Cinnarizine

Iran at a gallop

Can you suggest any companies that specialise in Iran as I am hoping to go there at the end of the summer. What highlights should I include and will it be worthwhile if I can only spare one week?

John Arthur

Staines

Phil Haines replies

Getting round the remains of the magnificent Persian empire is a tall order but seven days in Iran will give you time to explore Esfahan, the former capital of Persia with its mosques and palaces, and the gardens and shrines of Shiraz, famous for its poetry and roses. From Shiraz you can take a day-trip to the legendary city of Persepolis, built by Darius the Great 2,500 years ago and capital of his empire. If you only have a week, I would spend five days enjoying Esfahan and Shiraz and soaking up the ambience in the tea-houses and bazaars. You should also be able to replace your worn out Ikea rug with an opulent Persian one at a similar price.

Normally, week-long tours also spend a day in Tehran with a visit to the Sa'd Abad Gardens complex which contains about 18 former palaces, including the last Shah's White Palace, now the National Palace Museum.

Persian Voyages (tel: 01306 885894; Net: www.persianvoyages.com) specialises solely in Iran and offers scheduled group tours from seven days' duration (pounds 775 in five-star hotels but excluding international flights). They can also provide visas or tailor-made itineraries.

Other firms with tours to Iran include: Magic Carpet (01344 622832; www.magic-carpet-travel.com), Caravanserai (020 8855 6373; www.caravanserai- tours.com), Explore Worldwide (01252 760000; www.- explore.co.uk), Exodus (020 8675 5550; www.exodus.co.uk) and The Imaginative Traveller (020 8742 8612; www.imaginative- traveller.com). Live Travel (020 8737 3725; www.live-travel.com) also offers a combination tour with Iraq.

The Iranian Embassy (020 7584 8101; www.iran-embassy.org.uk) issues, to the independent traveller, 10-day transit visas, for travel between Turkey and Pakistan, but tourist visas require the help of an authorised Iran-specialist company such as Persian Voyages.

Phil Haines, the youngest person to have visited every country in the world, runs a travel company, Live Limited (call 020-8737 3725; or e-mail: phil.haines@live-travel. com), which "specialises in travel to special places".

In the doghouse

My wife and I have two Great Danes. Many British hotels are hostile to guests bringing pets, or charge us a large amount for the privilege. Is there any directory or website of those hotels in Britain that might actually welcome well-behaved dogs?

David Lumb

Dronfield, Derbyshire

The Travel Desk replies

Astonishingly enough there is a hotel near Bournemouth, Dorset, which only accepts guests accompanied by dogs. The owner of White Topps, Marjorie Titchen, even provides a downstairs room for elderly dogs that can't manage the stairs. (Call 01202 428868 for a fact sheet). This hotel is exceptional as dogs of any number and size are welcome. Generally, for taking well- behaved dogs away in Britain, consult Pets Welcome! 2000 by Anne Cuthbertson (published by FHG Publications, of Paisley at pounds 5.25). This book offers information on a wide range of pet-friendly board and self- catering accommodation with details on special facilities and extra charges. Also featured is a list of pubs and inns suitable for dogs.

Many other guides have symbols indicating if pets are welcome. Failing that, farmhouse accommodation is generally a good bet. Phone and warn your hosts in advance (especially about very large or very long-haired dogs), and ask about walks, feeding, sleeping and toilet arrangements for your animals so you can be sure they will have a happy holiday. If taking dogs by car do not to travel in the heat of the day; stop regularly and carry plenty of drinking water. For safety (theirs and yours) use a car cage or a guard. And don't let your dog put its head out of windows, especially in narrow country lanes.

Yuk, Scotland!

Much as I look forward to the annual family holiday, it's always blighted by the fact that my two boys suffer from travel sickness. We're driving up to Scotland to see relatives this summer - can you suggest anything that might help us get there in one piece?

K Patten

Essex

Dr Jules Eden replies:

There are now quite a few remedies available, such as over-the- counter medication and homeopathic-type treatments, so things have moved on now since the days of a barley sugar sweet and I-spy.

