Down Under for a family
Please help us plan a family trip to Australia in August. Our children, aged six and 12, like activities such as rafting and snorkelling. We will spend the first week in Sydney, but we have three weeks thereafter. Where are we likely to get the best weather? What is the cheapest way to travel? We have never been outside Europe before, so this would be the trip of a lifetime.
Aurora Plomer, Nottinghamshire
August is winter in Sydney, with temperatures averaging 17C. That shouldn't stop you enjoying this great world city, whatever the weather.
One of the best accommodation deals is at Sydney Central YHA (00 61 2 9281 9111), where family rooms start at £45 a night. It is in a great location next to Central Station.
For sunshine, head to Queensland in the tropical north of the country which will have its dry season. Cairns is the logical starting point, but there's no need to stick around this heavily touristed town. You'll want to stay long enough to see the Great Barrier Reef. There's an array of snorkelling and reef-viewing excursions lasting one day or more.
Active families will find plenty to keep them busy nearby. Just down the coast is the popular Mission Beach, fringed with palm forest and within sea kayak distance of Dunk Island, which is a great destination for rainforest walks and beautiful views. Just inland is Tully, where you can go whitewater rafting or walk on newly opened trails.
Throughout Australia, camping is easy and straightforward, and inexpensive lodging in B&Bs, pubs and hotels can generally be had for under £25 for a double room.
If you can drag yourself away from the beach try to squeeze in a visit to Uluru (Ayers Rock). In the Outback you will see a different, fascinating side of Australia that really is worth the effort of getting there. Here you don't even need a tent to camp out - it never gets too cold and the night sky is unforgettable.
Look into getting internal flights when booking your ticket to Australia - it's often possible to get these at cut rates. Virgin Blue is a low-cost carrier with many routes, and McCafferty's covers the country in depth.
Passports fit for Uncle Sam
How do you tell if your passport is machine-readable? I hold a red 'European Union - United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland' passport that was renewed at the British Embassy in Washington in March 1999, and it doesn't contain anything that looks like a supermarket barcode!
Timothy Weakley, Dundee
From 26 October, anyone wanting to enter the US under its Visa Waiver Programme must have a machine-readable passport. Most UK passports include this. The UK Passport Service website says: 'All British passports currently issued in the UK, and the vast majority of those issued at British missions overseas, are machine-readable. Some older passports and some from missions overseas are not.'
Your passport is machine-readable 'when the white strip at the foot of the personal data page at the back bears two lines of print. If there is no white strip, or the white strip is blank, then it is not'.
Until passports including biometric data can be issued, holders of new passports issued after 26 October will need visas to enter the US. New biometric, machine-readable passports will be issued from mid-2005, so the visa problem will not last long. You can contact the service on 0870 521 0410; or at www.passport.gov.uk.
Cracking Krakow
I am going to Krakow in Poland in the spring and I'd be grateful for some tips. I like places with atmosphere such as narrow, tranquil streets and cafes.
Eco Terry, by email
Krakow is an entrancing old city whose large student population gives it a youthful buzz and great nightlife.
Watch the world go by in the medieval Market Square. The quiet streets of the old town are great for strolling, with plenty of picturesque cafes.
Poltours (020 8810 5625) offers breaks. Air Polonia (00 48 22 575 00 00) has flights to Warsaw, three hours from Krakow by train.
Ski in Chile
I am considering going to Chile this summer, and I want to combine skiing with sightseeing.
Alex James, London
Many of Chile's best resorts are an easy trip from Santiago - Farellones, El Colorado, La Parva and Valle Nevado. The well-known resort of Portillo lies further south. You could spend a few days exploring Santiago, then see the lively port of Valparaiso and ski for a few days. After that fly north and visit San Pedro in the Atacama Desert.
Or head south to the Lake District for skiing in Pucon, as well as great hiking. For more information, visit www.visit-chile.com.
· We welcome letters. Tom Hall from Lonely Planet addresses as many as possible here. Email escape@lonelyplanet.co.uk or write to Lonely Planet, 72-82 Rosebery Avenue, London EC1R 4RW. The writer of the week's star letter wins a Lonely Planet guide of their choice, so please include a daytime telephone number and postal address. No individual correspondence can be entered into.
