Q&A: Travel unravelled

Michael Booth took his family to India to research a book on the country's cuisine – but he discovered that a mid-life crisis was on the menu

I'd struggled to believe Simon, my guide from Bamboo Trails, when he told me that Taiwan's cross-island highway was the most breathtaking drive in Asia. I had imagined factories, highways full of belching buses. But the road I was whizzing along on my scooter was almost deserted. The air was crisp and the views spectacular. The Tarmac snaked behind me down steep, mountain ridges swathed in rainforest to a turquoise lake below. It glistened as it caught the light of the morning sun. A red temple guarded by green swirling dragons flashed past to my right.

Whether you seek the path to spiritual enlightenment or just want somewhere to unwind, there's a yoga trip out there for you, says Lucy Gillmore

My first book for Lonely Planet was the launch edition of their Rajasthan guide, published in 1997. In those days, although this rugged north-west Indian state attracted the lion's share of the country's international tourist arrivals, it was still relatively green when it came to tapping the accommodation needs of foreign visitors, especially in the budget and mid-range categories.

Which sentence in the first edition of India – a Travel Survival Kit is the most redundant in the 21st century? I reckon it is the authors' complaint that "Indian Airlines would only provide a list of their office addresses and numbers with the greatest reluctance and bad grace". In the bad old days when it seemed the unstated aim of state airlines was to prevent people flying, Indian Airlines had a monopoly on domestic aviation. Only rich tourists and very rich locals could fly. Prospective passengers needed the airline's addresses (which, in the book, run to two pages) to re-confirm a flight or to get a place on the "chance list", as the waiting list for flights was known.

City Slicker: Hong Kong has added the world's tallest hotel to its attractions. Nick Boulos offers ideas for new and returning visitors

What to see and where to be seen

Every week, we invite three companies to give us their best deal for a specific holiday. Today: a two-week trip to South India in early November. Prices are per person based on two sharing.

Ships are often greeted by waving crowds. But there was a very particular reason why 'Orion II' attracted well-wishers. Adrian Mourby explains