Where's the best area to stay in Bangkok? We're only there for a couple of days and want a decent base in the city. I've heard that getting around can be a bit of a pain. We're not budget travellers - within reason.
Clair Rogers

There's no need to stay on the Khao San Road should you not wish to – especially if you can go into the mid-range or higher bracket. If time is short, then you'll probably want to stay as centrally as you can. Ko Ratanakosin, the royal island in the heart of the city and Thonburi, located just over the river, offer some interesting places to stay that are close to the main historic sites. Chakrabongese Villas (thaivillas.com; private villas from £156) are private dwellings set in the riverside gardens of a historic mansion. Another riverside option is the Ibrik Resort (ibrikresort.com; doubles from £80), a white waterfront house over the river in Thonburi with just three rooms, which come with four-poster beds. You could lose yourself for two days in the historic temples and food markets of Ko Ratanakosin and traditional streets of Thonburi without having to do anything more strenuous than take a short river ferry journey.

Should you seek to venture further, you'll find that the city's public transport is not as bad as you've heard. Taxis are easy to find and cheap, though when travelling from Ko Ratanakosin to more modern areas of town the canal ferry will be faster and services are very frequent. The river ferries are also useful and cheap. Once around Siam Square, Silom and other newer parts of the city, Metro and Skytrain services make getting around easy. Tuk-tuks, though iconic, will involve a little bartering to get the fare right (40B or 80p for a short trip) and many find the reality of trundling through traffic in an open-sided vehicle is not the delightful experience it appears.

Three of us have a week off from 10 September. We thought about going to Santorini, but then we noticed Berlin festival is on the 10 and 11 September. Berlin is my favourite city, I've been five times and can sort out that part no bother. Where I could do with your help is … what happens next? We'd probably be staying in Berlin for three nights, so after party times would look to leave on 13 September to find some sunshine and beach for a few more days (back to work in London 20 September). Greece/Greek islands would be good, but we're open to suggestions. How can we get a last-minute deal from Berlin back to London?
Katie Johnston

I can't offer any alchemy here I'm afraid. These two trips won't combine easily unless you make the arrangements yourself. Cheap last-minute deals are usually for packages involving a return flight. You won't find any last-minute deal combined with a flight from Germany to Greece, then returning from Greece to the UK. A better bet is to look for accommodation-only deals in the Greek islands – lowcostholidays.com will give you an idea of what's available now. Costs should not increase for accommodation-only deals in September between now and the time of departure. Not sure which island to choose? Ben Mallalieu has written a useful primer to the most popular spots.

You then need to check you can arrange two flights: from Berlin to the island of your choice and from there back to your closest UK base. Berlin Airports (berlin-airport.de) has a complete list of destinations from the German capital, and Wikipedia entries for regional airports retain lists of destinations which you should double-check. Then make use of Skyscanner and Cheap Flights.

Bah humbug. My boyfriend and I want to get away from (not for!) Christmas this year. Is there anywhere we can go to get away from all the commercialised and religious festivities? We'd like to go away for a week or two, to anywhere in the world that won't cost the earth (we're normally budget travellers). We like to go off the beaten track, so resort hotels are a no-no.
Lesley Middlemas, Edinburgh

It's not easy to completely escape Christmas festivities, which are hard to avoid in most cities and towns around the world. However, you don't have to go further than north Africa - Morocco perhaps - to find a place where 25 December is just another day. It'll be a similar story throughout the Arabic-speaking world, especially when you get into more rural areas. Oman, easily accessible through the Emirates flight from Glasgow to Dubai and then a bus ride is another interesting option. Activity holidays tend to take you far away from the commercialised world so you may wish to consider taking a small group walking tour or other type of trip. Walks Worldwide (0845 301 4737; walksworldwide.com) have a 12-day Libyan Explorer trip leaving on 22 December visiting the Roman remains at Leptis Magna, the rock art at Jebel Acacus and the Ubari Lakes costing £1,395 including flights.

I am planning a trip to Andalusia next year and will be getting there - and getting around - by train. I would love to go to Seville and Cadiz for the Easter celebrations. Do the train services run during Easter week and will it be possible to find accommodation in Cadiz or Seville at that time? Also, what public transport is available to get from Cadiz to Caños de Meca?
JenoWl1

Trains services will run during Easter week, though services will be reduced to something akin to a Sunday service on public holiday dates. Easter is late next year - 24 April is Easter Sunday. Spanish trains usually have a booking horizon of 60 days, so trains for Easter probably won't be available to book until the end of February. You can book via Rail Europe (0844 848 4070, raileurope.co.uk) but note that booking is unnecessary on local services.

There will be a huge amount of pressure on accommodation in Seville, less so in Cadiz, but advance booking is still essential.  Indeed, Cadiz's celebrations make a good alternative to visiting Seville if you can't find somewhere to stay. If city centre hotels are out of your price range – and many double their prices at this time of year – then you can investigate staying just outside the city, using hostels and homestays or camping. Andalucia.com has a wide range of accommodation options depending on your preference. There are daily buses from Cadiz to the lovely beach at Caños de Meca the timetable is available at http://bit.ly/aypWig