious read published in Rolling Stone Magazine !

So back to my humble points usage. I have been a passionate user of my points since I got burnt and lost 500,000 points when Ansett fell over many years ago. All that waste ! I have a friend who is a points millionaire and I caution him about risk of loss. Anyway the typical use for me is upgrades on international flights. This makes great sense if you are keen to get a good nights sleep or you feel like being treated like a Prince or Princess for 21 hours. Either in my mind are reasonable excuses.

For example the cost of a one way upgrade from Business to First on Qantas from Australia to London is 60,000 points. You will arrive refreshed having floated to sleep on a couple of glasses of Pol Roger Winston Churchill and a cushion mattress with matching duvet. Word of warning – if you have more than a few glasses of Winston make sure you remember to remove your lovely Qantas PJs before disembarking ! I think if you do a lot of international travel for work you deserve to experience First Class at least once in your life.

The other use is of course pure points usage to travel to your desired destination. This requires planning and some knowledge of routes really helps. What do I mean by this ? Well it is highly unlikely that you will find an available business class points seat Australia to London unless you are planning a year in advance. Most of us mere mortals plan 3 months aheads and by then the direct route seats have gone. So a knowledge of routes using codeshare arrangements are a god send. So firstly know your airline and their routes. For example Qantas’ main route to the UK is via Dubai. However if you are prepared to do a little bit of legwork and survive some interesting diversions you can achieve the same outcome. I’II explain. Always use the multi-city option for searching points seats. First try getting yourself to Perth, Brisbane or Adelaide with points then  onto Dubai. These are less popular routes and seats are more readily available. Also try a non direct route e.g. Melbourne to Singapore then to Dubai.

Secondly know your affiliated airlines. Apologies to you Star Alliance folks but I’m more familiar with OneWorld but the same principles apply. OneWorld, of which Qantas is a partner airline, also boast Cathay Pacific, British Airways, Alitalia and Finnair. So again using multi-city try Melbourne to Hong Kong to London or if you are feeling especially crazy Melbourne, Singapore, Helsinki, London.

Sometime because of a longer route you use a little more points. But if this is the difference between going and not going then it really is worth it. Now a note of caution, using points to upgrade cost you nothing other than the points. Using points for bookings results in you having to pay the taxes component of the fare, some airlines allow you to use points to cover this but just keep it in mind.

Feeling exhausted at the thought of finding the route and available seats ? Well it does take tenacity and an ability to make a quick decision. I have lost many a points seat through hesitation and this is incredibly frustrating. So yes, get yourself comfortable, the couch is my preferred points cruising location, arm yourself with a coffee or something stronger and prepare yourself to see the world.

If this all seems like a dream them I’m about to show you what is possible. Earlier this year I sent my husband to the UK using my points at three weeks notice, all legal as he is a “relative”. He, like myself, loves to be comfortable when he flies, so armed with 262,000 points, a strong coffee and about four hours of intense effort this was the glorious outcome:

• Melbourne to Singapore Economy (oh the indignity)- Qantas
• Singapore to Dubai Business – Emirates
• Dubai to Vienna Business – Emirates
• Vienna to London Business – Emirates
• London to Hong Kong Business – Cathay
• Hong Kong to Melbourne Business – Cathay

He enjoyed (?) an hour and ten minutes in Vienna’s airport and an overnight stay at Dubai’s airside hotel. Result !

I will warn you that you will end up with a severe case of route confusion. My tip, when you find one leg available in your desired class but others not – print it out. This available leg is your friend on subsequent route investigation.

So why don’t the airlines offer this to you when a simple search is entered into their search engine. Some cynics would say they don’t want you to use points so make it a little harder. The truth, I believe, is much more simple – the search engine output is filtered to about 12 routes, not the 120 you could take.

In subsequent posts I’m going to take you on my recent points journey. Melbourne to London and its various classes. Despite my concerted efforts I couldn’t secure the Singapore to Melbourne leg in anything other that economy and the thought of an overnighted with my knees in my chest was too much to bare so I booked a very cheap economy return with Singapore Airlines who conveniently fly in daylight. But more of that journey later.

