Where to find global insider tips on where to eat

Tip  

Surely the last thing the world needs in another restaurant app?

Well, yes and no.

World of Mouth has just launched WoM Concierge - a new restaurant discovery tool that aims to help food-loving travellers find restaurants recommended by more than 800 chefs, food writers, restaurateurs and sommeliers around the world.

Instead of relying on anonymous ratings or popularity rankings compiled by diners with dubious tastes, Concierge is deisgned to let users describe what they are looking for and receive recommendations backed by named experts whose taste they can trust.

The expert network includes names such as Albert Adrià, Massimo Bottura, Will Guidara and Ana Roš. Impressive.

It came up a little short when I asked for seafood dining in Hobart, but it did come up with my long-time favourite Juveniles as an option when I asked for a Paris wine bar choice, and it named the excellent Saint Peter for a fish dinner recommendation in Sydney.

World of Mouth boasts that it starts from a different place: the person behind the recommendation
matters.

WoM Concierge is a restaurant discovery chat built on recommendations from more than 800 experts - food writers, chefs, restaurateurs and sommeliers around the world. 

"Twenty years ago, when you landed in a new city, you called the one person who knew where to eat," says Kenneth Nars, creative director and co-founder of World of Mouth. 

"We wanted to re-create that on a global scale. The technology is new, but the behaviour is ancient." 

So ask where to eat pizza in Naples (just about anywhere is the right answer), and the Concierge might point you to 10 Diego Vitagliano - one of Massimo Bottura's favourite pizzerias, and tell you why it stands out. 

Ask for a natural wine bar near Tokyo Station or a traditional spot in Lisbon, and you'll get considered recommendations. 

"Asking WoM Concierge where to eat feels surprisingly personal - it's like asking a chef friend who knows all the best places," says Santiago Lastra, chef patron at KOL in London.

The core idea is simple: some of the world's leading voices in food are now one question away. But looking at bigger cities get better answers right now.

"We've been building our expert community for years, and it's based on a shared mission," says CEO says Saku Tuominen. "We want to give visibility to places that deserve to be seen, not to the ones that pay for it.

"With Concierge, we can now do that in a far more personal and useful way."

At launch, Concierge is free to try in a web browser and works anywhere in the world. Check out www.worldofmouth.app

Virgin Australia offers flyers more flexibility

Don't you hate it when you arrive at their airport early and your carrier has two earlier flights to your destination. 

You either pay up to catch an earlier flight, or sit around for an hour or two until your scheduled flight departs. 

No more waiting if you are booked on an eligible fare with Australian carrier Virgin Australia. 

Virgin is the only Australian airline to offer eligible guests travelling on a domestic economy flex fare the ability to access Fly Ahead, enabling them to switch to an available earlier same-day flight through the Virgin Australia app, with no change fee or fare difference.

The new app feature offers a significant shift from traditional flexible fares, which typically require travellers to pay a change fee and fare difference when changing flights. 

Virgin Australia Fly Ahead can offer savings for frequent travellers, particularly those flying for business.

The value of that added flexibility is already clear, with data showing more than 44,000 Virgin Australia guests moved to earlier flights over the past 12 months, saving a combined 143,000 hours in airport dwell time. 

Expanding the Fly Ahead app feature, launched for high-tier Velocity Frequent Flyer members in May 2026, to domestic economy flex fare guests means more travellers can get on their way sooner. 

Virgin Australia group executive Libby Minogue says the expansion of Fly Ahead reflects the airline's commitment to listening to guests and delivering meaningful flexibility.

"At Virgin Australia, we listen closely to our guests, and one thing we hear consistently, particularly from our business travellers, is that they want more flexibility and control when plans change," Minogue says. 

"That's why we're proud to be the only Australian airline offering superior flexibility to our flex ticket holders, allowing them to switch to an available earlier same-day flight via the Virgin Australia app, without incurring a change fee or fare difference. 

"The change will help our guests get home sooner, make an earlier meeting or maximise their time."

For more info visit here.

Get 66% off Vietjet fares - for one day only

The folks at Vietjet - the biggest airline between Australia and Vietnam - love a headline-grabbing sale, or special offer.

Their latest offer runs for one day only on Friday, June 8, with Vietjet launching an exclusive 6/6 flash sale, offering a 66% discount off Eco fare tickets across its entire network - with 66,666 discounted seats up for grabs.

The promotion applies to Aussie travellers looking to explore Vietnam’s top destinations like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City flying from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth.

The offer is valid for travel between August 18 and November 30.

Vietjet is rolling out hot new routes this winter, such as Phu Quoc–Singapore, Hanoi–Tuy Hoa (Phu Yen), Nha Trang-Da Nang, and international services to Xi’an and Chengdu in China.

