Eli Orzessek finds the answers to your travel questions.
I'm a teacher and have always dreamed of going to Europe, but my breaks are only two weeks through the year and six weeks over Christmas. Would you recommend travelling to Europe during winter or squeezing a trip in during a two-week break?
Louise
I recently returned from a two-week trip to Germany and Switzerland and managed to pack quite a lot in to such a short trip. In the past, it might not have seemed "worth it" to travel so far at such a high cost just to stay for two weeks but with airfares getting lower and all the cheap early bird deals around at the moment, a short trip is definitely do-able.
If you go for two weeks, I would focus on one or two neighbouring countries - there's so much to see in Europe and there's no way you'll get to see it all anyway.
Booking a guided holiday can be a good way to see a lot of in a short time and you don't have to stress about the logistics.
Tony Laskey from The Travel Corporation has a few suggestions:
"If you're between 18 and 35, Contiki offers a number of itineraries perfect for a short trip to Europe, from the nine-day European Magic and 10-day European Horizon if you're wanting to see it all and do it all, to the eight-day Italian Espresso or Greek Week trips if you'd prefer to see one region in depth.
"Otherwise, Trafalgar also offers a range of options or a short trip, whether you want to tick off as many countries as possible or spend your fortnight exploring one or two countries."
But if you are still considering a longer trip, Christmas in Europe is worth experiencing.
"Winter is a beautiful time of year to visit Europe, with the opportunity to explore Christmas markets, drink mulled wine, relax in cosy cafes and even try your hand at skiing in Austria," says Laskey.
"There is nothing quite like the atmosphere in Europe over the holiday season and as a bonus there are fewer crowds and cheaper prices."
Email your questions to askaway@nzherald.co.nz
Eli cannot answer all questions and cannot correspond with readers.
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