So get surfing those routes and reap the most from your rewards !

Our race has evolved at lightening speed in the global context of time, but not so much Car Rental Companies. It appears that time has stood still and worse, gone unnoticed, in the paper laden, sign and initial here world of Hertz, Avis and Budget.

Yes I might be being unfair to call out 3 of the cohorts of this axis of evil, their sister entities have as much to explain.

So why, in an age when we put men on the moon, have we been unable to find a six sigma way to process a rental in under 20 minutes. The process seems designed for those who love to say “the computer says no !” and the fixation with the walk talky when you know for a fact they took your reservation 6 weeks ago but failed to reserve the desired vehicle would drive anyone to distraction.

I found myself recently with a good hour of personal development time on my hands courtesy of one of those Dickensian companies. My husband and I contemplated a simpler world where drivers licence numbers were already on file, where with a scan of your credit card the car door opened and your contact was signed on an electronic dash in the vehicle. We are, we declare, no Einsteins. So why have brains bigger than planets not been able to solve this first world problem ?

Perhaps its a test ? Perhaps its the only way that the manufacturers of dot matrix printers stay in business. Perhaps, aye and here’s the rub, its the only way they add at least 150% to the quoted rental cost.

Whatever, its uncivilised and its time we found the Steve Jobs of Car Rental and then made him President.

(Allison travelled courtesy of her own funds which is just as well as they wouldn’t have been happy with her review)

The story sounds like the plot from a great classic movie. Penniless immigrant entrepreneur builds industrial empire and plans grand railroad and huge factory to benefit the community. He meets design hurdles, construction delays, legislative challenges, he cheats the legislators, the banks take him on, he is thrown to the ravages of bankruptcy ! What will happen to this hero striving against the system ?

Well the truth is that the town named after him votes to change its name and the railroad is torn up. Mmmm, maybe not such a heroic ending.

However, this is the story of the Rosstown Rail Trail, a magnificent walking and bike path starting in the suburb of Elsternwick and finishing in leafy, not industrial at all, suburb of Oakleigh. It is also the story of William Murray Ross, our penniless immigrant who arrived from Liverpool England in 1852. He was a man with grand plans and less than 20 years later he was building a sugar beet mill and a servicing railroad in the self-named suburb of Rosstown. The mill never milled and the only carriage the railroad saw was the one that Ross borrowed to travel the line to substantiate use and beat the legislation regarding forfeiture.

This all sounds quite depressing but Ross has left a legacy to the community. His railroad is now the Rosstown Rail Trail. Comprising of a 8.5km trail with a 3.5km optional detour, this adventure travels along streets that were given birth to as the rails were pulled up and linear parks that now replace the tracks and sidings. The Trail can be walked in approximately 3.5hrs or cycled in about 1.5hrs. It commences in Elsterwick Railway Park, passes through Caulfield and Carnegie and ends at Oakleigh Junction. If you don’t fancy the walk or cycle back the train from Oakleigh will drop you back your starting point in Elsterwick.

Along the trail you will encounter evidence of the old railroad, including the site of the original Gardenvale Station in College Street, Elsterwick. Further along in Marara Road, Caulfield there is a linear park that follows the street and along with a section of Oakleigh Road, Carnegie is now some of the only remaining parts of the railroad that are now a community park. Families cycle or walk along this open park environment, smiles on their faces tell of the beauty of this piece of Melbourne and a connection with its history.

On the corner of Koornang Road and Neville Street you will find the site of the 7 storey sugar pulp mill that sat unused, empty and decaying for many years after Ross’s ultimate bankruptcy. It is now residential development, no sign of the testament to the folly of the self-made man remains. Continue following the trail until you arrive in Freda Street in Oakleigh, here you will find the plaque commemorating the Railroad that never saw a “legitimate” train. Quite empathetically the plaque refers to the “defunct railroad”. Defunct indeed, never used is the truth.

