While turbulence can feel dramatic, the reality is rarely so exciting. Photo / Supplied
Eleanor Barker answers your travel questions.
In heavy turbulence it can feel like the airplane is dropping and rising in a dramatic fashion, when in reality it is often less than a metre. We humans are much more sensitive to the rate of change, how fast you are going up
or down, than the depth of the dip. Turbulence can very rarely cause a change of up to 100 metres, but it is almost always less than 30m.
In 2017 a scary study by Universities of East Anglia and Reading, published in Geophysical Research Letters, suggested that instances of extreme turbulence might be on the rise because of increasing levels of CO2 in the atmosphere. The study predicted turbulence in the skies above Australia will increase by 50 per cent by 2050-2080. Do flyers need to be afraid? Probably not. There have only been six reported fatalities because of turbulence since 1980. All were caused by people not being buckled into their seats when the plane hit dangerous weather conditions.
I would love to do a short introductory cruise, maybe from Australia to New Zealand for a few days. Is this possible?
I had a wee hunt around for a three- or four-day cruise incorporating both New Zealand and Australia.
