KEY POINTS:
Having read about rail passes on Amtrak USA, we'd be interested in your view on two senior citizens doing two to three weeks' travelling by train. Should we pre-book accommodation or is there an information kiosk at the railway stations? One hears horror stories about traveller safety at the big railway stations. Mary Ann France
Amtrak (amtrak.com) has an extensive rail system throughout the United States, with Amtrak Thruway buses providing connections from the rail network to smaller centres and national parks.
Most long-distance services operate daily, with some operating only three to five times a week. See Amtrak's website for route and timetable information.
A USA Rail Pass allows unlimited coach-class travel within a specific region for 15 or 30 days. These range from $370 to $740, depending on the region travelled and the season. There are discounts for seniors aged 62 and over.
First-class and sleeper travel costs extra. You should always make reservations as far in advance as possible. Sleeping car fares include a meal in the dining car. Food service on other lines consists of a snack/sandwich bar.
To give you an idea of individual fares, so you can work out whether a pass is for you, New York-Chicago is $160 (19 hours), Chicago-New Orleans is $130 (20 hours) and Seattle-Oakland is $110 (23 hours).
Amtrak also offers holiday packages that include rental cars, hotels, tours and attractions. Air-rail packages offer train travel in one direction and plane travel back again.
Train stations in the larger cities have information kiosks but not all have an accommodation booking service. It is recommended that you book accommodation in advance. There is no need to be unduly worried about safety in train stations, no more than you would be in this country. As with anywhere in the world, just be aware and take care.
Firecracker of a time
Can you give me any information on the Rhine in Flames? What is the best place for viewing the fireworks or to board sightseeing boats?Aaltje
The Rhein in Flammen (Rhine in Flames) is the romantic River Rhine's most spectacular series of festival events. Over a period of five months, towns and castles lining the river, boats on the river and the riverbanks themselves shimmer against a backdrop of spectacular firework displays.
The fun takes place in five different locations beginning in the first week of May and stretching through to the third week of September.
Seeing the fireworks is free, so you could take up a position on the riverbank. However, the fireworks are best viewed from a boat. Rhine River Lights (rhine-river-lights.com) has a range of half-day boat cruises from $45.
The festival dates are as follows: a boat parade between Linz and Bonn, first Saturday in May; boat parade between Bingen and Ruedesheim, first Saturday in July; boat parade from Koblenz to Braubach and Spay, second Saturday in August; fireworks in Oberwesel and St Goar, second Saturday in September; fireworks under the Lorelei Rock (St Goar to St Goarhausen) third Saturday in September.
For more details, see Romantic Rhine (www.romantischer-rhein.de/en/events/rhine-in-flames.htm).
Clothing dilemma
On April 6 we are going overseas for 2 months. With our luggage weight limit of 20kg each, could you please give an idea of what clothing would be best to take? We have stops in Dubai and Milan. Then we have two Mediterranean cruises, ending in Dover on May 3. After that we fly to Prague for 10 nights before flying to Copenhagen to do a 20-night tour of Scandinavia. We then fly to London for 10 nights and have a stopover in Singapore on our return. Jeanette Povey
What to take? What to take? With such a broad itinerary and such limited luggage restrictions, you've certainly got some packing practice to do. You'll need to consider what average temperatures and weather conditions will be in each place you visit. For guides go to climate-charts.com, grandweather.com and world66.com. The website at www.weather.com has a vacation planner and a "What to Pack" page where you can type in a destination and dates and they'll suggest items of clothing to take. You can also do a search by city on tripadviser.com, then click on "Know Before You Go" and then "Weather and When to Go" for information on weather conditions.
Only you are able to pick your own clothes. You can bank on Dubai and Singapore being hot and humid, but T-shirts and light pants will also come in handy in some of your Mediterranean destinations.
Although you won't need thick coats and jumpers in the Mediterranean, you will need some long sleeves and light jackets. You'll certainly need warmer clothes for Scandinavia, Prague and for London. You can always send clothes back if you know you're not going to need them any more. Buying a coat or a thick woolly jumper only when you really need it will keep things lighter.
Golden anniversary
We wish to take our five grandchildren (four boys aged 16, 15, 13, and 9, and one girl aged 13) on an overseas trip to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. We would like them to experience a different culture. Our finances are limited. We have considered a villa in Tuscany and/or the Glacier Express finishing in Zermat. Joan Dimick
As soon as you start talking Europe, you start talking expensive, especially with five children in tow. If you want to keep to a budget and ensure that the kids will be entertained, we suggest a trip to the world's favourite destination for families - Malaysia.
Malaysia is a family-friendly place and there are discounts for children for most attractions and transport.
In Kuala Lumpur take the kids to the Lake Gardens where you can hire a boat, and visit a bird park, a butterfly park and a deer park as well as the national planetarium.
The Skybridge at the Petronas Towers will have them gasping before they visit the interactive science discovery centre up there.
Within a day trip of KL is the theme park at Sunway Lagoon. There's also the Genting Highlands where the kids can take a cable car over the top of the rainforest as well as enjoy water slides, thrill rides, a climbing wall and a wind tunnel where they can experience a simulated skydive.
At the Kuala Gandah Elephant Conservation Centre, you can feed elephants and even swim with them. To further experience the jungle head to Taman Negara where you can take the canopy walk or float down the river on an inner tube. There are also a number of fantastic beach and island resorts with facilities for kids and families, such as Pulau Kapas and Cherating.
With airfares to Europe at around $2500 this coming April, and airfares to Malaysia as cheap as $800, the choice should be easy.
As part of your planning, be sure to read the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade's travel advisory for Malaysia at safetravel.govt.nz
