Your questions: I can’t tolerate long-haul flights. What are my options?

I visited Iceland about five years ago and want to return for a more extensive tour. I’m a fit, older female travelling alone, but I can no longer tolerate long-haul flying. Is there a ship that might take me halfway?
D. Gliksman, Yarramalong, NSW

It’s hard to avoid long-haul flights between Australia and Iceland, but one possibility is the Cunard Line, which operates cruises between Singapore and Southampton. The next cruise departs Singapore on March 28, 2026 and arrives in Southampton 33 days later. Another option is a Cunard cruise from Singapore to Los Angeles, departing February 22, 2026 and arriving in Los Angeles on April 5. From Los Angeles you could take a train to New York and fly to Iceland from there.

Premium economy, or better yet business class, makes long-haul flying far more tolerable.Credit:

Another alternative would be to break your journey into shorter, more manageable hops. For example, you could fly from Sydney to Singapore, spend a few nights in a hotel there, continue to Doha or Dubai, stay for a few nights, and then continue to London, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Paris or any other European city that offers non-stop flights to Reykjavik. The maximum flight time would be just slightly longer than eight hours. Flying premium economy or, better still, business class aboard a premier carrier will help soothe the rigours of long-haul flying.

I’m a solo female traveller spending three nights in Istanbul in September. Can you recommend safe and affordable accommodation and some tours? Food, markets, art and history are all of interest.
C. Curnow, Albert Park, Vic

Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.Credit: iStock

The Sultanahmet district, just west of Hagia Sophia Mosque, is a great place to base yourself. It’s in the high part of the city close to Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, some of the splendours you should include in your visit. It’s also relatively tranquil. One hotel that might suit you here is the four-star White House Hotel. The style is ornate Ottoman, the views from the terrace are sensational, the price is reasonable and feedback from guests is excellent.

As well as the highlights mentioned above, don’t miss the incredible Basilica Cistern, a boat trip along the Bosphorus, a stroll along the waterfront near the Galata Bridge, the Kariye Mosque and the Grand Bazaar. Istanbul has a rich and exotic culinary scene that includes influences from Ottoman, Anatolian, Balkan, Middle Eastern and Central Asian kitchens. Secret Food Tours gets five-star reviews, check with locals for other guided tours.

We have a nine-hour transit in Dallas before our connecting flight to Mexico City. Would you recommend leaving the airport to travel into Dallas? Or would it be better to find a lounge at the airport where we could pay to use its facilities?
S. Bennett, Alpine, NSW

Provided your bags are checked through to Mexico City, that you arrive at a reasonable time in the morning and that your incoming flight arrives on schedule, it would be possible to travel into Dallas. The trip aboard the DART rail to downtown Dallas takes about 50 minutes via the Orange Line from Terminal A. An Uber might be slightly quicker, but it depends on traffic.

With about five hours in hand, you could visit Dallas’ outstanding landmark: The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, dedicated to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, a seminal event in US history that took place near here. You might also visit the Dallas Museum of Art and take a stroll around nearby Klyde Warren Park, a green lung in the heart of the city. If you decide to stay at the airport, the Capital One Lounge in Terminal D, near Gate 22 is the best of the pay-for-use lounges. The Club DFW in Terminal D, Gate 27 is another option.

At the end of a late-summer Italian journey, my husband and I are planning to spend about 10 days in Sardinia with our two teenage children. We will be starting and finishing at Cagliari. Any suggestions for which towns to stay in? We will have a car.
J. Adamson, Gymea Bay, NSW

From Cagliari you might head for the west coast to the village of Bosa, which sprawls along a riverfront to the north of Oristano. Located about a 2½-hour drive from the capital, it’s a gorgeous place, a pastel-coloured town with cobblestoned squares – dominated by the hilltop Castello Malaspina, a 12th-century citadel – and big enough to have a decent choice of cafes and hotels, but small enough to explore on foot. From Bosa you can easily visit Alghero, to the north, and Oristano, to the south, two small cities well worth exploring. Alghero is one of the island’s most popular tourist resorts, a pretty, Spanish-influenced town with a treasury of historic architecture. One of the highlights is Neptune’s Grotto, where the sea has gnawed fantastic caves from the limestone cliffs.

You might also want to spend some time by the beach, in which case head north to Caprera Island, a wild and beautiful nature reserve off Sardinia’s north coast. The main beach is Cala Portese, but there are many more tiny scoops of sand cradled within the island’s U-shaped inlets, edged with pink granite rock platforms that tilt into the sea. Accommodation can be found on neighbouring La Maddalena, linked by a bridge to Caprera. While you’re in the area, take a look at Porto Cervo, the centre of the dazzlingly gorgeous Costa Smeralda, a beautiful coastal region and a favourite playground for the super-rich on their superyachts.

Travel advice is general; readers should consider their personal circumstances