J. BORTON, MORNINGTON

Your logical first stop after Morocco is Gibraltar but it's problematic. According to its website, Insight's Moroccan tour finishes in Casablanca; flights from there to Gibraltar are ridiculously long and, at $1070 for the cheapest flight according to Momondo (momondo.com.au), fiendishly expensive. A ferry is not ideal but it's possible. There are several trains daily from Casablanca to Tangier and the trip takes less than five hours. The ferry service from Tangier is operated by FRS (frs.es) however this only goes to Tarifa, at the southern tip of Spain, about 40 kilometres by road from Gibraltar. You could go from Tarifa to Gibraltar by bus, but it's complicated, and buses don't cross the border. A taxi to Gibraltar should cost about €60 (taxilalinea.com). This will get you as far as La Linea, the border between Spain and Gibraltar. Once you cross the border, the Route 5 bus will take you to the bus station in town.

I recommend flying from Casablanca to Seville, at $314 each for a five-hour, one-stop flight with TAP Portugal, according to Momondo. From there go by bus or train to Gibraltar and Granada.

Travelling between Spain and Gibraltar by land is complicated by the fact the peninsula is a British Overseas Territory, which annoys the Spanish, who take out their frustration by turning the screws on visitors using the land crossing.

MY WIFE AND I ARE VISITING EUROPE IN SEPTEMBER. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT CATCHING A TRAIN FROM BUDAPEST TO BUCHAREST, TO SOFIA AND THEN TO ATHENS OVER TWO WEEKS? OR ARE WE BETTER OFF HIRING A CAR FROM BUDAPEST? ARE THESE COUNTRIES WORTH A VISIT?

J. AND D. HAUENSTEIN, GEELONG

Romania and Bulgaria are well worth a visit, especially if your taste runs to offbeat, unpredictable destinations where surprise is a factor. You need to be a little more intrepid to travel here than in Western Europe, but those who come will not leave without a few great stories to tell. I'd be inclined to hire a car. If you rely on the trains you'll find it harder to explore beyond major towns and cities. Bucharest and Sofia are interesting but a car would allow you to get into the countryside, where the real soul of Romania and Bulgaria lies. The drawback to this strategy is that you would have to return the car to Hungary, or pay a hefty dropoff fee in Greece. The road distance from Sofia to Budapest is 750 kilometres, about a 9½-hour drive. In Bulgaria you might consider staying at Wild Thyme Organic Farm & Eco-Retreat (wildthymefarm.org), a small organic farm run by an Australian woman and her archaeologist husband. Both are enmeshed in the local community and together they shed light on a fascinating, little-known corner of Europe.

I AM VISITING BENOA IN BALI IN NOVEMBER ON A CRUISE BUT AM ONLY THERE FOR ONE DAY. WHAT IS THERE TO SEE IN SUCH A SHORT SPACE OF TIME AND ARE THERE ANY MONITORS OR BIG LIZARDS TO BE SEEN NEARBY?

D. INNES, KINGS PARK

Komodo dragons are the world's largest lizards, found only in Indonesia, and while you won't see them in the wild on Bali, you can see them in captivity at the Bali Safari and Marine Park (balisafarimarinepark.com). The park has several exotic animals including orangutan, Sumatran elephant, leopard and sun bear and you could easily spend your whole day here.

The park is near the coast in the Gianyar district, about 30 kilometres from the cruise terminal at Benoa. You could get there by taxi from Benoa. Other than that, Bali has plenty to offer - cultural, food, temple visits, scenery, shopping - it really depends where your interests lie.

If it were me I'd get a taxi to Ubud, about an hour away, take a stroll along Monkey Forest Road, have lunch at Locavore in Jalan Dewi Sita and a treatment at Bali Botanica Day Spa, and regret that I didn't have more time.

CONVERSATION OVER TO YOU . . .

HAS TRAVELLING IN AUSTRALIA BECOME TOO EXPENSIVE FOR YOU?

J. Churchward writes "Don't agree! Trips in Australia are not expensive if you do the planning yourself and don't depend on tour operators. We recently went on a three-week trip up north with our son. He drove and we stayed mostly in the on-site cabins in caravan parks - two bedrooms, en suite with lounge, kitchen and dining. Our total costs were well under $3000 each, and this included visits to Dubbo Zoo, Hall of Fame and a Stockman's Dinner, a trip to Riversleigh Fossil Fields, canoeing on Lawn Hill Gorge, a helicopter flight over Carnarvon Gorge, plus Sunset Tours and Sea World. We mostly catered for ourselves, with a few dinners out and three nights where we stayed with friends."

From J. Woodbury, "I love this country, particularly the outback and the bush. Its vast distances make it is expensive to get around compared to overseas countries. My wife and I have just returned from the Red Centre, spending a week visiting Alice Springs, Kings Canyon and Uluru. Although we did it as cheaply as possible the whole trip still cost us nearly $3000."

A. Watts writes "It is expensive visiting places in our vast continent so our trips to Broome are every two years (thanks to frequent flyer points) and Cairns and Perth trips on Jetstar's 'take a friend for free' deals."

Next question: Have you ever been a voluntourist, combining overseas travel with volunteer work in the third world? Was it a rewarding experience? Send response to tripologist@fairfaxmedia.com.au. The best response will win a Lonely Planet guidebook.