Letter of the week

Next month, my son is off on a gap-year trip to Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Chile and Brazil. He is getting conflicting advice as to whether to have a rabies jab. Some say only if he is going off the beaten track - but I don't think he is sure how off it he is likely to go; some say don't bother because it only gives you an extra hour to seek medical attention and some (doctors, travel clinics) say it's a necessity. We can't help noticing that of all the jabs it is also the one for which he would have to pay most! Can you advise please?
Pippa Smith, by email

Rabies jabs are given both before and after victims are bitten by suspect animals. Pre-exposure vaccination involves a course of three injections over a period of a month before you leave home. If you then get bitten, you will need to have two boosters - often as a precaution - to prevent rabies developing. The pre-departure treatment does buy you more time to get medical help, but precisely how much can vary. If you don't get the jabs before you go, you will need a full course plus an immediate injection of rabies antibodies (known as RIG) as quickly as possible after the bite. The latter treatment can be difficult to find, particularly in remote areas.

Personally, I feel happier having all my jabs up to date, but your son will meet plenty of travellers who haven't bothered. There is a real risk, however small - in 2005 a British woman died after being bitten by a rabid dog in India. A reasonable rule of thumb is that if your son is doing any activity that takes him more than 24 hours from a hospital, it would be wise to get this treatment before he goes. A typical price is £42 for each of the three injections.

Parisien guardian angel

My mother would like a short break in Paris. She's 81, very alert but frail and we need lots of assistance and maximum accessibility in a city which, in my experience, offers little of either. I favour travelling by Eurostar but dread the out-of-order escalators at the Gare du Nord. We'll need lifts and extra time and door-to-door sightseeing coach trips. Is there a guardian-angel service that will wrap us up and take care of our special needs?
Mrs Patman, Haywards Heath

Nice idea, but as far as I know, there isn't one service that does everything you're after. I do have a few suggestions, though. You can organise a transfer to your hotel in a comfortable private vehicle with Rendez-vous Paris (00 33 1 4555 4452) which can meet you off the train. So will Access Tourisme Service (00 33 2 3874 2840), a great agency specialising in Paris and the surrounding regions. It offers wheelchair rental and tailor-made tours in accessible vans cost around £100 for a half-day. More and more Metro and RER stations are equipped to provide improved access to people with disabilities. A detailed plan showing all the stations with such facilities is available from RATP ticket offices including the Gare du Nord.

60th in Cornwall

Can you help my family celebrate my 60th birthday with me? It is at the beginning of May. Although renting a villa for eight in a hot place would be an ideal we just can't afford anything like that. We are thinking of a house in Cornwall, perhaps for a long weekend as all my four children work.
Fiona Widdows

I can't help with the weather, but Cornwall has hundreds of self-catering options that meet your requirements, from clusters of cottages to larger individual properties. Generally these are available for a minimum of a week but between several of you this can work out quite reasonably. Make your first stop the Cornwall Tourist Board, which has a searchable accommodation database. After this you should compare locations and prices at other sites such as Cornish Traditional Cottages (01208 821666) and Cornish Cottage Holidays (01326 573808). I'm sure readers will have their own opinions on the best area to aim for but the mix of beautiful scenery, beaches and lots of things to do in the west clinches it for me.

First Choice responsibility

On a recent excursion with First Choice from La Pineda to Barcelona, we asked the tour guide if we could skip the aquarium visit to feed our 12-week-old baby. He directed us across the bridge to some nice areas to sit. Making our way back we found a barrier across the bridge; it swung open to allow three boats to pass. When it finally closed we ran back and although we were only four minutes late the bus had gone. We were stuck in Barcelona with a tiny baby, no transport and our equipment left on the bus. We complained to First Choice and asked for a refund for the excursion as we did not see what we had paid to see and incurred the extra cost of the bus back to the hotel. It responded that this was 'one of those things'. Should the tour guide have warned us about the bridge opening?
Steve Roberts, North Wales

Four minutes isn't a very big window, especially given that you had a small child and the guide had directed you somewhere specific. While it is your responsibility to get back to the coach on time, for First Choice to write off something like this as 'one of those things' seems trite. I spoke to First Choice, which has agreed to refund your payment for the excursion.

US chargers

We are going on a family holiday to the States this summer and will be taking a number of appliances that need charging: laptop; camera; phone; toothbrush; MP3. Do we need to buy a transforming adaptor?
Nick Cowie, Ryton, Tyne and Wear

North America uses 110-120V at 60Hz, whereas we use 220-240V at 50Hz. Any power device that you're using needs to support dual voltage - look for the information panel on the charger itself. For most laptops and mobile phones, a regular UK-to-US plug adaptor will be sufficient, but expect charging to take longer. If you're taking a hairdryer, travel iron or anything else that requires a lot of power you will need a step-up adaptor, like the one sold for £27 by TLC Direct (01293 565630) to ensure your appliance is not damaged. There's useful information on this at adrianwarren.com/faq.

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