71 Would you advise travelling round by camper van in New Zealand?

Driving in NZ is easy - distances are short between towns, roads are in good shape and traffic is light. For these reasons and the convenience camper vans afford, it is a very popular way to see the country. Rates generally vary from £30 to £50 for a two-berth van per day, depending on the season. Kea (0800 917 4347; www.keauk.com) is a UK agent. Overseas travel agents may be able to secure discounts.

72 Is it okay to travel in south east Asia during the monsoon season?

Though the rainy seasons are unpredictable in south-east Asia, generally you can expect some sunshine mixed in with the inevitable showers. In Thailand, for example, the monsoon hits in July and hangs around in the north until November, and in the south until January. Travelling at this time you'll be able to take advantage of the lower rates caused by the off-peak season. For detailed information check out www.bbc.co.uk/weather/destination for 12-month climate patterns for major cities worldwide.

73 Can I buy Indian rail tickets in the UK?

SD Enterprises Ltd (020 8903 3411; www.indiarail.co.uk) offers a wide selection of Indian rail products, as well as tailor-made itineraries and details on scenic and luxury trains. Contact Thomas Cook to buy a copy of its Overseas Timetable for (01733 416 477) for £9.50 or for more detailed timetable information ring its helpline (0906 5505553, calls charged at £1 a minute).

74 Can you recommend some locations for whale-watching and swimming with dolphins?

Iceland, the Canary Islands, Madeira and the Azores are about the closest places to Britain that you'll see whales, though they occasionally pass by these shores, particularly northern and western Scotland in April to October.

Kaikoura in New Zealand is a good place to see a wide variety of marine life along with the North-West of the US and Canada. Dolphin swimming, like whale-watching, is available in a number of locations, but you should take care to ensure you're dealing with a company which operates in a fashion not harmful to the wildlife you're observing.

The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (01225 334511; www.wdcs.org) can advise on reputable operators. The WDCS says that human contact with wild dolphins causes the creatures to leave traditional habitats in favour of quieter areas. Watching from a boat or land may be a wiser way to observe them in their natural environment.

75 When and where is the best time to see the northern lights?

The best time to see the aurora borealis is between October and March - preferably during December and January. Try to get as far north as you can - northern Scotland and the Shetlands are good bets in the UK, but anywhere within the Arctic Circle is best. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees of a sighting wherever you go - even if there is solar activity, cloud can mean it's not visible. Try www.aurorawatch.york.ac.uk for email alerts whenever activity is high enough to see aurora in the UK.

76 What is the best and cheapest annual cover travel insurance?

There are so many different travel insurance agents and policies out there that we could not begin to advise you on a particular policy. Policies and premiums vary depending on where you go, how you travel, how much time you spend travelling during the year, your sex, your age, your medical history, etc. They may also cover any family members travelling with you.

Try Columbus Direct (020 7375 0011; www.columbusdirect.net) and Boots Insurance (0845 840 2020; www.bootsinsurance.com).

77 I'm over 65. Can you recommend a good place to buy travel insurance?

Like all travel insurance, it's best to shop around. Try some of the following: Age Concern (0845 601 2234), Club Direct (0800 074 4558; www.clubdirect.co.uk), Travel Insurance Direct (0800 652 4123; www.travelcover.co.uk), Matthew Gerard (01483 730 900; www.mgtis.co.uk), Travel Protection Group (02890 320 797; www.thetravelprotectiongroup.plc.uk), Worldwide Travel Insurance (01892 833 338; www.worldwideinsure.com).

78 What is the best time to walk the Inca trail in Peru and how fit do you need to be?

The trail can be hiked pretty much year-round, though is most popular during the dry season, from June to September. At other times it's fairly empty, but paths can be slippery between January and April. Though the trail only covers 21 miles and takes three to four days, it crosses three high passes going up to a height of 13,766ft (4,196m) and is often steep. The trail is strenuous due to the altitude and terrain, but those of above-average fitness should be able to manage it.