The airline's flight network covers Vietnam, Australia, India, China, South Korea, Japan, and south-east Asia.

Fares must be booked at www.vietjetair.com or the Vietjet Air mobile app by entering the promo code SUPERSALE66.

Catch the bus: Bali resumes regular services

Visitors to Bali can now resume taking advantage of the local bus service to get to key tourism destinations including Ubud and Sanur.

Bali’s public bus service, Trans Metro Dewata, will resume operation as of today, the Bali Sun newspaper reports.

The service came to a halt at the beginning of the year due to funding constraints, leaving thousands of local residents without access to affordable public transport and reducing travel options for tourists.

But potential bus riders have been warned buses will operate at a reduced capacity compared to 2024.

The service previously operated 105 services a day, and while the routes will remain the same, only 75 services will operate daily - and none at night.

Ida Bagus Eka Budi, operational manager of PT Satria Trans Jaya, told local media: “The distance between buses becomes between 17-19 minutes from the previous 12-13 minutes.”

The six bus routes are as follows:
Route 1: Kuta Parking Centre-Pesiapan Terminal
Route 2: Ubung Terminal-Ngurah Rai Airport
Route 3: Ubung-Sanur Terminal
Route 4: Ubung Terminal-Monkey Forest Parking Centre
Route 5: Kuta Parking Centre-Bali State Polytechnic
Route 6: Kuta-Nusa Dua Parking Centre

Officials from Dishub, the Bali Transportation Agency, have confirmed that passengers can use the Trans Metro Dewata smartphone app to check to-the-minute information regarding bus times and to plan their routes.

The app is called ‘MitraDarat’ and is available on the Apple App Store and on Android.

One-way ticket fees will remain at IDR 4,400 (that's 43 cents in Australian money) for both Indonesian residents and tourists.

The service connects tourists with destinations in central Ubud like Ubud Palace, and the Ubud Monkey Forest, as well as destinations in Denpasar like the Bajra Sandhi Monument and the beach resort of Sanur.

New tourism tax planned for Thailand

Your visit to Thailand is about to become a little more expensive.

The Thai government says it will roll out a proposed tourist tax next year.

The THB 300 baht (around $13.50) fee will start with in-bound air travellers and will be implemented from mid-2025, the Bangkok Post has reported. .

Tourism and Sports Minister Sarawong Thienthong said the plan still requires cabinet approval.

“We are working out the details and will submit for approval in January next year,” he said.

“It will start with air passengers, the first phase which will be six months to take effect.”

The fee will later be imposed on overland travellers but around 70% of foreign arrivals arrive in Thailand by air.

Sarawong said the system will be set up to enable advance online payments to avoid delays at airports. 

I don't see a charge of $13.50 scaring away Australian visitors, but the plan must be implemented efficiently.

The project was approved by the previous government in February 2023, but it now requires a consensus from the new cabinet as the administration has changed since a general election.

The transaction system has been prepared and will be is powered by Krungthai Bank.

Once the government approves this project, the ministry will start a procurement process to recruit software developers and insurance companies to offer insurance policies for foreign tourists.

Tourists will apparently be covered for 1 million baht ($45,000) in the event of death from an accident, and 500,000 baht in case of injury.

The ministry has said people who frequently cross borders for trade purposes will not be affected as they will be able to use a border pass to be exempt from the levy.

Image: Winsor Dobbin 

Qantas issues apology after app security failure

Qantas has issued an e-mail apology to frequent flyers after this week's security issue with its Qantas app.

Thousands of flyers reported accessing info and tickets of other travellers when signing on to the app. Some could even print boarding passes for travellers other than themselves.

"On Wednesday we experienced an issue with the homepage of the Qantas App," the Australian airline said in the message.

"We want to apologise to all our impacted customers and assure you that the App is stable and operating normally.

"We have now identified the root cause and can confirm that this was a technology issue, and there is no evidence of a cyber incident.

"Qantas takes the security and privacy of our customers' data seriously and we want you to know that we have done everything we can to fully understand what went wrong so we can prevent it happening again.

"If you have upcoming travel, there is nothing you need to do. You can check your flight details at anytime on the Qantas App or website as usual.

"We will contact you directly if we determine that your sensitive travel information has been incorrectly displayed to another person.

"Please accept our sincere apologies."

How what we eat can affect how we sleep

The foods we eat can play a major role in the way we feel over the holidays, says a leading sleep nutrition expert.

With processed food (47%) and takeaway (38%) sitting at the top of the ‘go-to’ foods Australians consume when feeling stressed, Olivia Arezzolo has warned of the ripple effect diet can have on sleep and overall health when good nutrition goes out the window during stressful or busy periods.

