Ask Joan: your travel dilemmas solved

My fit and healthy 81-year-old mum is travelling to South Africa over Christmas and hopes to stay there for almost three months. Her insurance for long-stay vacations in the past has been dealt with by her Mastercard. Provided she paid for 80 per cent of her holiday using her Mastercard her travel insurance was free. However, since she is now 81, Mastercard will not cover travel insurance.

My mother is in very good health and has not had to claim on her travel insurance or indeed on her VHI when she has been away for such long periods. I have telephoned several insurance companies and they have all refused to provide insurance. The best I could get was a two-month insurance policy with the AA. I was wondering if you would have any ideas? – TK, Dublin

It is great that your Mum is fit and well for an extended trip to South Africa but travel insurance is always a difficulty when you get to a certain age. You will get insurance, at a cost. Try justcover.ie. It does not have age restrictions and there will be a questionnaire about her health to complete before it will quote. Allianz.ie does cover for over-75s for trips up to 90 days. Contact them with the full details.

I won a pair of return tickets to anywhere in the world. Originally I had earmarked Jordan but the British and US foreign offices both warn against unnecessary travel there. We now need to quickly decide on an eight- to nine-day trip to somewhere fantastic. We love trekking and food and want to maximise the flights while not wrecking ourselves with jet lag. We were thinking of the east coast of the US or Canada next August, but we are wide open to suggestion.
– PB, Dublin

As you are thinking about going in August, consider the weather and season. Accommodation will be at premium prices.

So it may make sense to join a guided tour. The Mauiva Air Cruise is a five-night adventure, using private aircraft and small airfields to get you around to see as much as possible. The East Coast tour begins and ends in New York. There are visits to lots of sights and attractions. It costs from $5,198 (€4,000) for two, which includes flights, accommodation, guided tours, most meals and entrance fees. See mauivaaircruise.com.

The North America programme from G Adventures has such things as hiking in the Rockies, exploring French food in Quebec, driving the Blues in Memphis, Nashville and the Blue Ridge Parkway or discovering stunning national parks, from €750-€2,000. Check out gadventures.com (01-697 1360).

Look at walksworldwide.com to see a good range of guided walks next August, from traversing the Atlas Mountains to Forests of Finland and the Alps of Romania, all under 10 days.

Would you have any tips for a family of four (parents and two sons in their 20s) on what to do in Dublin at Christmas. We will be with family for a few days but, as we are coming from Spain, I would like them to see/do different things. Most of the places I checked, such as museums, seem to be closed from December 23rd-28th. Is there something open? – DE, Spain

As Christmas Day falls in the middle of a week, it means fewer things will be open. Museums normally close on Monday and most will not reopen until Saturday, December 28th. There will be free walking tours that week from December 27th, meet at Dublin City Hall at 1pm for a guided tour. Just tip the guide, newdublintours.com. You could also take yourselves around with the help of fun apps such as the Dublin Storymap, which takes you on a walking tour from Trinity to the Museum of Modern Art with stories along the way. The Discover Ireland app has a GPS locator and will give you details of things on and open in your immediate area. The Guinness Storehouse will be open on Friday 27th and so will the Chester Beatty Library and Dublin Castle. See dublinks.com for more ideas.

Send your travel queries to jscales@irishtimes.com