Your questioms answered, write Joan Scales
Q Can you suggest what to see and do in Edinburgh for two adults and our 15-year-old daughter? We will be there for four days and would also like to see a show.
PD, Dublin
Edinburgh is a lovely city with lots to see and do. You can spend a day exploring the Royal Mile, which runs from the castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the new parliament building, with a number of attractions on the way, including the Camera Obscura and the Whisky Museum. The parliament is worth visiting to see great modern architecture.
There are some very good ghostly walking tours that enliven Edinburgh's dark side. There are also a variety of museums to explore, including Surgeons' Hall, the Scottish Storytelling Centre, the Museum of Childhood and the National Museum of Scotland.
If you are feeling energetic, a walk up to Arthur's Seat, in Holyrood Park, will afford you the best view of the city. No visit to the city is complete without a visit to Jenners department store, on Prince's Street, for some retail therapy.
You could spend another day taking a tour out of the city. If you have an interest in The Da Vinci Code, there is a trip to Rosslyn Chapel (www.rosslyn tours.co.uk) or see a bit of Scotland's heritage and countryside with a tour to Glasgow, Loch Lomond and Stirling Castle (www.scotline tours.co.uk).
Mary Poppins, the musical touring production, is playing at Edinburgh Playhouse (www.edinburgh-playhouse.co.uk) until December 6th.
You can find out more about the city at www.edinburgh.org.
Q I would be very interested in going on a skiing holiday next year for a week or 10 days between February and April. I have never skied before, so I would welcome advice on holidays that cater for adult beginners. I am 31, single and at this stage have not got a definite "travel buddy", so if I could add a further wish to the list it would be a tour company or resort that would cater for solo travellers.
RC, Dublin
Another reader asks: I am a secondary-school teacher wishing to go on a skiing holiday either over Christmas (December 24th to January 6th) or Easter (April 6th to 17th). Unfortunately, none of my colleagues is interested. Friends who are skiers will not travel at these peak periods, as they are expensive. I am wondering if any travel companies specialise in ski trips for individuals travelling together, where I might meet people in a similar situation?
AW, Wicklow
Learning to ski is a good way to meet people, as you will usually be in groups and everyone will have a shared interest in skiing.
Family hotels in Austria usually have some single rooms, and in the Topflight brochure you will see that the Bruckenwirt Hotel, in
St Johann in Tirol, does not charge extra for single rooms; it is a lovely four-star hotel. A week's half-board there, including flights to Salzburg from Dublin, Cork or Knock, starts at €799 for spring skiing.
Even some top hotels have only a small supplement for single rooms with Topflight for a week, but you need to get booking requests in fast. In Austria the four-star Sendlhof Hotel, in Bad Gastein, charges only €65 per week for its single-room supplement. The Alpen Hotel in Saalbach charges €145. In St Wolfgang the Forsterhof Hotel supplement is €70.
Topflight is organising a week's ski trip to Saalbach in Austria with Today FM's Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show on January 31st next year. The show will be broadcast from Saalbach, and there will be lots of activities arranged. This might suit, as 400 Irish people will be skiing and having fun, and the crack should be good. www.topflight.ie.
Friendship Travel, which specialises in holidays for lone travellers, has organised a number of ski trips over the season to France, Austria and Italy. Prices range from £440 (about €570) sharing in low season to £895 (about €1,160) half-board over Christmas. Flights are from airports in the UK, including London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham. Lessons and equipment hire cost extra. 048-94462211, www.friendshiptravel.com.
E-mail questions, with your name and address, to jscales@irish-times.ie