Your questions answered by Joan Scales
Q I am setting off on an around-the-world trip next month. I have included flights into China in May. I recently contacted Trailfinders, the agency with which I booked my trip, to ask if I could obtain a visa through its visa agency. It said I wouldn't be able to, as my visa would be invalid by the time I would be due to enter China. The person I booked my ticket through appears not to have told me that at the time. I have been unable to get a reply from the Chinese embassy in Dublin for the past four days; all I get is an automated service, even though an officer is supposed to answer the phone between 3pm and 4pm. I then asked my travel agency whether I would be able to get a visa in Australia. It was unable to give me an answer. Have you ever encountered this problem or been asked about it before? I am pretty anxious at this stage, as I don't want to miss China.
... MOB, Galway
You will not have to miss out on a trip to China. You can apply for a visa in Australia. Your passport must have at least six months' validity, and you can apply up to a month before you visit. The Chinese consulate in Sydney is at 39 Dunblane Street, Camperdown (call 00-61-2-85958002, fax 00-61-2-85958001, http://sydney.chineseconsulate.org/eng/). You can e-mail the embassy at chinaemb_au@ mfa.gov.cn.
Q I am organising a workplace trip to see the Northern Lights over a period of three or four days. Are there any specialist trips, and where is the best place to guarantee a view? When is the best time of year to go?
... EM, Dublin
As the Northern Lights, or aurora borealis, are a natural phenomenon, there is no guarantee that you will see them. Predicting the Northern Lights is difficult. They usually appear from October to January but can appear earlier and later. We have also been lucky to see them in Ireland, in 2001, when sunspot activity caused the aurora to spread. You just have to be in the right location and hope to get lucky. The best locations are northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Greenland and Scotland. In northern Scotland the phenomenon usually only shows about one day a month, so there are fewer opportunities there. Wallace Travel Group (www.wtg.ie, 01-8361611) arranges three-day packages to Iceland, on direct flights, for about €499 each. The trips for this year are booked out, but you can book for next October and November. Home & Abroad Travel (www.homeandabroad. ie, 01-4751177), which arranges trips to Scandinavia and Iceland, should be able to put together a package for your group. Project Travel (www. project-travel.ie, 01-2108391), which specialises in trips to Norway, would be able to put together a package for your group to Tromso or Hammerfest. My colleague Elgy Gillespie writes about visiting Iceland in this week's edition.
Q I wish to holiday in France for two weeks next June or early July with my football-mad 13-year-old son. The ferry is expensive, I think, with just two of us. I'm not confident to drive in France, anyway. My son has special needs, and, although he's okay flying, the simpler and more straightforward the journey, the better. Is there any such thing as a package holiday to France? Also, I've heard of soccer summer camps in Spain. Are there any in France? Most accommodation seems geared to couples or families. We need separate beds, although not necessarily separate rooms. We're open to a mobile, apartment or beach house, and possibly a campsite. A sandy beach and a pool are a must. Football, volleyball, table tennis and crazy golf, preferably within walking distance of an authentic French village, would be a bonus. Not too built up. No noisy nightlife. Too much to ask?
... SW, Dublin
A variety of lovely resorts in France would provide the type of holiday you are looking for with your son. The resorts have lots of activities, great pools and other children to play with, and they are accessible by air, although you may have to take a train and taxi to get there. Keycamp Holidays (www. keycamp.ie, 021-4252300) runs soccer camps at three of its resorts, in Brittany, south Vendeé and Dordogne. Accommodation is in mobile homes. It also has special offers for single-parent families. The soccer camps cost €7 per day and are very popular. Book with your holiday. It will also be able to advise on the nearest airport and how to get there.
Go contact
E-mail questions, with your name and address, to jscales@irish-times.ie