As a junior member of Auckland Observatory in the 1980s, I was pretty much convinced that in the world of the future I'd be as likely to holiday on the moon as on the Coromandel Peninsula.

I think we'd all agree that the two biggest factors taking the romance out of flying are airport security and tight seating on the planes.

Getting on the LOTR bandwagon was smart first time around. This time it suggests a lack of inspiration.

The British Office of Fair Trade has rumbled some of the biggest online travel companies and hotel chains for price fixing.

Women are breaking the glass ceiling in the business sector, but it's still the suited men who are hogging the business trips.

Recordings of local music have become a favourite travel memento for former Herald Travel editor Jim Eagles.

News that Heathrow airport has brought in fast-track lanes at Customs for visitors from wealthy Westernised countries (that's us) is good for Kiwis.

Dunedin writer Neville Peat warns Olympic Games visitors to always keep a close eye on their valuables. It's sound advice for any traveller anywhere.

London loves a grand event - and grand sporting events take pride of place in the city's calendar.

The in-flight puker is surely a greater menace than smelly fellow passengers or arm-rest hogs, writes Winston Aldworth.

Safety is only one factor in hitchhiking's decline, writes Winston Aldworth.

Would we have been as accommodating of the annual throng as the Turkish people have been?

Winston Aldworth goes in to bat for some of New Zealand's much-maligned regional centres.

When it comes to transtasman carriers, Dita De Boni has a firm favourite.

Last week was a special one for jet lovers. The arrival of Boeing's Dreamliner in the skies above New Zealand set planespotters' hearts racing.

It's the plane the world has been talking about for years... and now it's almost here.

Herald Travel Editor Jim Eagles signs off after eight years in the job and recalls some of his favourite travel memories.

What airline passengers fear most, it seems, is being seated next to someone who pongs.

Air passengers the world over employ some cunning tactics to sneak more gear on board.

There's nothing worse than at the end of a long flight to be greeted by a slow-moving immigration queue.

It's an unfortunate fact that for many people their first experience of a foreign land is an airport toilet.

The commemoration of the Titanic tragedy acquires a bizarre dimension.

Although a survey has found France to be the rudest country in the world, Jim Eagles says attitudes in Paris have changed.

Have you ever sat next to an armhog on the plane, had lunch with an insanitiser or suffered from obeseaty?

India is beckoning but Wendyl Nissen's got mayhem at home to sort out before she can board her plane.

Usually travel is exciting. But from time to time there are dull patches.

Have you ever suffered from the globetrots or watched a filibluster? Send us your best travel phrase and be in to win.

If you choose your airline on the basis of the quality of its wine list, then you might be surprised to hear that budget carrier Jetstar is a pretty good bet.

Our early arrival - nearly two and a half hours before flying time so we might relax and have something to eat - was completely blown by the check-in.

There's a vast amount of travel information on the web - but you do need to be wary about its accuracy.