Letter of the week
Can anyone recommend places to visit within a day or so's drive of New Orleans? I'm going there for 10 days in late March and intend to hire a car for a few days.
Helen Coupland, by email
New Orleans is fantastic - and exhausting; after a few days you may find that partying becomes too much, so you're wise to think about escapes. Heading north from the city, you'll take the causeway across Lake Pontchartrain to Covington, an altogether more laid-back day out with gentrified streets and antique shops.
The village of Lafitte, deep in the swamp country to the south-west of New Orleans, is a unique trip into the Louisiana backroads; touring, traditional country inns and canoeing are recommended in these parts. Last, heading along the River Road to Baton Rouge gives access to some fine antebellum plantation houses, often sitting next to factories and refineries which add a touch of modern reality to grand relics of the past. Start reading up at www.neworleansonline.com.
This year marks the bicentenary of the Louisiana Purchase - the 885,000 square miles sold by Napoleon to the US for $15 million - so look out for special events during your visit. Lonely Planet's recently published New Orleans guide has a helpful chapter on excursions from the city.
Spring in Lisbon
We're two women in our early thirties in need of a week-long break from corporate life/rural domesticity. We want to go in late April: somewhere with sun, opportunities for people-watching and a vibrant but sophisticated night scene. Any ideas, apart from Barcelona?
SB, Devon and AJD, London
For nightlife you can do a lot worse than Lisbon. Late April to early May should bring early summer weather - perfect for exploring this laid-back, going-places city. Lisbon's hilly streets reward wandering; taking a tram is a great way to see the sights. By day you're never far from a café to have a goggle at the locals going about their business. By night, get down with them in one of the Barrio Alto's dozens of buzzing bars.
Everything kicks off pretty late here, so expect to stay out into the small hours. If clubbing is your scene, there are some super swanky clubs along the waterfront at Alcantara and Doca de Santo Amaro, but make sure you're dressed up: entry prices are at the bouncer's discretion.
Other highlights include the fantastic architecture of nearby Belem's Mosteiro dos Jeronimos and the views of the River Tejo, framed by the Ponte 25 de Abril, one of Europe's longest suspension bridges.
Return flights to Lisbon can normally be had for less than £150 with TAP or British Airways; try www.opodo.com.
Seville and Madrid also serve up what you're after in steamy, stylish doses, though I can't promise you won't return more tired than you left.
Getting into Canada
My wife and I have booked a 12-month round-the-world trip. We plan to travel overland from Vancouver to Los Angeles. However, I've heard we may have problems getting into Canada because we won't possess a plane ticket out of the country. Our round-the-world pass clearly shows onward flights out of the US.
Andy and Wendy Kemmett, by email
Given the high volume of tourist traffic between Vancouver and the Pacific Northwest of the US, you are unlikely to have any problems entering Canada with an outward ticket leaving from the US. This is as good as a guarantee that you'll be leaving the country, which is what the immigration officer is looking for. In practice, it's highly unusual even to be asked to present your onward ticket when entering Canada.
Just in case, check with your airline or ticket issuer to see if they know of anyone who has had this experience. And don't forget the golden rules of entering any country: look as smart as you can after a clothes-crunching flight; have proof of available funds; and in this case book your first few nights' accommodation in the US to show the honesty of your intentions.
· We welcome letters. Tom Hall and Fiona Christie 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.
