Travel tips and advice including Dubai-Abu Dhabi transport and a US road trip

What a great adventure this is. I'd be using a book to plan this journey, the National Geographic Guide to Scenic Highways and Byways. This is the ideal guide for tailoring a trip through the US in the slow lane, with lots of photographs and maps that will help you plan a sensational journey through the American West. The book is available through Angus and Robertson's online bookstore, angusrobertson.com.au,  priced at $45.99, with a delivery time of 1-2 weeks. 

My own preference would be a wandering journey to take in the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Yellowstone,  Grand Teton National Park, Zion National Park, Santa Fe and Bryce Canyon National Park. 

August is going to be very busy and you can expect big crowds at the scenic spectaculars such as the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. September will be quieter, especially once the school holidays finish early in the month, but you need to book accommodation and vehicle hire as soon as possible. If you have any flexibility in your travel dates you might consider starting your journey at the end of August or early September to avoid the worst of the peak season. 

On the Rocky Mountaineer, your most likely starting points are either Banff or Jasper, finishing in Vancouver. You're likely to incur a heavy one-way charge for your hire vehicle if you pick it up in the US and return it in Canada but this might not be too much of a problem if you're travelling aboard a single vehicle and the charge is shared between six. If not, what you might do is drop it at a city airport in one of the western US states and fly to Calgary, from where it's just a short trip to Banff, which would be my preferred starting point for your journey aboard the Rocky Mountaineer.

WE ARE VISITING FRIENDS IN ABU DHABI IN DECEMBER AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW THE LEAST EXPENSIVE WAY TO GET FROM DUBAI AIRPORT TO THE CORNICHE IN ABU DHABI. WE WOULD ALSO LIKE TO GO TO A DESERT DINNER, DEPENDING ON THE COST. WOULD YOU RECOMMEND ONE FOR US IN ABU DHABI?

A. AND M. JOBBINS. KURRI KURRI

Your best option is to take the metro from Dubai's International Airport to the Al Ghubaiba​ Metro station. This station is on the green line so you'll need to change from the airport train, on the blue line, at Union Square. From Al Ghubaiba metro station make your way to the Al Ghubaiba Bus Station, just a couple of blocks away. Apart from a break between 1-5am buses depart from there for Abu Dhabi about every 20 minutes. The trip takes just over two hours, the buses are airconditioned and very comfortable, and keep in mind that the back seats are for men only. From the bus terminal in Abu Dhabi you should catch a taxi to your friends' residence. The Evening Desert Safari and Dinner from Get Your Guide getyourguide.com gets good reviews. After a pick-up from your hotel about 3:30pm, you'll be taken to a camel farm and out for a spot of four-wheel-drive dune bashing – hold on tight – before trying an Arab shisha, a water pipe, and sitting down for a barbecue dinner under the stars with live entertainment, and look inconspicuous or you might be invited onto the floor by the belly dancer. The price is $129 a person. 

WE ARE VISITING OUR SON IN THE UK FOR CHRISTMAS AND CONTINUING ON TO EXPLORE AMSTERDAM, COLOGNE, MUNICH, NUREMBERG AND SALZBURG FOR TWO WEEKS. WHAT ARE THE MUST-SEE ATTRACTIONS IN THESE CITIES AND WHAT CLOTHES AND SHOES SHOULD WE TAKE? I HAVE NO IDEA HOW COLD IT MAY BE.

S. GAVIN, CASTLE HILLS

Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, Cologne Cathedral, Schloss Nymphenburg​ and the Residenzmuseum​ in Munich, Kaiserburg​ Castle in Nuremburg and Hohensalzburg​ Castle in Salzburg all rate as highlights on your itinerary, but you can find plenty more wonderful advice on each of these cities if you go to the Traveller website (traveller.com.au) or the Lonely Planet website lonelyplanet.com and key in your destinations in the search box. You could also go to the national tourism websites for Germany, the Netherlands and Austria and find more of the same. 

It's going to be seriously cold, between minus 5 and 2 degrees in Salzburg and only slightly warmer in Amsterdam. Typically in northern Europe, you'll be going from freezing temperatures outdoors to overheated interiors, frantically shucking off clothes in restaurants and shops. It makes sense therefore to dress in layers, with a bottom thermal layer, shirt and trousers, jumper or fleece and a coat or parka on top. Wool is my favourite but no matter how many clothes I take I'm always caught napping by how cold it is in Europe and I end up buying more. If this happens to you, January should be a great time to buy, with sales of winter gear and smart and desirable fashions that you won't see back home.

CONVERSATION OVER TO YOU… 

The question was "Next question: There are a couple of websites that buy business class seats using frequent flyer points and sell them at a big discount. Ever been tempted, or better still, taken the plunge?"

A. Danilov writes, "I found a recommendation for one of these websites called Fly Business For Less, and I emailed them about a flight I wanted to take. I didn't receive any reply for a week or two, then a message saying they'd had troubles with their site, and to re-send my request, which I did. After no further replies or suggestions for some weeks, I gave up and booked my economy flight. Now all I get is newsletter emails from them which don't interest me in the slightest, so I'm less than impressed with them."

From P. Carison, 'I've been tempted but I'm cautious. I've heard that some airlines frown on the practice and what happens if they refuse to honour my ticket? Would the seller come to my rescue?"

N. Morrison writes "I've not purchased tickets from any of these operators but I've found plenty of negative reviews from people who have. Mainly the problem seems to be US airlines in particular refusing to honour tickets issued by these discount operators. My feeling is don't touch them. If something looks to good to be true, it probably is, and these offers definitely fall into that category."

Next question: What was your first overseas holiday, and does it still bring back special memories?

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