Tips and advice: The Tripologist

The problem with tropical South-East Asia and Oceania is that this is smack in the middle of the rainy season, and also the cyclone season across much of this region. Since it coincides with our own summer holidays it's peak time for visitors from Australia so cheapness and freedom from crowds are not easy.

My first and best choice would be Sri Lanka. A little further than where you're thinking but the weather in January and February is great in most of the areas you'd be likely to visit, prices are reasonable and Sinhalese culture is all pervasive and highly photogenic. The beaches rate as some of Asia's best, relaxation is a given and the country still has novelty value, at least for most Australian travellers.

On the downside, this is also prime time for tourism in Sri Lanka and you can expect plenty of visitors, many of them escaping Europe's deep winter chill.

Most journeys in Sri Lanka involve a circular route in a clockwise direction from Colombo, and five weeks would give you plenty of time to explore the ancient cities of the interior, Kandy and the tea country, Galle and the beaches of the south-west coast.

My second pick would be India, focusing on the states of Rajasthan for the culture and Goa for the beach and relaxation chapters.

Wherever you decide on you should book now, the cheaper airline seats will be disappearing as travellers firm up their plans and aircraft seats fill.

WE WILL BE SPENDING A FEW DAYS IN COPENHAGEN NEXT OCTOBER AND WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A TRAIN OR BUS TO SKANE IN SWEDEN, OUR ANCESTRAL HOME. WHERE WOULD THE TRAIN LEAVE FROM AND CAN WE GET THERE AND BACK IN A DAY? WE ARE A MATURE-AGE COUPLE AND NEED THIS TO BE A SIMPLE OPERATION.

B. AND S. SKANE, PORT MACQUARIE

The capital of Skane County is the city of Malmo, and getting there from Copenhagen is simple if that's what you're proposing to do. Trains take barely 30 minutes to make the journey between the two cities via the Oresund Bridge and they leave at about 20-minute intervals throughout the day. In Copenhagen, trains depart from Köbenhavn H Station, also known as Copenhagen Central.

You'll want to see something of Malmo when you get there and one way to do this would be to take the Rundan Sightseeing tour stromma.se/en/malmo  of the city's canals. The tour departs from Norra Vallgatan, opposite Malmo's Central Station, however it only operates until early October each year. If your visit falls after that date your best option would be to make your way to the Malmo Tourism Office, located within the city's central station, and find out what tours might best suit your needs. The official visitor website for Malmo is malmotown.com/en.

MY PARTNER AND I WILL SOON BE RENTING A HOUSE IN RURAL FRANCE FOR TWO YEARS. I'LL BE RECEIVING REGULAR SUPERANNUATION PAYMENTS FROM AUSTRALIA. WHAT'S THE MOST SENSIBLE BANKING SET-UP UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES?

M. PATTERSON, LEICHHARDT

For a long absence such as this there may well be tax implications that I am not aware of and you should seek the services of a financial adviser well versed in French and Australian taxation systems to discuss how you might best structure your affairs. There are many Australian expatriates living in France and competent financial advice should not be too hard to find. There are also plenty of expatriate websites that have information on this topic.

If you decide to open a bank account in France and transfer your superannuation payments this is not too difficult. If you are deemed to be a non-resident you will most likely face a few conditions such as the requirement to maintain a minimum deposit in your account and limits on the amount you may be able to transfer each month.

I use Currency Fair currencyfair.com to transfer funds to foreign bank accounts. Once you've set up an account with Currency Fair you simply deposit funds and then nominate which bank account you want the funds paid into. The fee for a standard transfer is €3, which is much less than any bank would charge, and their exchange rates are close to the interbank rate.

The simplest solution would be to leave your superannuation payments in your Australian account and use a credit card for purchases and make withdrawals via an ATM as required. If you decide on this method two cards worth considering are the 28 Degrees MasterCard 28degreescard.com.au for purchases and the Citibank Visa Debit card citibank.com.aufor cash withdrawals.

CONVERSATION OVER TO YOU…

The question was "Has a hire-car operator ever charged you for damage that was not your fault?"

From P. Laffen, "I was charged for damage to the paintwork of my hire car after it was scratched by a bear while driving through forest outside Banff in Canada. The bear was totally unafraid and it pawed the side of the car and looked us over through the windows. It wasn't aggressive but the scratches were pretty deep and there wasn't too much I could say by way of an excuse, but it makes a good dinner party story. Even the car hire people thought it was funny."

T. Smith writes "We have a simple procedure we follow when we hire a car either locally or overseas - we take a video with a phone or iPad. One when we pick it up, if it has any existing damage, and another when we drop it off. Also showing a full fuel tank, and that there is no damage to the vehicle. I find the best place to take the video is outside the car hire office. I also make a point of letting them know. To date we have had no problems."

"Almost," according to J. Donovan. "I collected my hire car at night from a Sixt parking station in Barcelona and left it outside my hotel. Next morning, in the light of day, I was horrified to see it had a big ding in the rear panel close to the tail light. I thought someone had run into it and I'd declined the excess waiver so I thought I might be up for a massive bill, and it was a BMW, but at the end of the hire they told me it was like that when I collected it, phew!"

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