79 Can you suggest a good route from Guatemala to Mexico City?

From Guatemala City you can take in a great route that includes the colonial architecture and volcanoes of Antigua, the amazingly located Lago de Atitlán, the vibrant market town of Chichicastenango and the hot springs, and volcanic lakes of the Xela region.

Once you're over the border into Mexico, head to Palenque and then San Cristóbal de Las Casas to check out the Mayan culture of the region. The archaeological sites of Oaxaca and the picturesque old mining town of Taxco are both great stopping points before reaching Mexico's seething capital. If you're on public transport you're restricted to buses - this isn't a problem but they can be quite slow.

80 We want to buy a Land Rover and travel across Africa. Any tips for buying a vehicle and selling it at the end?

Fly to South Africa, where Johannesburg and Cape Town both have good used car markets.

Check the classified sections of www.capeads.co.za for an indication of prices. Drive Africa (www.driveafrica.co.za) offers a guaranteed buyback scheme, which many travellers recommend. Another popular option is shipping a vehicle bought in the UK to a port in East Africa and going from there. There are many useful websites with other overlanders' experiences. For one example, see Derick Lean's site at www.geocities.com/Baja/Dunes/8589/index.html.

81 What tips can you offer for getting the best mobile phone with the lowest tariffs and best range for travelling abroad?

Tariffs for using mobile phones abroad vary depending on the country you're going to and the network you use at your destination. It's important when you set up a roaming agreement on your phone that you check and compare costs across networks before purchase, especially if you're buying the phone to use abroad.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (020 7008 0232; www.fco.gov.uk/travel/dynpage.asp?Page=586) and Oftel www.oftel.gov.uk/publications/mobile/roam1101.htm both produce factsheets on mobile phone use abroad.

82 How can I avoid hidden charges when hiring a car?

The best thing to do here is to check, check and check again on every aspect of the hire. Things to look out for include charges for additional drivers, out-of-hours collection, return and refuelling costs, provision of child seats, roof and ski racks, and keep an eye out for insurance excesses. You should also give the car a thorough check over before you drive off - hire firms will often bill you for even small amounts of damage to the car.

83 What are the best travel bookshops in the UK, and what advice would you give for people outside London?

Stanfords (020 7836 1321; www.stanfords.co.uk) is rightly famous for its superlative selection of travel guides, maps and literature. It also offers a comprehensive mail order service and has branches in three London locations and Bristol. The Travel Bookshop (020 7229 5260; www.thetravelbookshop.co.uk) made famous by the film Notting Hill is also worth a visit, as is Daunt (020 7224 2295). The Map Shop (0800 085 4080; www.themapshop.co.uk) in Upton upon Severn, Worcestershire offers counter and mail order and makes a great day out. Waterstones in Deansgate, Manchester; New Street, Birmingham; Ousegate, York and Albion St, Leeds have larger, more specialised travel departments.

84 What's the best way to avoid malaria?

Don't get bitten! Cover your arms and legs with light, comfortable clothing, use liberal amounts of insect repellent and sleep under a mosquito net away from water. Before you go, check with your GP or travel health clinic to see whether your destination is in a malarial zone and what you should do if it is. There are several varieties of anti-malaria pills, and you should consult with medical experts before making any decisions. The website www.malaria.org is an excellent source of information.

85 Can you recommend an area of Africa where you can go on safari which is malaria-free?

Almost all of sub-Saharan Africa has some risk of malarial infection, but in South Africa only the provinces of Mpumalanga, northern areas of KwaZulu Natal, and Northern Province currently have a malaria risk. With this in mind, a holiday in western areas of the country fulfils this purpose. Try combining Cape Town with the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, which offers good chances for sighting some of the major beasts of the continent. In Western Cape, the Addo Elephant National Park and Shamwari Game Reserve are also excellent places to see animals. There are loads of other possibilities, contact South African Tourism (020 8971 9350; www.south-african-tourism.org) for more information.

