Your questions: What are the restrictions on booking exit row seats?

I’m 208 centimetres tall and literally unable to fit in a standard economy aircraft seat. I always pay extra for emergency exit rows. Is there an age at which these will cease being available to me, or will airlines judge my ability to assist in an emergency purely on my physical appearance? My wife and I plan to travel regularly in retirement, but that may not be possible if we have to budget for business class fares.
C. Smith, Sydney, NSW

Whether you get to sit in an exit row seat – even if you paid extra to do so – is up to the discretion of the airline.Credit: iStock

When you select and pay for an exit-row seat, there is always the chance that check-in staff or flight crew might not allow you to occupy this seat. Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority rules state that passengers sitting in the exit row must be reasonably fit, strong and able to assist with the evacuation of the aircraft in an emergency, and, because of a condition or disability, would not hinder other passengers or crew.

But airlines can get a bit more specific. For example, Qantas cites a minimum age (15) but no maximum age. Other requirements include no hearing or sight problems that can’t be corrected by a hearing aid or glasses (in which case they must be worn during take-off and landing), no missing or prosthetic limbs, and you must not require the use of an extension seat belt due to your size. Ultimately, it’s entirely up to the airline’s discretion whether you get to take that seat.

If you’re concerned that you might be disqualified on fitness or other grounds, one option would be to choose a seat with extra legroom that is not next to an emergency exit. One example is a seat behind bulkheads. Take a look at the seating configuration aboard the aircraft operating your flight using SeatMaps to pinpoint the seats with extra legroom. These seats are often popular, and it helps if you can book well in advance.

We are considering doing a rail tour through Switzerland, is it possible to do this independently, booking trains and accommodation ourselves, or better to go with an organised tour? We’d like to spend two or three nights in cities we visit.
M. Edwards, Glenmore Park, NSW

The Glacier Express: Regular scheduled trains operate on the same route at a much lower cost.Credit:

Trains are an excellent way to see Switzerland. Since you want to spend a few nights in each place, you’d be better off organising your own travels rather than joining a tour, and that’s easily done. Trains run bang on time and the whole country is connected by a frequent and efficient integrated rail network that’s simple to use. You can also stay flexible if that’s your preference, since regular, full-price tickets are available in unlimited numbers, good for any train that day. That means you can just roll up to the station, buy a ticket and hop on the next train. On some longer-distance trains you might want to reserve a seat – the fee is usually not high.

To check schedules and fares and buy tickets, use the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) website. There is also an SBB Mobile app. From the website you can also see some of the rail passes that will save you money, and the Swiss Half Fare Card is an absolute bargain, giving you up to 50 per cent off on train and bus journeys, boat trips and most mountain lifts and railways, gondola lifts and panoramic routes. The Half Fare card costs CHF120 ($208), valid for a month. Another money saver is Supersaver advance-purchase tickets, available on longer journeys, which can save you up to 50 per cent, available up to one day before travel.

Switzerland is famous for its Scenic Rail Journeys such as the Glacier Express and the Bernina Express. These are fabulous journeys, often aboard panoramic carriages with glass ceilings or even open-air cars that allow you to enjoy the scenery, but they are expensive. Note that you can take regular trains that follow the exact-same routes as these prestige trains, at a much lower cost.

Visiting relatives in the US, we intend flying Qantas to Dallas-Fort Worth for a few days before continuing to Miami. Is it preferable to stay in Dallas or Fort Worth to visit museums and galleries? Can you recommend small, moderately priced hotels?
J. Wilder, Caulfield North, Vic

Dallas has the entertainment district, an aquarium, museums and a lively arts and music scene. Fort Worth is more the “yee-ha!” Stetson-hatted Texas town, with the daily cattle drives and rodeos at the Stockyards National Historic District, Sundance Square and the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, and plenty of admirers.

Being smaller and less of a business-oriented city, Fort Worth is probably going to be the better choice. Rosen House Inn is a charming, old-style bed and breakfast, well-placed for exploring Fort Worth’s historic and modern districts. Reviews are exceptionally good. The Ashton Hotel, close to Sundance Square in downtown Fort Worth, is a 39-room, 100-year-old property with stylish, modern rooms. Even the smallest of the entry-level Signature Rooms measures more than 30 square metres.

We will be travelling to Central Asia in April next year. The flight includes an 11-hour,15- minute stop in Dubai. Is there something we could do to fill in this time, a tour perhaps?
H. Dousset, Croydon, Vic

If you have an Australian passport you don’t need a visa to enter Dubai. If most of those 11 hours fall during daytime, use the Metro stations in Terminal 1 or Terminal 3 to get into the city. When you get to Burjuman Station, change to the Green Line, get off at Sharaf DG Station and explore the Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood, which incorporates traditional Emirati buildings such as the 18th-century Al Fahidi Fort, now home to Dubai Museum’s pearl-diving exhibits. In Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House, a former royal residence, there’s a collection of historic photographs while the Heritage and Diving Villages have replica mud huts with potters and jewellers at work. The Textile Souk is the place to shop for keffiyehs and pashminas and take a look at the Gold Souk while you’re in the area, with its 350 shops.

Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo is a popular attraction with glass-walled tanks that give you a fish-eye view of sharks, otters, crocodiles and hundreds of fish species. The aquarium even has penguins in an icy habitat that simulates their Antarctic home.

I’m not a huge fan of shopping malls, but Dubai Mall is an attraction in its own right, the world’s second-largest, with a mind-boggling array of high-end shops but also lots of moderately priced Asian dining options. If you’d rather take a guided tour, there are several options on Viator.

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