David Moir, a local historian and keen cyclist, talks enthusiastically of the Trail and the great opportunities for family days out. He is keen to point out that even the must mundane suburbs of Melbourne have history that can be experienced by the novice, if you just take the time to do some research. And he is right, as the City of Glen Eira have a great resources page on their website (http://www.gleneira.vic.gov.au/Connect/Parks_and_recreation) that provide detailed information not only on the Rosstown Rail Trail but other local experiences.

Back to the real experience, does it sound all a bit too energetic ? Well there are literally hundreds of cafes and great lunch spots along the Rosstown Rail Trail. Take in a latte in at Spilt Milk in Carnegie and contemplate while you pour a spoonful of refined sugar into your coffee how the mighty can fall on the dream of a 7 storey monument to bad health. Or perhaps over lunch imagine William Ross crying into his English Breakfast Tea at the news that Rosstown was no longer and Carnegie had been birthed. Spilt Milk has by far the best coffee on the Rosstown Rail Trail so be sure not to miss it.

https://www.facebook.com/SpiltMilkCarnegie?fref=ts

David leaves me after a satisfying lunch with a final piece of advice. “Make sure you pop into the Rosstown Hotel (Cnr Koornang Road and Dandenong Road Carnegie) for a quick refreshment at the end of your trip and raise a glass to the memory of William Murray Ross. After all walking is more thirsty work than riding in a train!.”

Dear Qantas

I’m afraid there is something we need to talk about. We have been together a long time but occasionally all relationships have challenges and moments of confronting honesty. This is our time. I recommend you sit and pour yourself a glass of the beautiful chardonnay you serve on board your international flights, not a cup of English Breakfast tea, for reasons that will become apparent.

Best I get to the point straight away. I have been unfaithful.

Yes I know we have been together for close to 30 years, perhaps it was an itch, but a wandering none the less. I know you will feel hurt, confused and of course angry. All of this is understandable and I am deeply remorseful. And or course I will understand if you immediately revoke my Platinum Status and restrict my access to your lounges.

But we need to talk. My infidelity has left me feeling dirty, cheap, regretful and more than a little foolish.

So why did I break our trust ? Well I’d love to say it was curiosity or that our relationship had become stale but to be honest it was all about money, as it often is. She hypnotised me with the allure of a limit time deal and I was weak. She was a Siren, a shape shifter and an evil sprite. She wooed me with promises of keeping it in the “OneWorld family”. British Airways you are an evil temptress.

But before you garner your anger at her, I must further confess. I have also recently had affairs with Easyjet and  Alitalia. And oh yes, a one night stand with American Airlines. Perhaps I’m having a midlife crisis but as they say “Its not you, its me”.

I beg forgiveness, if you can ever trust me again to maintain the sanctity of our relationship. My lover broke her promise and I’m ready to return.

Her food was inedible and her rear facing seats inexplicable. Her service curt and unfamiliar, with the exception of Christopher on BA15 who I can only assume is a refugee from an alien airline and not yet been assimilated. Worst of all she left me abandoned at Heathrow, perhaps testing my love, consigning me to a bus of 60 other rejected lovers to be billeted in hotels, sleeping alone and uncherished.

She was continually late for dates and her apologies hollow. Her final act of cruelness, and I’m sure she knew what she was doing, was to refuse to check me through for my planned domestic dalliance with you. A wicked smite.

I weep for the wasted time I spent in her unloving, untender, cold British arms. The grass is not greener on the other side, it is cold Union Jack Blue, Red and White.

I am truly sorry and hope you can see your way to have me back. If you feel we need counselling I will understand.

My love, please forgive me.

Stepping stones in a stream of change. One step, careful ! Then another, more confident. The stream continues ambivalent to the movement. it finds paths around rocks, gathers in small pools and always moves on. Not all those who wander are lost he said. One more step.