86 What are the best websites to check for late-availability package holidays?

You should aim for one-stop shops that compile deals from a variety of operators. Guardian Travel Shop (http://travel.theguardian.com/lateoffers) has a selection of unusual options, and Teletext Holidays (www.teletextholidays.co.uk) have lots of inexpensive late offers to popular resorts. Try also Travelocity (www.travelocity.co.uk) and OTC (www.otc-uk.com) for more deals. Make sure you check the conditions before booking.

87 And what about for cheap flights?

As well as the low-cost airlines, try Cheap Flights (www.cheapflights.com) which compiles other companies' deals, Airline Network (www.airnet.co.uk) and Flightline (http://www.flightline.co.uk/flights/popular.htm). Ensure that the agent you book with has an International Air Transport Association (IATA) or ATOL bond, to make sure you're protected in the event of an airline going belly-up.

88 Can you suggest a cheap, small, nice, centrally located hotel in Paris?

LP readers and authors alike rave about Hotel Chopin in the ninth arrondissement (00 33 1 47 70 58 10), which is found at the end of a nineteenth-century shopping arcade, with doubles with showers from 450FF. Try also the Familia Hotel (00 33 1 43 54 5527) in the Latin Quarter, which has doubles from 480FF. Good- value accommodation in Paris is notorious for getting booked up early so try to plan well in advance.

89 What's the best route for complaining about a holiday and getting compensation?

Complaints about your holiday should be addressed to the tour operator you booked through, which is obliged (if it is an Abta or Aito member) to respond to your concerns within 28 days.

If after at least two attempts to resolve the problem you are still not happy, contact Abta's consumer affairs department, which will explain its arbitration scheme to you. This scheme is administered independently by the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. Contact Abta (020 7307 1907; www.abta.com) for full details. If it is an Aito operator, should contact Aito (020 8744 9280; www.aito.co.uk), which will refer you to its independently administered mediation service, the Independent Disputes Settlement Service. Some tour operators are members of both Aito and Abta. A searchable database of travellers' gripes with operators can be found on www.holidaycomplaint.com. If you decide to make a complaint, gather as much evidence as you can while out there - take photos and statements from other guests, and if possible, act as a group.

90 How do you go about booking opera tickets for Italian cities or for Prague?

Though hard to get hold of, it is possible to get tickets for opera in most cities. Details are frequently available from websites or from the opera house box offices. Contact the Italian State Tourist Board for more options (020 7408 1254; www.enit.it). Links to most opera houses can be found at http://home.c2i.net/monsalvat/linksns2.htm. Full details of the Prague State Opera can be found at www.sop.cz/en/ or by calling 00 420 2 24 22 77 27 (Monday to Fridays 10-5.30pm, weekends 10-12 and 1-5.30pm).

To get tickets for popular shows, you'll often have to call up on a specific day and hope you're lucky.

If that sounds too hard, various companies offer Opera trips from the UK - try JMB (01905 830099; www.jmb-travel.co.uk) and Brompton Travel (020 8549 3334; www.operatours.co.uk). If the worst comes to the worst, there are normally touts outside major events, but be prepared to pay through the nose.

91 How do you book tickets for Italian football matches in advance?

Getting into a Serie A match is normally quite simple. Clubs often take bookings by fax, which you can then pick up on the day - it's just a question of getting the number. Start at the Italian League website (www.lega-calcio.it/index.htm) which has full contact details and links to every team's site.

As long as you're not trying to get into a local derby or glamour match, you should also be able to get tickets a few days in advance by strolling up to the ground. Fanfare Events (0161 437 0002; www.fanfare-events.com) offers football breaks all over Europe, including tickets.

92 Suggestions for keeping kids entertained on long car journeys?

Hitting the road on four wheels normally means you can take advantage of a bit of extra space. Try filling this with toys, games and Walkmans - a magnetic drawing board isn't messy and can be used again and again. Avoid toys with small parts that might fall on the floor.

Telling stories or talking book tapes can help while away the miles, as will regular breaks and plenty of drinks and snacks. Lonely Planet's Travel with Children has loads of game ideas, as well as hundreds of tips for happy journeys with juniors. Be careful when allowing your child to read - this can be the quickest route to queasiness.

