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1. My wife and I are fond of visiting temples and historical sites and want to tour Gujarat over a period of 10-15 days. We thought of hiring a car (with driver) for the tour. Do tour operators organise such trips and how much would it cost?

Omkar Thakur, Chandigarh

There are tour operators who organise such tours with a planned itinerary. The tours will be ex-Ahmedabad. The major destinations and sites covered are Ahmedabad / Baroda / Bhavnagar / Palitana / Mandvi / Diu / Somnath Temple / Junagarh / Jamnagar / Dwarka / Porbandar / Jamnagar/ Ahmedabad and then back to Delhi. Such a tour will be of approximately 13 days and will cost approximately USD 795 per person. For more details check out the website www.bestway2india.com

2. I have a conference to attend in Singapore and want to proceed to Malaysia and Thailand with family on a holiday for a week. Apart from Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, which are the other must visit places in these countries and will I get good mid-range accommodation options and what would a room night cost?

Prem Kumar Das, Bhubaneshwar

If travelling to Malaysia, other places of interest are Langkawi and Penang. A three star category hotel on an average will cost approximately USD 40 - 50 per double room, per night inclusive of breakfast and taxes. Similarly in Thailand besides Bangkok, you have options of going to Pattaya, Phuket, Kohsamui. The accommodation at these resort towns ranges from approximately USD 30 - 50 per double, per night inclusive of breakfast and taxes.

3. I am taking a break from work for a month in August - September and plan to backpack to Ladakh. I know that driving there would be cheaper than flying. Can you tell me if it's better to drive via Manali or Srinagar? How much would I be saving by driving there? What about accommodation?

Carl Fernandes, Mumbai

The cost of driving vis-a-vis airfare would depend on the number of people travelling. Besides, the two journeys are not strictly comparable, as driving to Ladakh is in itself an experience. You could drive up from Manali and back via Srinagar or vice versa. Leh has about 72 hotels (all categorised as A, B and C class). The average tariff for A class hotel is approximately Rs.2,700 on all-inclusive plan for double occupancy while the B and C category hotels offer accommodation for approximately Rs.1,900 on all-inclusive plan. There are approximately 185 guesthouses, which offer accommodation for approximately Rs.300 or more on double occupancy on bed and breakfast basis.

4. Is September and October a good time to plan a trip to New Zealand for adventure sports like bungee jumping etc? Can one go backpacking and how much would a 10-day trip cost?

Ajay Sharma, Lucknow

Yes, you can organise a tour to New Zealand in October since the weather conditions are quite favourable. Besides bungee jumping, you may indulge in other adventure activities like Whale watching, Glacier walks, Wildlife tours, Helicopter ride to Mount Cook, Motor-biking, Milford Sound Red Boat cruises, etc. New Zealand also offers great options of backpacking: you have the option of taking a coach pass with which you can travel on a set route and hop on and hop off as often as you like. A second option is sightseeing packages, which cover the leading tourist attractions. A backpacker hostel will cost approximately NZD 220 for 10 days. The pass cost will be additional, approximately NZD 592 per adult and is valid for three months from the date of purchase.