GO ADVICE: Your questions answered by Joan Scales
Can we sail to see our daughter down under?
Q My husband and I, aged 75 and 65, would like to visit our daughter in Brisbane. We, and especially my husband, intensely dislike flying, and would favour a trip that would include a lot of overland or sea travel. As we are both retired time is not an important issue. Am I crying for the moon or is it possible to do it the way we want?
AC, Louth
Probably the best plan would be to go by sea. Although sea journeys of this scale are no longer common, they do exist. For example, in November you could take PO Cruises' 48-night trip on the Aurora from Southampton to Brisbane via Africa and Southeast Asia.
This is actually the first half of a world cruise; it includes stopovers in the fantastic Australian ports of Darwin, Port Douglas, Townsville and the Whitsunday Islands before docking in Brisbane. Overall it takes in 18 ports in 11 countries. Prices start at £4,999 (about €5,570) per person. See www.pocruises.com/Cruises/ R06/Overview.axd. The return journey is by air.
Alternatively, you could travel on a freighter or other cargo ship. A number of shipping lines have services to the southern hemisphere. You won't have many fellow passengers, or as many luxuries as on a cruise ship, but it can be an adventurous way to travel. Expect to pay about $135 (about €100) each per day. Try the Cruise People, a London agency that specialises in finding ships for passengers, on www.cruisepeople.co.uk or 00-44-20-77232450.
Q We are heading to Egypt for seven nights soon, and would like to spend two nights in Cairo, preferably staying somewhere more interesting than a hotel chain. A pool would be a bonus.
CK, Dublin
Cairo is one of the most extraordinary cities in the world. The traffic hurtles around the sprawling metropolis, screeching and honking all day and night.
The Talisman Hotel de Charme (www.talisman- hotel.com), which is within walking distance of the Egyptian Museum, costs about €80 per night.
Chains are worth considering in Cairo, as they are good value, particularly four- and five-star hotels. In the city centre, on the east bank of the Nile, the Ramses Hilton (www.hilton.com), which has an outdoor pool, has a special offer in January from €91 per night. The Sofitel le Sphinx, at Giza (www.sofitel.com), which also has a lovely swimming pool, is right by the pyramids, making it easy to see one of the major sights. Expect to pay about €140 per room per night.
You can get all of these rates on www.hotels.com.
Q My wife and I, who have never skied, are thinking of going away for a week in mid-February. Is this a good idea? Where would you recommend?
HB, Dublin
Schools are off in the middle of the month, so you will get better value and fewer people if you avoid February 14th-21st.
Try one of the great ski resorts in Europe; all the main ski tour operators offer beginners' packages of lessons, lift passes and equipment. Expect to pay from €250 to €330.
Andorra is a good place for novices: the slopes are gentle and the atmosphere relaxed. It is also a duty-free principality, and prices for food and drink are good. The Princesa Parc hotel is next to the ski lifts in the village of Arinsal. Rates start at €689 half-board in February. The hotel also has spa facilities. Both Crystal (www.crystalholidays.ie) and Panorama (www.panorama holidays.ie) offer packages to Andorra.
Q Could you recommend a ski resort that caters for people in their 60s who have very limited skiing experience - that is, have had only one skiing holiday, and that was some years ago?
NJ, Dublin
The Austrian town of Lermoos is a lovely place to learn or improve your skiing. It is a relatively quiet town that appeals to mature skiers. The quality of the teaching is excellent, and the range of pistes is fantastic. The ski school is in the village. Beginners will progress quickly from the nursery slopes. You could find your ski legs very quickly here. A week costs from €629 self-catering with Topflight (www.topflight.ie).
New Hampshire, in the US, is another great destination, with a good variety of ski resorts and facilities. It is also popular with mature skiers. The resorts - there are five, mainly along Interstate 93 - are about two hours' drive from Boston, so you could combine a skiing trip with some sightseeing.
All of the ski areas offer excellent beginner terrain and ski schools. Loon Mountain and Waterville Valley offer a wide variety of novice and intermediate cruising terrain; Cranmore, in North Conway, is known as the learn-to-ski mountain. You can opt to ski in just one resort, but the lift pass allows access to all five.
Topflight also offers skiing packages to New England. Prices depend on flights to Boston.
E-mail questions, with your name and address, to jscales@irishtimes.com