Which Greek island do you suggest for a May getaway?

Q My boyfriend and I would like to go to a Greek island in May. We’re after food, wine and culture rather than party central. Do you have a favourite? Please note that neither of us can drive.

Lilly S

A May, along with September, is the optimum month for visiting the Greek islands: you can be sure of warmth and plenty of sunshine, without the crowds of peak summer. Airfares will also be much lower if you can swerve half-term – for most schools, the week beginning 24 May.

Good food and wine are assured wherever you go. For the strongest cultural offering, I recommend either Crete or Rhodes. Both islands have reasonably reliable bus services, too – though with departures perhaps only every couple of hours, you need to plan carefully. In case it proves necessary: I have hitchhiked frequently and successfully in Crete, and I imagine Rhodes is equally favourable.

The highlights in Crete are strung out mainly along the north coast. I suggest you fly out to Chania in the west, steeped in history and with a gorgeous harbour. Stay for a couple of nights, then head east to the capital, Heraklion; you might want to pause at pretty Rethymno, about halfway. Heraklion is far from a postcard-perfect island capital. But it is worth staying overnight so you can visit the Minoan palace complex of Knossos as soon as it opens at 8am. The archaeological museum in town is also worth a few hours.

Continue east to the lovely bay of Elounda for a few more days, with excursions to the former leper colony of Spinalonga and the pretty port of Agios Nikolaos.

The island of Rhodes is one-sixth of the size of Crete, and good if you prefer not to travel too far. The main attractions are the city itself, with layers of history stretching back for millennia and beautiful Lindos – great places to see an acropolis or two.

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Q I have found a way to travel from London to Singapore for under £180. On 11 March, Wizz Air has a flight from Gatwick to Athens for £15, and the following day Scoot has an onward flight for £164. This seems great value to me. Do you agree? I know they are budget carriers but this doesn’t bother me.

Adam H

A Congratulations on uncovering a superb deal for 7,000 miles of air travel. I am soon to fly from London direct to Singapore on British Airways, and have paid £525 – more than three times as much. I actually regard that as reasonable value, not least because it is in a comfortable Airbus A380 (which has an excellent economy section on the upper deck in BA’s configuration).

The BA cabin baggage allowance of two bags at 23kg is also a persuasive factor. But were the journey not so time critical, I would certainly have joined you in the cheap seats.

The £15 fare is a real loss-leader from Wizz Air; air passenger duty alone takes up £13 of the ticket price. But the airline predicts that most people will pay extra for the right to take more than a small bag measuring no more than 20 x 30 x 40cm, as well as other extras such as paying for assigned seating. I would be happy to do that, and have always found Wizz Air to be comfortable for long-ish flights such as Gatwick-Athens (nearly four hours).

The stretch from Athens to Singapore is a different proposition. The distance is a massive 5,621 miles, and close to 11 hours, which is long for a budget airline, even on a comfortable Boeing 787. But at such a low fare I would put up with a lot.

One more point, though. You are looking at spending 19 hours in Athens. That means the chances off a missed connection are very low. But I wonder if you can shift the dates just a little to enjoy more time in the beautiful Greek capital?

As it is, you will need to factor in some extra cost on accommodation in Athens, unless you plan to sleep at the airport – something at which I would draw a line.

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Q I know you have been covering festive travel chaos for decades, but a serious question: is it getting worse; if so, why?

Neil B

A My idea of a perfect Christmas and new year would be to put my feet up and not have to report on any travel disruption. But I fear the chances of that happening are low. Trains, planes, roads and ferries have all encountered severe disruption this winter.

Actually, in terms of the emotional (and economic) damage of travel chaos, there have been worse festive seasons. In particular, the third week in December 2010, when hundreds of thousands of airline passengers lost their Christmas trips home and holidays from London Heathrow: the airport closed due to heavy snow. The Gatwick drone of December 2018 was extremely destructive, too, with 150,000 travellers having their flights cancelled at very short notice.

It’s important to make allowances for the easy access to information. In previous decades, trying to find out which rail lines were blocked and the number of cancellations at Heathrow would take hours on the phone. And raw data doesn’t go far enough back to allow for reliable long-term comparisons. But in terms of the sheer breadth of disruption, though, this Christmas and new year feels something of a stand-out: flooding on roads and railways; fog and high winds wrecking flight schedules; and, for ferry passengers, a combination of multiple on-the-day cancellations on top of the suspension of Holyhead-Dublin – the key ferry link between Great Britain and Ireland. In a “normal” festive season you might expect one of these.

So yes, things seem to be getting worse. Partly it is because the system is under greater pressure than ever: this year will be a record Christmas at many of Britain’s airports (despite the wind and fog cancellations). While extracting so much capacity from such limited infrastructure is impressive, resilience is reducing.

Extreme weather, too, is increasing in frequency and taking its toll on travel. Even so, the vast majority of people will have got where they needed to be – and back – with very little hassle. But I have every sympathy with the travellers who hit trouble.

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