Travel advice: How to plan a trip to Iceland, Russia and Scandinavia without doing a tour?

WE ARE TWO RETIRED COUPLES PLANNING A SELF-DRIVE CIRCUIT OF ICELAND PLUS RUSSIA AND SCANDINAVIA. HOW DO WE JOIN THE DOTS? ARE THE FAROE ISLANDS WORTH A VISIT? C. MCGEE, BRIGHTON VIC

Flights between Copenhagen and Reykjavik are great value and this might be a good starting point. Return to Copenhagen and any other Scandinavian destination is within easy reach, using different transport. For example, train if your destination is Stockholm or Gothenburg, ferry in the case of Oslo. If it's Helsinki, you're better off flying. Take the train from Helsinki to St Petersburg, and from there the overnight train to Moscow. Midway between Norway and Iceland, the Faroe Islands (visitfaroeislands.com/) are mainly of interest to hikers, birdwatchers and escapists. The islands are grandly stark, scalped by ice, racked by fierce storms and abundantly green. The people are proudly self-reliant and pious with a strong sense of their Viking heritage. If you're looking for true grandeur without too many outsiders, the Faroes are a good fit.

SEND US YOUR TRAVEL QUESTIONS

Include your name and your suburb or town and send it to tripologist@fairfaxmedia.com.au All published questions will win a Lonely Planet guidebook.