KEY POINTS:
We will be travelling to Europe via Hong Kong for three nights in February. We've never visited an Asian country before and I was wondering what family-friendly activities you could suggest. Our two sons are aged 12 and 14.
Janice Young
Hong Kong is such an adrenalin rush - just stepping out into the busy street is an experience your boys will savour.
As frenetic and full-on as Hong Kong is, it's a very safe city to visit with children. Your biggest problem will be trying not to walk into things as you gaze up and around at the neon signage and sky-high buildings.
There are plenty of fun activities for your kids to enjoy, starting with the steep funicular tram ride up Victoria Peak for views over the city. It's a great introduction to Hong Kong and its island geography.
A visit to Temple Street, the liveliest night market in Hong Kong, is a great family night out. People shop here for cheap clothes, watches, pirated CDs, fake labels, footwear, cookware and everyday items.
Kowloon Park is an oasis of greenery. Kung Fu Corner, a display of traditional Chinese martial arts, takes place here from 2.30-4.30pm on Sundays. You can also take a dip in the park's swimming complex.
Hong Kong is a place to experience and it's a visit your kids are sure to remember.
Silk alternative
An advert in the Travel section for luxury train travel led us to wonder whether the Captain's Choice Tour can be completed by ordinary, scheduled trains; say, a train similar to the Trans-Mongolian/Siberian but on this southern Silk Route. Is there a less glamorous but feasible alternative?
Ron Hamilton
The Captain's Choice tour takes a more southern route, now known as the Silk Route, via Kazakhstan. You can arrange your own independent travel along this route.
Trains are the best way to get around China, but they tend to be very punctual, so don't be late! Sleepers will push the price up a bit. The Z-class train is the most luxurious and tickets usually include meals.
From Beijing to Xian (Terracotta Warriors) you can take a Deluxe Z-train with soft sleeper ($110, 11 hours). From there it's 20 hours (sleeper available) along the Lanzhou-Urumqi line to Jiayuguan (end of the Great Wall) and on to Dunhuang (bus to the Mogao Caves) and Urumqi along the Silk Route (another 10 hours).
There are two trains a week from Urumqi to Almaty in Kazakhstan: Monday and Saturday at midnight. It's a 32-hour trip ($125), six hours of which are spent clearing customs.
For some routes in Central Asia you need to book trains at least two days ahead. Be patient. If you can't get a ticket for a particular train, it's worth turning up anyway. Be persistent and be prepared to pay a little extra.
The train from Almaty to Tashkent, Uzbekistan's capital, takes 25 hours (change at Arys). If trains are booked, take the bus. From Tashkent there are daily trains to Samarkand (five hours, $8) and on to Bukhara (six hours, $12).
Head back to Tashkent and take one of the three weekly trains to Russia's capital, Moscow. It takes about 60 hours and costs around $440/$260 for first/second class. The other route that goes from Bukhara via Urgench and south of the Aral Sea through the border crossing at Astrakan can be unreliable.
An excellent source of information on all of these rail networks is www.seat61.com. Also try the China national railway website at www.railwaysofchina.com, and Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree forum (www.lonelyplanet.com) to see what other travellers have to say about their recent train experiences.
You will need to have your Kazakh and Uzbek visas organised at least two months before you leave. You will need a letter of invitation (LOI), which can be obtained through travel agencies over there by fax or email. They charge a fee - anything from $40 to $60. Ask your travel agent about this when booking flights as rules and regulations change often.
Lastly, be sure to check the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade's website (www.safetravel.govt.nz) for travel advisories on the countries you'll visit.
Storybook setting
We're going to be in the UK from December to March and I'd love to take my wife to the snow for a surprise getaway. We don't ski, and would just love to fool around in the snow and relax in front of the fire in a storybook setting. Could you suggest a couple of accessible locations/resorts that would offer this kind of getaway?
Dennis Scott
An obvious choice would be Chamonix, which lies in one of the most spectacular valleys of the French Alps.
Reminiscent of the Himalayas, the area is dominated by deeply crevassed glaciers and the spectacular Mont Blanc.
The Aiguille du Midi, a solitary spire of rock near Mont Blanc's summit, has postcard-perfect views.
The Chamonix (www.chamonix.net/english/accommodation/weekends.htm) and Ski Solutions (www.skisolutions.co.uk) websites offer a range of hotel and lodge accommodation close to the centre of town.
Kitzbuhel, one of Austria's top ski resorts, is a picturesque medieval town of gabled houses and church steeples.
With lively nightlife and plenty of glitz and glam, it's a great spot to compliment your relaxed getaway with a couple of nights out on the town.
The tourism site (www.kitzbuehel.com) lists accommodation options in the area.
Bezau, the unofficial capital of Bregenzerwald (the region between Bregenz and Arlberg), is a picture-perfect little town and an excellent base from which to explore the surrounding area. Tiscover (www.tiscover.at) offers a great range of Austrian winter breaks.
Scotland has five main ski centres: Cairngorm (www.cairngormmountain.org.uk), Glencoe (www.glencoemountain.com), Glenshee (www.ski-glensee.co.uk), the Lecht (www.lecht.co.uk) and Nevis (www.nevisrange.co.uk).
The chances of snow may be considerably less reliable than in other parts of Europe, but if you do some research and have a degree of flexibility around your time of travel, you could easily book a Scottish snow holiday on short notice.
There's a wide range of accommodation on offer in and around the ski centres.
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