Another link in the chain
Julie Welch rates Sustrans' recently opened Pennine Cycle Way North the best long distance pubs'n'scenery ride in England.
Deadly serious
A new anti-malarial tablet for children claims to put parents' minds at ease about travelling to affected regions. Health editor Sarah Boseley reports.
Flying doctor
We are taking our children, aged six and eight, to a coastal hotel in Gambia for a fortnight over Christmas. What do we need to know to protect them?
Do you often feel ill on holiday …
... but never when you're at work? If so, you could be a victim of 'leisure sickness'. Sally Weale investigates.
What action should be taken to avoid bilharzia after scuba diving in Lake Malawi?
"The best test is a blood test for antibodies to the parasite. If this comes back positive, then a single dose of a powerful drug called praziquantel is all that is needed."
Can you recommend a concise yet comprehensive book of emergency first aid and medicine for travellers?
I recommend either the concise Lonely Planet guides or the bulkier but more thorough Travellers' Health by Dr Richard Dawood (Oxford University Press, £14.99.
My boyfriend and I are planning a round-the-world trip but I am concerned about his nut allergy. Do you have any tips?
If there is a risk of total anaphylaxis, where the lungs swell up and fatality is a possibility, then you must get one of the adrenalin pens from your GP before you go. It would be advisable for you both to use one in a dummy run before an emergency.
I have been taking oestradiol following a hysterectomy. Does this increase the risk of DVT?
"The oestradiol you are taking is a supplement to the hormones you will have lost. It is the same as HRT. The risk is not really any more than before so you should not worry..."
My son is planning a gap year trip to south-east Asia. He has asthma. Is it safe?
"He must take a good supply of inhalers. Your GP will be happy to prescribe enough for the trip. Inhalers have a long shelf life and don't need to be kept chilled. I also suggest that he takes some broad-spectrum antibiotics in case of a chest infection..."
I am HIV+ and planning some international travel in the next few months. Any advice?
"Travellers who are positive for HIV or in fact anyone who is immunosuppressed, such as post-transplant patients, should think long and hard as to where they go travelling..."