AS WE HAVE NEVER BEEN TO EUROPE WE WOULD LIKE TO LIMIT OUR TRIP TO TWO OR THREE COUNTRIES IN  TWO TO THREE WEEKS. WHICH COUNTRIES WOULD YOU SUGGEST?

A. DUONG. HURLSTONE PARK

I suggest you don't take a guided tour. Guided tours can be gruelling for young children, they travel at a reasonable pace and days are often long and tiring.

Also, guided tours are most likely going to be focusing on cultural wonders, history, churches and museums that have zero appeal for a three-year-old and that spells trouble.

What you could do though is focus your trip on cities, which have plenty of scope for all to enjoy, beginning in London.

In July you don't want anywhere that's too hot, and a familiar language, food and customs makes it easier to find your feet and get the kids and you off to a good start. First stop might be the Science Museum in South Kensington, which is packed with exhibits to do with dinosaurs, space exploration and much that will amaze the boys and most likely give them an appetite for more. My own short list would also include the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, the Natural History Museum, the London Eye, a stroll along Piccadilly from Hyde Park Corner, the Tower of London, the British Museum and a tour to Windsor Castle.

Visit London  has a website (visitlondon.com) specifically for children with suggestions for family-friendly accommodation and you can find plenty more on the  Time Out London kids' website(timeout.com/london/kids) .

From London you could take the Eurostar train (eurostar.com)to Paris and spend a few days exploring this lovely city. You can find plenty of helpful suggestions for your time there if you Google "Paris with children".

After Paris my pick would be Amsterdam, another great city packed with marvels to see and do. Once again, Google has plenty to get you going.

I AM LEARNING FRENCH AND MY HUSBAND AND I WANT TO GO ON A FRENCH-SPEAKING HOLIDAY NEXT JULY. WE SPENT SIX WEEKS IN FRANCE LAST YEAR BUT DON'T WANT TO TRAVEL SO FAR THIS TIME. I AM TOSSING UP BETWEEN NOUMEA AND TAHITI. I HEAR CONFLICTING REPORTS ABOUT NOUMEA BUT A FRIEND SUGGESTED I DO NOUMEA AND A NEARBY RESORT TO GET THE BEST MIX BETWEEN LIVING LIKE A LOCAL AND A BEACH HOLIDAY. WHAT ARE YOUR SUGGESTIONS?

S. ANGELO, ABBOTSFORD

Either Noumea or French Polynesia would satisfy your requirement for a French-speaking destination but there are big differences between the two. Tahiti and its islands are much further, and more expensive.

French Polynesia sells itself as a romantic destination and it has all the right credentials, but for a three-week holiday in French Polynesia you could fly yourselves to France, stay in three-star hotels, eat better food and still come home with change.

Noumea is even closer to Sydney than Cairns, and more reasonably priced than French Polynesia. My suggestion would be to plan only a short stay in Noumea and head for the Isle of Pines, where New Caledonia gets into holiday mode. The glossiest of the island's accommodation is Le Meridien, which is poised on delectable Oro Bay. Kuto Beach and Kanumera on the island's south-west coast and the more northerly Baie de Ouameo all have less expensive options in the form of simple relais and gites. You can find several options on the Isle of Pines website (isle-of-pines.com). Three weeks is rather long and you could also take in the islands of Lifou and Ouvea.

I HAVE AN  EIGHT-HOUR STOPOVER (2PM-10PM) IN HONG KONG ON MY WAY TO EUROPE. ANY SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO FILL IN THE TIME?

V. HOPKINS, MOSMAN

You could get the Airport Express train to the city and safely spend four hours there, allowing time for clearing immigration and customs on the way in and getting back to the airport in time for your connecting flight.

Leave the train at Central Station, just over 20 minutes from the airport. Walk to the Peak Tram Lower Terminus in Garden Road and take the tram to the city's highest viewpoint, Victoria Peak. Purchase a Peak Tram Sky Pass which gives you access to the Sky Terrace, with incredible panoramic views over the city, the harbour and outlying islands.

Back at the lower terminus, take a taxi to the Star Ferry Terminal and sit on the upper deck for the crossing to Kowloon. When you disembark you're in the Tsim Sha Tsui area. Walk around the promenade and the Avenue of Stars for the harbour view, maybe have a bite to eat, either in one of the many Chinese restaurants or even in the swanky Peninsula Hotel, then take another taxi to Kowloon Station for the trip back to the airport.

If you decide to stay in the airport, the Plaza Premium Lounge (plaza-network.com) gets mixed reviews. If it happens to be quiet on the day you're there the lounge is a reasonable choice but if it's busy the wait for a shower can be hours.

CONVERSATION OVER TO YOU…

The question was "Got a favourite travel book, whether it's Gulliver's Travels or Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas?"

J. Aspinwall writes "It would have to be Slowly Down the Ganges by Eric Newby. Written in 1966, in the days when you could be an intrepid traveller! Wonderful account of his journey on the Ganges before sat nav, mobile phones or credit cards. One of my inspirations to travel to India. Highly recommended."

From M. Williamson. "84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff showed me hidden and lesser-known corners of London that were fascinating areas to enjoy on my first visit to that great city."

M. Freeland writes "That would have to be Down Under by Bill Bryson. Bill covers very many sites in Australia with detailed fact and with humour and every once in a while I find I am reading parts of it, whether I am going there or not. It gives a great outsider's view of all over Australia."

From K. DeVere, "Golden Earth by Norman Lewis. In 1951, fearing that Burma was about to be swallowed by the rising tide of communism, Lewis set out to travel Burma's length. By river steamer, plane, jeep, truck, train and ox cart he travels through a country teetering on the brink of chaos, in which the Burmese themselves maintain a stoic resignation to the wheel of fate, absorbed with music, dancing, theatre and Buddhist ritual. Lewis is a writer's writer, elegant, restrained and precise and Golden Earth remains the one essential volume for the Burma traveller, as relevant today as it was in the 1950s."

Next question: Has a hire-car operator ever charged you for damage that was not your fault?

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