JOAN SCALESanswers your travel questions
How can we bring our dog on our holiday to Majorca?
Q My daughter and I are travelling to Majorca to spend June, July and August there. We have a chihuahua we are anxious to bring with us rather than leave him in kennels. Both Aer Lingus and Ryanair fly direct from Dublin to Palma, but I do not think animals can fly with either airline. How we can get our dog to Majorca? If we had to drive, which are best ferries to use and what is the best route to take? If we were to drive we would like to spend a couple of nights in hotels going and coming back. Any suggestions?
JT, Dublin
You cannot take pets by air to Majorca from Ireland. Once your dog has all the necessary vaccinations and has been microchipped you can travel by ferry. You can take your dog with Irish Ferries (0818- 300400, www.irishferries. com) to France from Rosslare, to Roscoff or Cherbourg, but you can only return with pets via Cherbourg.
Brittany Ferries (021-4277801, www.brittany ferries.ie) also take pets on its service from Cork to Roscoff, which operates from April to October.
There are options via the United Kingdom to France or Spain. Britanny Ferries (www.brittany-ferries. co.uk) is the only ferry company that takes pets directly, from Plymouth or Portsmouth to Santander.
You can travel to France from the UK on a variety of ferry companies, including PO and Stena Line, and via Eurotunnel. All of their websites outline the requirements for transporting pets. See www.poferries.co.uk, www.stenaline.co.uk and www.eurotunnel.com.
Three companies have daily ferry services from Barcelona to Palma, in Majorca, in the summer. You can take pets on all of them. See www.trans mediterranea.net, www.iscomar.com and www.balearia.com.
Accommodation will depend on the route you take. I can direct you to the tourism websites for UK, France and Spain for suggested hotels: www.visitbritain.com, www.franceguide.com and www.spain.info. Also I find the www.viamichelin.com site very useful for planning driving routes.
Q I am looking for advice on visiting the Norwegian fjords. I am considering taking a short cruise, travelling on my own. Could you recommend one?
EM, Dublin
The Norwegian fjord cruise company Hurtigruten has great cruises all through the year along the coast of Norway. It has a number of routes that would suit you, and it is not charging a single supplement this summer, making it more cost-effective for lone travellers. 01-6074420, www.hurtigruten.ie.
Q We are a family of four: two adults and two children, aged four and one. In May we are taking a seven-day cruise from Venice, where we plan to stay three nights after the cruise. We found a lovely apartment on www.viewsonvenice.com, but we are still looking for a reasonably priced hotel the night before the cruise. We arrive late, with in all likelihood two tired children, so somewhere convenient from the airport would be ideal.
GO’L, Wexford
Venice is not cheap, especially when the season has begun; www.venere.com is good for accommodation in Italy. The hotels listed in Venice cost €150-€200 for a family room. You could always stay at the airport, where there is a Marriott (www.marriott.com) and the Titian Inn (www.titianinn.com). Both cost about €160 per room per night.
Go contact
E-mail questions, with your name and address, to jscales@irishtimes.com