Having said that, playing car games has its role in preventing the problem. The reason children can get car or travel sick is that when a car corners, the balance centre in the inner ear sends signals to inform the brain about movement direction. Now if there are no visual stimuli to help with this then the brain gets a bit confused and creates a sense of nausea. Classically, if you are reading in the car on a winding road, then this feeling can come on very quickly. So it's always best to make sure the children are looking out of the windows and seeing the direction you are about to go in.

This does not work for every child and I would advise that you try some homeopathic remedies first. Nelsons make "Travella", which many people have recommended to me; it is available over the counter at most health shops. Also useful are those acupressure bands, which are elastic wristbands with a plastic bead that presses on to a point on the wrist. Again these work well, and are side-effect-free and quite cheap.

If you get nowhere with these two, then there are tablets called cinnarizine that stabilise the balance mechanism of the ear. These should be taken two hours before you set off, and then every eight hours of your journey. They are effective for not just car, but also air and seasickness too. Children under five should not take them unless you have spoken to your doctor first. The main side effect is mild sedation and drowsiness, useful if you are a passenger, but not so good if you are the driver. So don't take them if you need to stay alert.

There are stronger medications available, but I think these should only be taken after guidance from your doctor as the side effects tend to outweigh the real problems that travel sickness can cause. So, if you can keep your kids amused, their eyes on the road, and take the straightest route, you should be fine.

Dr Jules Eden runs www. e-med.co.uk, an online GP consultancy that can advise, diagnose and treat travellers at home or abroad. For information, call 020-7350 2079 or e-mail: doctor@e-med.co.uk

A place to think

Please help. I'm desperate for a holiday and have decided that I want to learn to meditate in Asia. I have read about meditation centres in Burma (Myanmar) but think 20 hours a day continual practice sounds gruelling. I'm after a course that's suitable for beginners and with reasonable accommodation (I don't expect TV and mini-bars but my own room would be nice). Do you know anywhere suitable?

PS I am not a hippy.

David

London

The Travel Desk replies:

It's certainly a good idea to start gently. While the obvious place would be India, given the fact that you are not a hippie I think starting in Sri Lanka is a practical idea - an island of soft- focus Buddhism, and much less of a cultural shock, you are, after all, on holiday.

In central Sri Lanka, not far north of Kandy, is the village of Ulpotha where restorative retreats are organised in winter. From December to February this private lakeside community opens to guests who want to join yoga and meditation sessions, luxuriate in herbal steam baths, indulge in native Ayurvedic oil treatments or massage. Hippy or not, you might enjoy the serious vegetarian food produced on the traditional organic farms which the community supports.

Ulpotha bills itself as a sanctuary of peace and tranquillity - though it is not linked to any religious group - and devotees claim to enjoy a natural state of "meditation", whether hanging out in the hammock by the lakeside or enjoying the views and watching the sunset from your palm- thatched shelter.

The visitors' book is crammed with effusive testimonies to the life- enhancing quality of the place: "Floating on the lake, gazing at the stars, these inspiring days have passed effortlessly by ... I shall return." What's more, you can rest easy knowing that the proceeds of your holiday go to eco-community projects. Two weeks at Ulpotha costs pounds 1,200 and includes full board, classes and treatments but not flights.

Call the Neal's Yard Agency (tel/fax 0870 444 2702, info@nealsyardagency.com or www.ulpotha.com. Another not-for- profit venture into the realm of well-being is the Meditation and Leisure Tour of China, from 7-27 October. The emphasis here is on Tai Chi/ Qigong, gentle forms of movement meditation said to have a healing effect. The trip includes 12 days' tuition with Grandmaster Yang Zheng-Ji and visits to the big set pieces of China tourism from the Great Wall to the Terracotta Warriors. The cost is pounds 1,695 including flights and accommodation with breakfast in three- and four- star hotels. Contact 0870 444 2702.

Send your travel questions to: Travel Desk, `The Independent on Sunday', 1 Canada Square, London E14 5DL; or via e-mail: sundaytravel@independent.co.uk.

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