I've read that Jet2 has cancelled flights to Red Sea resorts from 1 March. I'm not flying with Jet2, but am booked to travel over the Easter weekend. Is this a sign of a lack of confidence in the area? If so should I be worried – and are others likely to follow suit?
Chris Adkinson
Jet2 is stopping flights to Sharm el Sheikh and Hurghada from several UK airports from 1 March, but for the rest of February you can book to fly there. The airline says: "While the Red Sea resorts are not currently affected, the safety and comfort of our customers is our number one priority, and as such we do not want them to face the stressful uncertainty of whether their holiday will go ahead as planned."
This is consistent with Jet2's decision to cancel departures to Tunisia, another currently unpredictable destination, through this summer. Neither decision is expected to cause other carriers to follow suit.
The obvious missing piece in the jigsaw is how fast-moving and unpredictable political events play out in both countries and the effect this has on safety for tourists. What Jet2's move does do is remove any element of uncertainty from its – and its customers' plans. It says feedback from customers suggest they are "relieved" by their decision.
As the statement from Jet2 notes, Red Sea resorts continue to be unaffected by events in Cairo and other major cities. Responding to the Jet2 story in trade mag Travel Weekly, some agents suggested that this decision could be motivated as much by Jet2's belief that demand for flights to the Red Sea is likely to drop off over the next few months as by safety concerns.
My mum turns 60 in April and has always dreamed of going to Venice. So, for her birthday, my dad has arranged for both of them, plus my brother and me to go to Venice for four days. We fly on Monday 4 April and return on Thursday 7 April. We'll definitely do the big sites like St Mark's, but can you suggest less well-known sights? My mum is into art, music and literature but I'm sure she would love to see anything that is interesting or reflects Italian culture. Also, I know it can be hard to find a good but reasonably priced restaurant. Ideally we would like to go for a special celebratory meal on one night and eat at more everyday trattorias for the rest of the trip.
Eliza Lebowski
With four days you can cover the principle historic and artistic sights, but I would suggest taking it slowly. Intersperse diving into St Mark's Square and Basilica, the Accademia and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection with simply strolling around, especially in the Dorsoduoro and Cannaregio districts. In the latter the Ca' d'Oro, a 15th-century house full of great art, and the strikingly different Jewish ghetto are wonderful, must-see sights.
After two days you may be flagging. If so, hop on a local vaporetto (ferry) out to the islands of Murano and Buranofor another perspective on Venice. On another day you might consider investing in the Chorus Pass, which allows entry to 16 churches around Venice, many packed with great and little-seen art treasures.
To avoid disappointment when eating in Venice, venture far and wide. Anywhere with a multi-language menu or on the more obvious routes through the city is likely to be underwhelming. Some of the city's best food is served in the form of cicheti (small, tapas-like plates) in traditional osterie (pub-restaurants) and bacari (bars) down alleys and on obscure squares. There are some of these around the San Marco, San Polo and Cannaregio sestieri (districts) – finding them can be half the fun. Guardian journalist Gavin McOwan explored some of these last year.
While seeking out these spots will take you off the tourist trail like almost nothing else in Venice, the special meal you're after can be found too. There's a lot of choice in the top-end category. The Corte Sconta, in the Castello district, is one of the best-regarded high-concept places. Or try the classic Fiaschetteria Toscana in Cannaregio. Book for around 8.30pm to give you time for a glass of prosecco beforehand.
We are looking at a holiday for around about 20 June 2011 that incorporates a one-week cruise from Orlando round the eastern Caribbean. Some websites refer to this as the rainy season for the Caribbean – likely to be quite cloudy but warm. Can you offer any further information. I love the warmth, could persevere with cloud, but would hate constant rain.
Ann
I was a little thrown by this question originally, as when I last went to Orlando it was pretty much slap bang in the middle of Florida. Cruises stated as departing from Orlando in fact leave from Port Canaveral – on Florida's east coast, close to the famous Cape and 52 miles from the City Beautiful. Most cruise lines put Port Canaveral in brackets, like an airport claiming proximity to a big city putting its true location in as an afterthought like Frankfurt-Hahn and Venice Treviso.
As well as "Orlando", these cruises usually call at Nassau (Bahamas), St Thomas and St Maarten in the eastern Caribbean and as San Juan (Puerto Rico). According to the always useful Weather to Travel (Tomorrow's Guides, £8.99), June is the wettest month of the year in Nassau. There is on average twice as much rain as in May and around 50% more than July. The weather tends to be hot and humid, and though you can expect it to rain most days, this should be concentrated into afternoon downpours, which tend to be brief and heavy. If you're on a cruise you may find that rain isn't too much of a problem as there'll be plenty to do below decks, but showers could have an impact on how much you enjoy your time ashore.
I'm planning a three-week trip around south-east Asia in August. We are visiting Singapore, Bali, Thailand and Kuala Lumpur so far. Do you have any tips for low-cost travel between these locations? Also, can you recommend a place in Thailand with a bit of nightlife and a beach but not the raucous shores of Koh Samui or Ko Phangan?
Barrioprincess
As I noted in the live blog last week, there's a mind-boggling array of low-cost carriers operating in south-east Asia. Big players include Air Asia (whose hubs are Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, near Singapore, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Bangkok and Jakarta), Jetstar Asia and Tiger Airways (both with hubs in Singapore). In Thailand try Thai Airlines' low-cost subsidiary, Nok Air, and Bangkok Airways. Any experiences readers have of flying with these airlines are welcome in the comments section. Of course, there are also inexpensive bus and train links between many destinations.
Requests for alternative Thailand come up a lot; I've recently recommended Ko Lanta, Ko Tao and Ko Chang. Any other suggestions?
