GO ASK JOAN:All your travel questions answered by JOAN SCALES
Island hopping in Greece
My partner and I have flights and ferries booked for Santorini in Greece in July. We are a little anxious about the current situation but we have travel insurance so hope that if it is necessary to cancel anything we’ll get our money back! Do you have any suggestions for day trips we could make to other islands from Santorini? We will have six days on the island and three days in Athens. – WMG, Limerick
Before you go anywhere, check with your insurance providers what exactly is covered on your policy. Two summers ago a strike by tanker drivers caused people to miss flights because they couldn’t get to airports. This is an example of something that may not be covered, as it is industrial action by a third party. Also Athens is a fascinating city but petty crime has increased too, so check about coverage for belongings, money and passport replacement.
Santorini is in a group of islands called the Cyclades which also include Paros, Antiparos, Naxos, Ios, Delos, Tinos, Anafi, and Folegandros. It is a very beautiful island and you will probably find the days will fly by. While all the islands look close together on a map, getting between them is not so easy. There are plenty of ferries, but few trips that would allow for a day on another island with enough time to explore. The nearest island with day return ferries is Ios.
You might consider doing an overnight on another island, if so; Delos would be worth visiting via Mykonos. It is a Unesco heritage site and the site of Apollo's sanctuary. It has interesting archaeological excavations and a museum, see Ferries.Gr and Greeka.comfor times and information.
On safari in Africa
We have been invited to a wedding in South Africa next February. We are going to spend two weeks there and take it as our main holiday. We want to travel around the country a bit (preferably not too much driving) and I would love to go on safari. We are on a very tight budget though. Do you have any suggestions? – CR, Dublin
February in South Africa is high season, so book your flights or holiday as soon as possible to get the best price. It is a big beautiful country with lots to see and do. Pick three places or things to do and base your holiday around that. A safari is well-worth doing, though not cheap, but you can find reasonable ways to do it.
Don't miss the Kruger National Park or Sabi Sands, where there is a variety of accommodation and trips at budget levels. You will be sure to see the "big five" – the African elephant, rhinoceros, Cape buffalo, leopard and lion.ThornTreeToursandSafaris.co.za has well-priced options for safari.
There are also some safari options on the Eastern Cape and some of them are malaria-free, something to consider when travelling in high season. The coast from Cape Town either east or west is fabulous and the tourism website – SouthAfrica.org.za– has suggested driving routes that will ensure you see a lot. There are many good value guesthouses in South Africa.
If you are like wine, you may enjoy a tour of the winelands and visiting vineyards. The Western Cape has lovely touring routes, see TourismCapeTown.co.za. Talk to some travel agents such as Sunway.ieand Travelfocus.iewho may have access to lower fares and hotels rates.
Getting home from a camino
My two sisters and I are finishing a 120km walk on the route de Saint Jacques on the Camino de Santiago, on July 12th in Aire sur L’Adour. We fly out of Toulouse on July 13th in the afternoon and are having trouble finding details of how we might make the connection. Do we need to go on to Pau and if so how and how early can we start our journey? – FG, Dublin
You can start your rail journey as early as 6.05am to take a direct service to Toulouse. The next direct service gets in too late to make your flight. Some services go through Pau and other towns but take over five hours. See timetables and prices on
TGV-europe.comor voyages-SNCF.com.
Bus timetables are a bit confusing and I find in France that the bus you think is going to where you want invariably stops somewhere else along the way. Contact the tourism office, as they probably know of a direct bus service a bit later in the morning, Tourisme-Aire-Eugenie.fr.
Winter sun in Palm Springs
We intend going back to Palm Springs in November–December for two weeks. In the past we flew with Aer Lingus direct to Los Angeles and then by Greyhound bus to Palm Springs, the latter being unreliable and time-consuming. We would appreciate any alternative, cost and time being a factor. – JS, Tralee
No matter what way you look at it, it is a very long journey to Palm Springs, more than 8,000kms and it will take time to get there, but it can be done by air in the one day and that is probably a bit less stressful then the bus. Depending on the route you fly, it will take from 17–21 hours and three flights. The cheapest price I found is from €625 with USAirways.com, United.comis around €700, British Airways was €820. Delta is a bit more, but that could change depending on dates.
Email queries, with your name and address to jscales@irishtimes.com