We're after some advice for our first family holiday in late summer. We are seasoned travellers, usually visiting the Caribbean or Europe but due to work and family commitments haven't been on holiday for nearly three years! We now have a 19-month-old to consider and another one due, but would love a good beach holiday. We've previously only done the Caribbean in spring so don't know how much of a risk late summer would be re: hurricanes/rain etc. What would you recommend in terms of timing? Or is there another good destination at that time of year with clear waters and soft sand?
Name and address withheld

I asked Caribbean experts Scott Dunn (scottdunn.com) for some suggestions and, well, its experts would steer clear of the area when you want to travel. The weather is far too volatile in late August and early September. They would recommend going to Mauritius in late September, as the weather is warming up, but not too hot.  For a week's stay at the Residence in Mauritius, travelling before 17 September, the lead-in price is £1,755 per adult and £100 per infant including flights, based on the infant travelling on one of your knees rather than having their own seat.

I know it's two years away, and perhaps this is a subject for a longer article, but how can I avoid the Olympics. I have no interest in sport and a dislike of all the traffic and TV disruption that's bound to be caused.  I assume there will be some bargains around for those wishing to leave the UK as opposed to coming in the other direction. Where should I start looking?
Susan Deal

You can start planning now but booking will have to wait. Flights go on sale 11 months before departure, so given that the games run from 27 July to 12 August and are followed by the Paralympic Games from 29 August to 9 September you have a little while to wait yet.  Hotels will take your booking further into the future but without a confirmed flight you'd be wasting your time somewhat.

Unfortunately it is not necessarily the case that there will be bargains galore for outbound travellers at this time. Even if London does receive a bounty of Olympics tourists they will all be flying in during peak season clutching return tickets, putting pressure on flights and land travel tickets from the UK to destinations around the world. Nor is it the case that the influx of visitors will leave gaps in other places that will drop their rates accordingly. What may happen is something similar to the World Cup, where travel companies noticed a rise in bookings once England had gone out, but as we haven't hosted an event like this since before the dawn of mass tourism it's impossible to predict if people will wait until after the Olympiad to book their holidays.

That said, there is likely to be huge domestic interest in the games, peaking around the men's 100m final. Once dates for this are known you'll be able to deduce the best time to try to get an Olympic exiles holiday. Bear in mind that flight-only bargains will be thin on the ground and packages won't drop lead-in prices until much nearer the time, leaving you risking not getting the holiday you want.

Where's the best place to go? Anywhere without easy access to a television. This may be the summer to take that kayaking trip to Alaska you've always dreamed of. Wilderness Journeys (+44 (0)131 625 6635; wildernessjourneys.com) offers this and many other athletics-free adventures.

Could you advice me on the best travel guide for Bhutan, and any blogs I should check or sites to get information for interesting travel and stay and food within Bhutan next month.
Nirmala Rudra

Bhutan has for many years had a kind of Shangri-la reputation among travellers who've explored Himalayan areas of India, Nepal and Tibet. It has been considered isolated, cut-off from the outside world and somewhat mysterious. Apart from fiddly transport links, usually involving flights on the marvellously named Druk Air, the thing which put most would-be visitors off is the non-negotiable US$200 per day cost of entering the country. This admittedly all-inclusive charge, covers your guide, accommodation, transport, meals, taxes and trekking but has resulted in is a low volume of well-heeled visitors rather than a lively travelling scene which will be familiar to anyone who's been on a budget trip to Kathmandu. There are several premium hotels around Bhutan which charge a fee on top of this rate – rooms at the Amankora, cost a cool US$1,000 (£627) a night. That said, you can visit here for less, and the easiest route to do so is to go through a British operator who can help you tailor your plans, whether trekking or cultural tourism is your thing. The Imaginative Traveller  (imaginative-traveller.com) offers a 13-day Sacred Summit Trek in Bhutan for £2,750.

I'm off to Kolkata in October.  I've spent ages trying to find somewhere to stay that's mid-range (up to £50 or so a night?). I'd really like to do a homestay but there seems to be no information, or if there is, it leads to a dead end.
David Phair

Indiamike.com is an excellent source of information on all things related to travelling to India, but even this site runs out of ideas for homestays in Kolkata. I've drawn a blank on this one too – anyone got any suggestions for leads? £50 goes a long way in a city like Kolkata, where reasonably priced ensuite rooms with air-con at the Chowringhee YMCA (+91 22492192; no web), albeit reached through a run-down entrance, cost around £13. Close to here, for £40 you can stay in the Fairlawn Hotel, in a house dating back to the 18th century.  The Fairlawn's website lists an eclectic list of former and occasional guests including Patrick Swayze, French author Dominique Lapierre and his wife who is also called Dominique, Ian Hislop and Günter Grass.