When Captain Paul Wright, skipper of the Cunard Line's newest liner the Queen Victoria, was asked by his school guidance counsellor what he enjoyed doing, he responded "looking out the window".

Advice on taking a cross-USA trip from New York to New Orleans, cruising in Europe and what sights to see in Tashkent.

I have spent nearly a month in North Africa and the Middle East and in both areas the land seems in grave danger of being suffocated by swathes of fluttering, tattered plastic bags and mountains of plastic bottles.

Advice on travel to the USA, Italy and Mexico and finding the best seat on a long-haul flight.

Advice on visiting the Middle East, taking a driving holiday in California and cycling the Camino de Santiago in Spain.

It's the annual burning question: "What are we going to do for New Year's Eve?"

Advice on taking teenagers to Europe, chilling out in the Arctic Circle and undertaking a self-drive holiday in Canada.

Sydney might seem more like a security fortress than an ideal holiday destination as Apec rolls into town, but travellers have voted it the best city in the world.

Advice on taking the family to Egypt and Dubai and multi-day hiking options in Australia.