A The advice conflicts because of the big seasonal variations, from virtually no risk to a quite significant one. But whenever you go, it takes only one bite to get malaria. With children, it is essential to be fully prepared.

You have two options on prophylaxis. Malarone is expensive, but you only have to take it three days before you start the safari up until one week after you finish, so you won’t need so much. The alternative is Lariam, which has been linked to sometimes alarming psychological side effects, although there is good evidence that children are less likely to be affected than adults. On balance, especially for a short trip, we’d opt for Malarone.

Bite avoidance is also essential. Use 50% Deet on your skin and treat your clothes with Bug Proof, a permethrin- based mossie killer; both are stocked by Nomad (0845 260 0044, www.nomadtravel.co.uk).

Reapply repellent frequently, and don’t forget to cover up at dawn as well as dusk: crucial for those early game drives.

Q I love walking in the Lakes, but I don’t like pubs and I’m fed up with snooty looks when I take my muddy self into a restaurant. Is there anywhere good for lunch that offers a genuine welcome?
Sue Broughton, Leeds

A The Jumble Room in Grasmere (015394 35188, www.thejumbleroom.co.uk) is the friendliest, toastiest restaurant in the district: not a pressed doily or starchy waitress in sight, just music nut Andy Hill and his wife, Chrissy, who describes herself as “a mum who cooks”. And how. Chrissy’s food — duck ravioli with damsons; Balinese fish curry — is as zingingly eclectic as the decor, a mad melange of country kitchen, 1960s kitsch and tart’s boudoir. Another sociable option is Lucy’s on a Plate in Ambleside (015394 32288, www.lucysofambleside.co.uk): more of the same zesty bistro-style food, another live-wire host, and a witty way with a menu — try the “beef galoshes (a Cumbrian take on wellington)”, or “Anne Boleyn’s char (great with or without head)” ...

Q I am travelling to India in December, and need a visa. But I live in Cornwall, so it’s a pain to get to London. Can I apply by post?
Shirley Deanston, Penzance

A Direct postal applications are a risky business. The Indian High Commission (020 7836 8484, www.hcilondon. net) does issue visas by mail, and claims to take a maximum of 15 working days, but that’s wishful thinking. With Ramadan, Eid and Diwali only just passed, and Guru Nanak’s birthday next Sunday, the High Commission will be straining to keep up with demand.

Applying by post through a visa agency is a far better option. Travcour (020 7223 5295, www.travcour.com) has 20 years’ experience of obtaining visas for more than 180 countries and charges a £30 fee, plus £7 postage (on top of the £30 cost of a six-month tourist visa). You’ll have it within six working days. Another company to try is The Visa Service (0870 890 0185, www.visaservice.co.uk).

Q For our next family holiday we’re renting a villa in west Sweden, north of Gothenburg. How can we give the children a flavour of local life?
Richard Pashley, Newcastle-under-Lyme

A The Bohuslan coast, with its serene islands, crystal-clear water and huddles of white wooden houses, is popular with Swedes, particularly those keen on sailing. The most enlivening family excursion here is across on the mainland shore — a seaweed bath and massage at Ljungskile Tangbadhus (00 46 522 20055, www.tangbadet.com), one of the country’s few remaining traditional bathhouses.

The owner, Gunnel Ideberg, collects a fresh crop daily in the beautiful local bays, and mixes it with hot briny to produce a frothing bathful. An hour-long soap and massage with a seaweed sponge costs about £30, and is claimed to boost circulation, make your skin glow and help aching muscles. It certainly stimulates giggles, and will leave the kids snoring like post-pillage Vikings. You can eat the seaweed, too.