New data from the global nutrition and food tracking app MyFitnessPal reveals that one in six (60%) Australians admit to sleep being the number one aspect in their lives impacted by stress.

Attempting to get more sleep was also listed as the biggest priority (42%) for Australians during stressful times.

50% of Aussies admitted they turn to sugary or high-fat snacks during late night hours at least once a week.

This could have negative consequences for sleep as respondents who did this were also more likely to state their sleep quality had worsened over the past year (40% compared to 20% average).

“Sleep is intrinsically linked to the food we eat, so it’s not surprising to see that sleep is suffering the most during busy and stressful times, such as the holidays,” says sleep expert Arezzolo, who has a Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology), Certificate in Sleep Psychology and a Diploma of Health Science (Nutritional Medicine).

 
“While it’s unrealistic to expect that the majority of Australians will completely cut comforting foods off their diet, knowing which snacks to incorporate and eat more of, can make a significant difference in getting a good night's rest.”

She has shared her five top snacks to encourage blissful sleep: kiwi fruit, banana and strawberry smoothie, a can of tuna or fatty fish, a handful of almonds, and sour cherry juice.

So I guess peanuts and pinot noir do not make the grade.

MyFitnessPal’s recently launched ‘Sleep’ app integration has been created to help users more easily keep track of how their food choices impact their sleep - giving them insights into their ‘wellness trifecta’ in one place.

By presenting users with sleep cycle information using data from connected sleep devices (such as Apple Watch or FitBit), alongside their food diary, users can see how their nutritional choices are impacting their sleep and overall well being.

Alongside its new sleep integration, MyFitnessPal is offering members a free ‘Eat Right, Sleep Tight’ plan that aims to help users break the cycle of exhaustion with a five-day plan that addresses meal timing, hydration, and a bedtime routine for a restful, restorative night’s sleep.

To learn more visit www.myfitnesspal.com.

Note: I have not tried this app and am not advocating it. 

Image: Serafima Trushnikova, Scop.io 

Virgin Australia launches a new baggage locating app for flyers

Like many people I am travelling with hand luggage only when if I fly, if at all possible.

Some bad experiences during the chaos of Covid have made me - and millions of others - wary of checking their baggage lest it comes lost, or is delayed.

To aleviate such fears, Virgin Australia has launched Australia's first-ever airline baggage tracking tool across more than two-thirds of its domestic network.

Following a successful pilot of the program in May, most guests will be able to track the status of their checked baggage via the Virgin Australia app.

The announcement follows Virgin Australia’s investment of more than $400 million in digital innovation, technology and customer experience initiatives.

The tracking tool will be available on most domestic routes between major airports, including Sydney-Melbourne, Brisbane-Sydney, Melbourne-Gold Coast, Melbourne-Hobart, Adelaide-Melbourne, Sydney-Sunshine Coast, and more.

The airline’s remaining domestic network, including select services departing Perth, are expected to feature the tracking tool soon.

To access the tool, flyers must download the Virgin Australia app and enable push notifications via the app setting. Once enabled, a series of push notifications will be sent to the guest’s phone throughout the journey, reflecting the bag being checked-in, transferred to an international partner airline, or available for collection at the final destination. The tool will also advise the guest which carousel the baggage is available for collection from.

Virgin Australia Group Chief Customer and Digital Officer, Paul Jones, said: “It’s our mission to be Australia’s most-loved airline and that means we need to listen to our customers to ensure we are offering the services that are most important to them.

“We know the potential of lost baggage is a concern for travellers globally and anticipate today’s announcement will give many guests that extra level of comfort knowing where their bag is at every step of the journey."

A new travel app you can probably do without

Sometimes you get a press release about a product that sounds great.

Then you investigate and it isn't great at all.

Today's press release promised: "Now there is one travel app that provides an essential travel companion and it’s free!"

It may be free, but it certainly isn't essential.

The Australian Visitor Centres App is available for free download from the App Store or Google Play.

The press release says: "It opens the window on a wealth of up-to-date information for travellers starting with the location of over 400 accredited Visitor Information Centre across Australia. Wherever you’re travelling, from the tropics to the ski-fields, the coast to the outback, you can find the inside track on what to see and do from locals."

OK. Sounds good. So I downloaded it and it proved clunky, and very hard to navigate.

I put "Tasmania" and "Huon Valley" into the search engine as an experiment and got nothing.

The press blub claims: "Whether you are seeking must do attractions, galleries, bush walks and nature-based experiences, in search of fishing spots, the nearest golf course or great dining options, the Australian Visitor Centres App includes a wealth of information and special deals."

I've just deleted the app.