Indian Ocean wedding
I have been invited to a wedding in St Denis, on the Indian Ocean island of Réunion, on 9 August. Can you help with information on travel, hotel availability and costs? I am a pensioned widow and will be travelling with a 15-year-old girl. What vaccinations and other health precautions are required, if any?
R Lynch, Airdrie
Réunion is often overlooked in favour of the nearby beach paradises of Mauritius and the Seychelles, but it's a great destination in its own right. As well a fascinating mix of French, Creole and other cultures, it has a wide range of outdoor activities, an active volcanic interior and a relaxed, tropical air.
St Denis, the capital, is not a major tourist attraction but it has a better selection of fine restaurants and bars than any other Indian Ocean island.
Due to its isolated position and reliance on imported goods and services, it is not a cheap place to stay. One hotel that is recommended is Le Juliette Dodu. Double rooms with a bathroom start at £77 a night in a stylish creole building.
It's not cheap to fly to either: Trailfinders (0141 353 2224) offers flights with Air France at £890. Your young companion won't qualify for a discount because she's over 12. You don't officially require vaccinations, but see what your GP recommends.
Bear in mind that Réunion is resolutely French, and you won't find much English spoken. It's a good idea to brush up on your bonjours before you go.
Orkney adventure
I want to go to Sanday, in the Orkney Islands, to research the history of my family, who used to be crofters there. How can I visit it, and what will I find?
Julia Boloquoy-Fea, London
Sanday is one of the most remote places in the British Isles, and it is a long trip by ferry or plane.
For the best value, take a ferry to Mainland, the largest Orkney island, and make your way to Kirkwall, the capital. You can sail from Aberdeen overnight with P&O Scottish ferries (01224 572615). The £45 fare includes a reclining seat.
Alternatively, take the two-hour ferry ride from Scrabster, on the Scottish mainland, to Stromness, in Orkney - the fare is £15 a head - and go on to Kirkwall by bus. There are no services on Sundays.
From Kirkwall you can sail to Sanday with Orkney Ferries (01856 872044). The 80-minute trip costs £10.80 return.
Loganair (0845 773 3377) flies from Kirkwall to outlying islands for £68. Flying up from London, however, costs a huge £561 return, but you can fly to Aberdeen with EasyJet and on to Kirkwall by Loganair.
Sanday is, as the name suggests, made of fertile, sandy soil. It's a quiet, windswept place that's well worth the trip. If you can ignore the lower temperature, it has uncrowded beaches to rival the Caribbean. The main village is the attractive Kettletoft. Consider taking your bicycle as Sanday is flat and has quiet roads.
This website offers good links for tracing your ancestors on Orkney.
Norway on skis
Where is a good place to try cross-country skiing in Scandinavia? My wife will be 40, and it would be a nice present. We will take our three-year-old child.
David Ballesty, Wicklow, Ireland
What better place to try cross-country skiing than where it originated? Ski is a Nordic word, and most of the skiing in Norway is of this type. Inntravel of Ryedale in North Yorkshire (01653 629000) offers seven nights at the Bardola Hotel in Geilo, priced from £698 per person.
The hotel has an indoor pool and easy access to cross-country and downhill skiing. It is well equipped for children and offers baby-sitting.
Inntravel's website has a great section on cross- country skiing and winter breaks. For details of travel agents and tour firms offering similar packages visit the Association of Independent Travel Operators website.
Lapping up Christmas
We want our children, aged three and five, to see a more traditional Christmas than Britain offers. It has to be snowy, but near enough for a long weekend in early December.
Kevin Moore, via email
Your children might enjoy the magic of Lapland. It's only a three-hour flight, and there'll be enough snow and ice to rival any Christmas card.
First Choice Holidays (0870 750 0465) offers four-night breaks from £1,769 for a family of four. This includes flights and transfers, half board and insurance. There are dog-sleigh rides, a visit to Santa and tobogganing.
If this seems too commercial, you have plenty of free time to arrange and enjoy your own activities. There are festivals, markets and other events for grown- ups and kids. The Finnish Tourist Board (020 7365 2512) can provide useful listings.
Don't forget that the Finnish temperatures can drop as low as -20C. Pack plenty of warm clothing and invest in lots of thermal underwear.
Over to you... readers' feedback
In response to the letter from Sue and Tom Laffey on travel between Seattle and British Columbia (7 July):
My wife and I spend five months of the year in Canada - in Victoria, on Vancouver Island - and visit Seattle several times during each stay. The best route by car is to drive from Seattle to Port Angeles, and take the 'Coho' ferry into Victoria (two sailings a day). It's a 90-minute crossing and far less hassle than Anacortes because of the traffic out of Seattle and the timing of the sailings. This route is the best way to see the Olympic mountains.
Marcus Murphy, by email
Two years ago I travelled alone from San Francisco, through Oregon to Seattle and on to Victoria. I knew I could travel from Anacortes to Victoria, but wanted to explore the North-West of Washington state. I was really glad I did: the coast was beautiful and remote and I had the opportunity of going into the Olympic National Park, which is right by the ferry to Victoria, in Port Angeles. I did not book, and just drove on. I think the cost was about $28-$30 (£20) for a single trip. The park is well worth a visit, as is the Makah Indian Reservation and the Makah museum in Neah Bay. I got all my information for the trip I did from the Lonely Planet Pacific Northwest guidebook, which covers Oregon and Washington and includes Vancouver Island.
Judy Withers, by email
Kiran Macwanas, who seeks information about travel to Greenland (Letters, 7 July), may be interested to know that a Danish company, Arctic Adventure, offers a package to Greenland in the winter, specifically to see the Northern Lights. It includes flights to Copenhagen, two nights' stay at the beginning and end of the tour, flights to Kangerlussuaq and three or four nights in a hotel there. This is one of the best places to see the Northern Lights and although it can never be guaranteed, when we went in February 2001 we saw them three times. During the day other activities can be organised including husky dog sledding, wildlife safaris and trips to the inland icecap. Overall it was a fascinating holiday.
Nathan and Clare Davis, by email
· We welcome letters. Tom Hall and Rachel Suddart from Lonely Planet address as many as possible here. Email travel.tips@observer.co.uk or write to Escape, 119 Farringdon Road, London EC1R 3ER. The writer of the week's star letter wins a Lonely Planet guide of their choice (so include a daytime telephone number and postal address). No individual correspondence can be entered into.
