How can we make the most of our Yellowstone trip?

Q My wife and I need some suggestions for arranging a 10-day road trip to see Yellowstone and Mount Rushmore. Where should we fly to and from, and what else do we need to know?

Keith Sansom

A The closest airport to Yellowstone National Park is West Yellowstone. This is the Idaho town just on the border of the park and the state of Wyoming – which has the vast majority of the park within its borders. For Mount Rushmore, the nearest airport is Rapid City in western South Dakota. But I recommend you take in much more than these two great American locations on a 10-day trip.

Denver is the optimum place to begin and end your trip (returning to the starting place will also avoid expensive drop-off fees for a one-way rental). Fly out to the mile-high Colorado capital and spend at least your first full day there. Then pick up a car and head north through Cheyenne, just across the border with Wyoming. Set the sat-nav northeast to the Black Hills National Forest.

The chiselled contours of Mount Rushmore reveal the heads of four US presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Lincoln.

The monument lies within the borders of the National Forest, which also offers scenic drives (with viewpoints) and hiking trails. An essential adjunct to Mount Rushmore is the Crazy Horse Memorial, depicting the Lakota warrior of that name. Work began on this colossal sculpture in 1948, and is far from complete. But, like Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia, the work in progress is fascinating.

Go west through the state of Wyoming, taking one of the highways through the Bighorn National Forest, and enter Yellowstone National Park on Highway 14. America’s first national park is well worth three days’ stay; West Yellowstone is the obvious place to stay, as you explore the geysers, lakes and mountains.

Then aim south through Grand Teton National Park to the pretty town of Jackson. Pausing in Salt Lake City is always rewarding (the Mormon Temple is the impressive main sight). From here the drive back to Denver is spectacular; take Highway 6 and 191 to join the I-70 Interstate at Green River, which winds east through the mountains. For your final night, I recommend stopping in the friendly college town of Boulder, which has plenty to offer before you head back to the airport.

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Q I am due to go on holiday on 1 November for two weeks with my family. I booked through Love Holidays. Unfortunately I just recently found out that I’m 15 weeks pregnant with triplets. My consultant has advised me not to fly as it’s such a high risk to myself and my unborn babies.

Love Holidays have agreed to refund me the cost of accommodation on this occasion, but the airline I’m booked with refuses to issue a refund. I feel it’s unfair for them to withhold my money as I have a valid reason for being unable to go on my family holiday. What do you advise?

Natalie C

A Congratulations on your exciting news. Flying while in the earlier stages of pregnancy is permitted; the Civil Aviation Authority says: “Most airlines do not allow travel after 36 weeks for a single pregnancy and after 32 weeks for multiple pregnancies.” But clearly, your consultant believes avoiding flying will be best in your circumstances.

I am glad to see that Love Holidays is prepared to refund the cost of accommodation; in many cases, online travel agents pay hoteliers only after the guest has stayed, so this may be a no-cost choice for the firm. But however unfair it seems, the airline is within its rights to refuse to hand back the money you have paid.

Many carriers say something as blunt as: “If the fare rules state that the fare is non-refundable, only the taxes can be refunded.” And even that tax may be difficult to claim back, with some airlines charging so much for the “service” that it negates applying for a refund of air passenger duty (APD). For example, Ryanair has a “government tax refund administration fee” of £20 per person – significantly more than APD at £7 or £13.

I am afraid the only hope I can offer is a claim on your travel insurance, if you took it out. If you were not aware of your pregnancy when you booked your trip and bought your insurance, and then are advised against travelling while you’re pregnant, you should be able to claim for the flight ticket.

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Q We live close to Birmingham airport and much prefer to fly from there to Europe than from the London airports. But a number of the flights have really tight connections. For example, looking at a trip to Athens, Lufthansa is offering a good price via Frankfurt – but with only 45 minutes on the ground to change planes when we come back.

The exact timings of the return journey are 2pm from Athens, arriving at Frankfurt at 4.05pm, leaving again at 4.50pm and arriving at Birmingham at 5.25pm. In your experience, is this enough time to connect – and would you book it?

Keith W

A Having recently had a tight connection in Frankfurt, I can understand your concerns. On a trip last month from Tirana to London Heathrow I had a leisurely two hours and 40 minutes to change planes at Frankfurt – yet it turned out to be a stressful experience. The Lufthansa plane left the Albanian capital half an hour late, and the arrival at Frankfurt was awkward – including a bus transfer from the plane to a satellite area where a shuttle train was required to connect to the main terminal.

You will actually have one more hurdle because you will have to check out of the Schengen area (the Athens-to-Frankfurt hop is a “domestic flight” within the EU). But I would certainly book any connecting trip that the airline is confident enough to sell.

I have checked the schedules, and there is an “insurance policy”: a late-evening Frankfurt to Birmingham flight on Lufthansa that I imagine carries stragglers who have missed connections to the afternoon departure. In your case, it would involve a five-hour wait at Frankfurt, which would be tedious. But the chances are you will fly as booked. And if you don’t make it, as a result of a delay caused by Lufthansa, you will be entitled to €400 (£333) in compensation from the German airline. Yes: even if the initial flight is only half an hour behind schedule, if it causes you to miss a connection and you arrive at your eventual destination at least three hours late, the airline must pay up.

One more tip for the journey: at the security checkpoint there is a special (and free) fast-track lane for passengers whose flights are leaving imminently, allowing you to jump the queue if necessary.

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