93 Where are the best places to find gay-friendly hotels?

Not just hotels, but nightlife, shopping and cruising information can be picked up before you go. The website www.travel.gay.com is a good starting point, as is Queer Resources Directory (www.qrd.org). Gay men should check out the annual Spartacus International Gay Guide (£19.99, Bruno Gmunder Verlag), which is a good resource for those looking for tips on the scene. Gay women should keep an eye out for Women's Travel In Your Pocket (Ferrari Publications, about £12). Lonely Planet's Thorn Tree discussion board has an active gay branch at http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com.

94 I'm going to Thailand and would like to learn to cook. Where can I do this?

Chiang Mai is the best place for getting to grips with Thai food, with loads of schools offering courses from one day upwards. Try Chiang Mai Thai Cookery School (www.thaicookeryschool.com) for a taster of what you can expect. In Bangkok, the Oriental Hotel Cooking School (00 66 2 236 0420) is well known.

Further south, the Boathouse in Phuket (00 66 7 633 0015) offers occasional weekend workshops. Expect to pay from around 1,000 Thai Baht (£16) a day. The places we've listed are among the more well-known (and more expensive, for this reason). If you ask your hotel to recommend somewhere local, it's likely to be cheaper.

95 Where can I go to get some winter sun not too far from home?

Going south will take the chill off the end of your nose. Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and the Canaries take on a new dimension when you know your friends are shivering back home, though you are likely to pay higher prices in winter months.

96 When's the best time to walk the Camino de Santiago?

The legendary pilgrim route across northern Spain is so popular as a long-distance walk that there is fierce competition for places at refugios along the way, so those expecting lonely contemplation are likely to be disappointed. May to June, when the wildflowers have bloomed but the heat isn't unbearable, is the best time to walk. The Confraternity of Saint James (020 7928 9988; www.csj.org.uk) has produced a series of guides for pilgrims, as well as general information.

97 Can you suggest somewhere to go on honeymoon if money was no object?

Fresh winners of the lottery may be thinking about Bora Bora, the Maldives, or hob-nobbing at Parrot Cay in the Bahamas, but if you've really got a few bob to blow, it's got to be your own private island.

The ludicrously paradise-like Peter Island in the British Virgin Islands (www.peterisland.com) gives you a week for around £3,000, depending on which luxury villa you stay in on the vast site. If you don't want to bump into other guests you could rent Necker Island (www.virgin.co.uk/limitededition/index_cl.html) for around £10,000 per day.

98 And a dream honeymoon for under £500?

It's easy to have an unforgettable honeymoon without leaving these shores. A croft or cottage in Scotland can offer amazing walking, mountain and coastal scenery and a truly remote experience. The Scottish Tourist Board (0131 332 2433; www.visitscotland.com) holds extensive lists, but try also Cottages & Castles (01463 226990; www.cottages-and-castles.co.uk) and Highland Hideaways (01631 562 056; www.highlandhideaways.co.uk).

99 And finally...how can I write for Lonely Planet?

Most Lonely Planet titles are updated on a regular basis by our large team of professional authors. However, we are always on the lookout for talented writers, especially women. We look for people from a variety of backgrounds who have professional skills and experience in travel writing and research, and who have travelled extensively. See the FAQ section of www.lonelyplanet.com for our writers' guidelines. Lonely Planet also recruit writers for New Media ventures such as Scoop travel news and for online products.

The people with the answers

Rachel Suddart
Rachel grew up in the Lake District and studied English at Manchester University. She joined the Lonely Planet team in March 2000 after taking part in a BBC documentary about travel writing.

She has worked with orphans in Romania, spent time on a kibbutz in Israel, hiked across a glacier in New Zealand but is still too terrified to give scuba diving a second chance. She is fascinated by penguins and would love to be able to spend time studying them in Antarctica.

Tom Hall
Tom Hall has been working for Lonely Planet since 1999, and has been to fewer countries than he knows the capitals of. His favourite trips have been to Chile, Tanzania and Ethiopia, and his dream holiday would be a cycling trip up the coast of New Ireland in Papua New Guinea.