Letter of the week
My boyfriend and I, both newly graduated, plan a one-year backpacking trip, starting in Canada next month and travelling through the United States and Central America into South America. We want to avoid Colombia and Venezuela but can't work out how to. Is it true there are boats you can take?
Poppy Clinton, London
There's only one way to avoid travelling through Colombia or Venezuela and that is to fly to Ecuador or Peru from Panama City. Expect to pay around £300, one-way.
The only overland link is between Panama and Colombia but it involves travelling through the Darien Gap, a wilderness riddled with bandits, smugglers, paramilitaries and drug traffickers. This route should not be attempted.
If you do not wish to fly, the only viable alternative is to go by boat. You can charter a series of boats to make your way along the Caribbean coast of Panama south to Colombia. This option will also involve hiking along faint coastal paths in both countries until you reach a town on the road network.
Alternatively, there's a boat from Colon in Panama to Cartagena in Colombia for around £75 but it's hard to find details of services. You could try a Spanish site, www.pananet.com/cargonet/rutas.htm.
Do seek up-to-date safety advice before travelling.
Working holiday down under
I'm off next month on a six-month trip, which will take in Australia. I may need to work there to top up my funds, but I don't want to prejudice my chance of getting a work visa later.
Laura Rosindell, by email
You might apply for an Australian Working Holiday Maker (WHM) visa. It lasts for 12 months, during which time you can work for up to three months for any one employer. However, you are only entitled to one WHM visa so be sure that you are going to need it, because once you've got in to Australia using it, you won't be able to get another one.
If you are unsure, you can enter on a normal tourist visa, but you'd need to leave the country again to apply for a WHM visa. Having a WHM does not disqualify you from obtaining a visa to work on a longer-term basis, but you must be sponsored by an employer in Australia to get the Long Stay Temporary Business Visa.
For full details contact the Australian High Commission in London (020 7379 4334).
Boats and bikes in Latvia
We plan a cycling holiday in Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania next year. We prefer to get there by boat and bike. Any advice?
Alan and Lesley Baillie, Aylesbury
Cycling is a great way to get around in the flat and compact Baltic states. Start your journey with a ferry crossing to either Germany or Scandinavia. You can sail from Harwich to Cuxhaven in Germany with DFDS Seaways (08705 333 000) and from there make your way to Rostock. Silja Line sails from Rostock to Tallinn, the Estonian capital, three times weekly at peak times.
Elsewhere in Germany, Lisco Lines sails from Kiel to Klaipeda, Lithuania.
Alternatively, you can sail from Newcastle to Gothenburg in Sweden with DFDS, travel to Stockholm and go on to Tallinn in Estonia with Tallink
Over to you... readers' feedback
Rick Hatton's letter about going to Peru (2 November) prompts me to offer the itinerary a colleague and I used during a month there. We started in Cusco and went to Machu Picchu before getting an Inca Express bus to Puno. This is quicker than the train, with the added pleasure of four stops to see Inca ruins, a guide and an inclusive meal on the way.
Your suggested trip to the Uros is good, but we added an overnight stay on Taquile Island, where a co-operative sells high quality weaving and knitting, and the local people wear traditional costume. The hostel is fairly basic - there's no running water in the loos - but the people were very hospitable.
The annual August dance festival was stunning. A bonus is that the money you spend there helps the community.
Rosa Pryke, by email
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