Tripologist: Is it OK to ‘wing it’ with accommodation in the UK?

I am travelling to the UK for three weeks in October, avoiding the summer peak and potential school holiday breaks. Accommodation at start and end dates has been booked, but I am prepared to “wing it” on accommodation as I travel around. Should this be OK? Travelling by train, do main line train journeys require forward bookings?
M. Lambert, Kilsyth, Vic

Accommodation in the UK shoud be relatively easy to find in October.Credit: iStock

I’d say wing it. As you note, hotel bookings in October are relatively quiet. As long as you have a backup plan if your first choice of accommodation is unavailable, you should be fine. Booking train tickets at the last minute might cost more, however. Train travel is subject to dynamic pricing, like airline tickets. You’ll be more sure of a seat if you avoid the peaks of morning and late afternoon, particularly on popular commuter lines. You might be better off with a BritRail Pass. That won’t ensure you’ve got a seat, but it will offset any price rises caused by last-minute booking.

We are hiring a car in Madrid to travel to Granada, Cordoba and Seville. Do we need to arrange pollution stickers? Also, is it possible to do a limited walk on the Caminito del Rey rather than going the whole way?
S. Hudson, Cherrybrook, NSW

Caminito del Rey in the Spanish province of Malaga.Credit: Getty Images

Since you are not the registered owner of your vehicle, you cannot obtain a sticker to drive it in one of Spain’s 149 towns and cities with Low Emission Zones (ZBEs). Fear not, your Spanish hire car should have either a Green Sticker, which applies to diesel vehicles registered after 2015 and petrol vehicles after 2006; an Eco sticker, which covers hybrid cars and those powered by gas; or a Zero sticker, denoting a 100 per cent electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid. With any of these stickers you are allowed to enter a ZBE anywhere in Spain. If you’re in any doubt whether your hire car will have a sticker, contact your car-hire operator.

The Caminito del Rey walk takes between 90 and 120 minutes. Since parts of the trail are a boardwalk suspended halfway up a sheer-sided gorge, there is no option for a shorter version. See the detailed notes on the Along Dusty Roads website.

Next year after a week in Corfu, my husband and I would like to catch the ferry to Albania’s Sarande and then make our way north to Tallinn, Estonia. We would love to see Albania, but looks difficult to navigate by public transport. We have three months.
A. & K. Pidd, Sydney, NSW

The old town of Tallinn, Estonia.Credit: Getty Images

You could fly from Tirana to Tallinn, but with plenty of time in hand, there are much more interesting possibilities if you do it overland. Albania is not a big country. You could base yourselves in the capital of Tirana and make a few day trips from there. If you want a more intensive view of the country and its unique culture, you could also use the city of Shkodra as a base for exploring the north of the country. To travel overland from Tirana to Tallinn, take a bus to Skopje using either the Omio or Flixbus website. The journey will take six to eight hours depending on which bus you take. Stay a few nights, then take either a bus or train to Belgrade, followed by Budapest, a possible detour to Vienna (which I would recommend), then Krakow, Warsaw, Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn. For your train travels either Omio, Rail Europe or Trainline offer convenient booking.

My husband and I are looking for somewhere to enjoy Christmas lunch with our adult children in New York City. Anywhere you can suggest for a traditional lunch on Christmas Day?
F. Frances, Camberwell, Vic

Christmas is New York is stunning – but not celebrated with the same culinary gusto as Thanksgiving.Credit: Getty Images

Christmas in the US is not celebrated with the same culinary gusto as in Europe. Thanksgiving, which falls on November 28 this year, is a more important fixture on the food calendar. Many restaurants will be closed on Christmas Day, although not the hotels. If this appeals, the St Regis, The Plaza and the Ritz-Carlton Central Park are all great choices, although pricey ones. Rolf’s is a German-style restaurant in Gramercy Park, famous for its Christmas decorations, while The Grill in Midtown and Balthazar in SoHo are top food choices. Other alternatives are some of the city’s British-inspired restaurants such as Lord’s Restaurant in Greenwich Village, The Churchill Tavern in NoMad, Jones Wood Foundry on the Upper East Side, or Gordon Ramsay Fish and Chips in Times Square.

Travel advice is general; readers should consider their personal circumstances.