Frances Carey wants advice on driving to St Petersburg.

• I frequently travel independently to Russia. I always begin by asking friends in St Petersburg for an invitation, about six months in advance of the trip; then a visa from the Russian Embassy in London is available by post in about two weeks. I have driven there three times: the easiest route is by Scandinavian Seaways ferry to Gothenburg in Sweden and Silja Line ferry from Stockholm to Turku in Finland. You need separate car nsurance for Russia, arranged in advance from the Russian insurance company, Ingostrakh (their office in Helsinki is convenient for this, since they speak English and fax to Finland is more reliable than to Russia).

If going there without friends to issue an invitation, you need to book with a company like Intourist who can get you into a hotel, motel or campsite. The Olgino motel/campsite is on the Finnish side of St Petersburg on the main road in.

The roads from the border to St Petersburg are fairly good but they can be very rough within the city, especially when crossing tramlines.

If flying, a cheaper alternative than going directly to St Petersburg is to fly Buzz to Helsinki (for about £90 return) and then take the train (about £60 return). Book a Buzz flight on the internet and train tickets are available in advance from Helsinki railway station, by telephone. Your arrival station Finlyandski Voksal has its own station for the metro - a very efficient way of getting around this beautiful city.
Terry Coles

• My advice is to think very carefully about this. We travelled Fred Olsen line, Harwich to Oslo, and then drove across to Stockholm (easy in a full day) through very pleasant countryside and caught an overnight ferry to Turku. From there, we drove via Helsinki to the Russian border at Vyborg. Once through, it is a reasonable drive to St Petersburg (Turku to St Petersburg in one day, but don't stop in Helsinki if you want to arrive in daylight). Ferries also go direct to Sweden or you could drive from Calais via Denmark. However, ferry fares will be quite expensive. Independent travel in Russia, unless things have changed since our trip, is not easy. You will need special insurance, and petrol stations are few and far between - we were given a map with them marked out. Intourist caters for independent travellers. The border crossing was tricky; we had to empty the car of every item of luggage which was all searched and the car itself was examined in detail. This took two hours.

But the reason why I would not attempt this trip now is crime. The road from the border to St Petersberg is notorious for robberies and on arrival at your destination your car will need to be in secure accommodation at all times - you cannot walk away from it unless it is guarded or in a special compound (western cars are a prime target, but even Russians remove their windscreen wipers and place them inside the car). It may be worth flying with your daughter to help carry the extra luggage needed and to settle her in, which may be a more practical solution than driving.
Gerry Mewton

Manju wants to know how he can meet like-minded people to travel with this summer as most of his friends cannot take the time off.

• I travelled in Iran in 1999 with an Australian guy I "met" via the Lonely Planet website ( thorntree.lonelyplanet.com), and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. Make sure you advertise well in advance so you have the chance to get to know the person a bit before the actual trip - you don't want any nasty surprises far from home.
Candi Bain

• Try the Rough Guide website, www.travel.roughguides.com. It has a designated noticeboard for people looking for travel partners.
Amy Richardson

• Don't be put off the idea of heading off alone because you're bound to meet people "going the same way" all the time. Everyone is really friendly because they are all in the same boat.
Dave Terrington

This week's questions

• I am returning from New Zealand via Singapore this summer and have planned to spend two weeks in Malaysia, possibly around Tioman Island. But I have recently become aware that travelling alone as a single female can be dangerous in Malaysia. I was hoping to combine visits to the jungle, snorkelling and cultural activities. Does anyone have any advice about making my visit safely?
Zoe Badcock

• My wife and I would like to go walking in mountains in Europe, possibly in the Alps in June. We want to see wild flowers and wildlife and be in vegatation, not on rocky mountain tops. And we want to be able to get to beautiful wild areas without spending the whole day and all our energy walking there and back (we are too old to be back-packers and camp out). That was the disadvantage of the Odessa area of the Pyrenees last year. Any ideas for good areas to head for?
Peter Adams

If you have questions or advice, please send it to: Ask a fellow traveller, The Guardian, 119 Farringdon Road, London EC1R 3ER. Or email: ask.a.fellow. traveller@theguardian.com.