Your questions answered
Q I don't mind flying but am claustrophobic. The legroom on flights is getting smaller and smaller. I find boarding very stressful, with all the security. I seem to spend my time queuing in small areas in airports with no time to relax and calm down before boarding. I am choosing destinations based on flying times of two to three hours but find myself dreading the flight. I can see myself giving up flying altogether. Have you any advice? ... Ann Doyle, Dublin
Travelling can be busy, noisy and stressful, but I have a few ideas that may make flying a bit easier for you.
Using airlines that allow you to check in online will cut down on the queuing at airports, particularly if you fly with hand baggage. You print off your boarding card and go straight to security. No queuing for check-in.
At Dublin Airport you can use Anna Livia Departure Lounge, a quiet area airside where you can have a drink, read the paper and wait for your flight to be called. It costs €25 and is open from 5.30am to 7pm. You can just turn up or book on 1890-306090.
An alternative is to think about using smaller airports, which are less stressful. Waterford, for example, has a wide range of destinations with Aer Arann. You can fly to Amsterdam, Bordeaux, Faro, Lorient and Malaga. Parking is only €35 per week. See www.aerarann.com.
Q Could you explain the difference in taxes on apparently identical flights? We are going from Dublin to Seattle via Heathrow on September 1st, returning on September 18th. If we fly with Aer Lingus and British Airways the taxes are 353.93. If we fly with Aer Lingus and Northwest they are 92.57.... V Reilly, Dublin 6
Different airlines have different ways of calculating taxes and charges. What is not obvious in the booking you describe here is that the British Airways taxes include a fuel surcharge of £58 each way, or about €150 in total. Northwest has a surcharge, too, but it is lower. Also, foreign carriers tend to have lower fares than home-based airlines.
Q We are a large family of nine adults, six children and three infants, looking for a week's self-catering accommodation in August in the Cork or Kerry region. Proximity to swimming and golf would be great. Can you help us identify some options?... D MacNeill, Belgium
You will be glad to hear that a number of large properties could suit a group such as yours in the Cork and Kerry region. Some that would be worth pursuing are Ardnagashel, overlooking Bantry Bay; Cashelfean estate, overlooking Glengarriff; Killarney House, a modern house with mountain views, six kilometres from Killarney town; and West Cove House, overlooking Kenmare Estuary, which sleeps up to 10, with room for another 10 in its converted stables. You can look at these houses on www.irishgems.com, which has 49 properties in the southwest suitable for parties of 12 or more, and talk to the agents, John Colclough and Siobhán Byrne, on 01-6607975.
Q My wife and I (not in the first flush of youth) shall disembark from a cruise ship in Copenhagen at about 10am one morning in June and fly home to Dublin early that evening. Where can we can deposit our luggage for the day, and how could we put the four or five hours we have in the city to best advantage? We have been to Copenhagen before and done the tour, so we don't need to visit the Little Mermaid or the Tivoli Gardens again! ... J Finkel, Dublin
Copenhagen Central Station has a left-luggage facility where you can leave your baggage while you take in the sights of the city. One website that may be useful, as it is designed for travellers such as yourselves, is www.cruisecopenhagen.com.
It may be nice to take in a walking tour of the city; www.copenhagenwalks.comhas a nice selection of walks around the city, with themes such as castles and palaces and romantic Copenhagen. It will also arrange a private tour if you prefer.
For more about the city in general, have a look at www.visitdenmark.com.
• E-mail questions, with your name and address, to jscales@irish-times.ie