Tripologist travel tips: Portugal doesn't recognise Australian vaccine certificates - will they let me in?

I'm a triple-vaccinated researcher hoping to attend a conference in Portugal in July. Since Portugal doesn't recognise Australian vaccination certificates might I be turned around or quarantined? When will Portugal recognise Australia's vaccine certificates, when will we be allowed to join the EU Digital COVID Certificate system and when will Portugal reopen to Australian travellers? A Dennis, Fortitude Valley QLD

Compared with other western European countries, Portugal has been slow to allow Australians to enter for leisure travel. Since the advice on the official website is unclear, I requested clarification from the Portuguese Consulate in Sydney. According to written advice from a spokesperson, "Direct travel from Australia is limited to essential purposes only (professional, study, family reunion and for health or humanitarian reasons), to be officially extended to all visitors shortly for non-essential travel. There is an ongoing process for the Australian COVID-19 vaccination certificates to be duly recognised in Portugal. You need a PCR test 72 hours before boarding." Refer to the Visit Portugal website [visitportugal.com] for updates. The EU Digital COVID Certificate is not available to Australians since Australia's International COVID Vaccine Certificate uses a different format from that approved by the European Commission.

My husband and I have six days in between family engagements in the UK in December. We will be in Cookham and would like to visit Bath and York, can we do both by train? We need to be in Birmingham on December 22. B. Corrigan, Mittagong NSW

From Cookham, in Berkshire, Bath is just over 90 minutes away by frequent train services. Bath to York is just over four hours and York to Birmingham is 2½ hours.

Unless York is an absolute must, I'd be inclined to spend the whole six nights in Bath and use this World Heritage-listed city as a base for exploring one of the loveliest parts of England. Right on your doorstep you've got Glastonbury, Stratford-upon-Avon and Wells Cathedral, a Gothic beauty and major pilgrimage site since medieval times. Just to the north are the storybook villages of The Cotswolds - Moreton-in-March, Bourton-on-the-Water and Stow-on-the-Wold – bordered to the west by the lovely and gracious city of Cheltenham. That's more than enough for the time you have available, and Bath to Birmingham is less than two hours by train.

The Department of Health no longer requires a negative pre-departure test for travellers entering Australia. However the Department of Home Affairs requires us to complete a Digital Passenger Declaration that confirms our passport and vaccination certificate, but the government has that information. So why is the DPD required for Australian travellers? B. Nolan, Cremorne NSW

True that government departments have passport and vaccination information for Australians living in Australia but there's more to it. For example those departments would have no vaccination record for Australians who live overseas and who may or may not have been vaccinated there. It is necessary to show evidence of a DPD when you check in for your flight to return to Australia but if check-in staff had to separate Australians domiciled overseas from those who are genuine residents, it gets complicated. Also, the DPD asks incoming passengers to identify which countries they have visited in the 14 days prior to arrival to determine whether they have been in an infection hotspot. It would not be in the national interest to allow Australians only to avoid that admission, therefore all must complete that DPD.

In October 2023 my wife and I are celebrating her birthday with our children and partners in the Dordogne. We're looking at booking accommodation around Sarlat, thinking 8-10 adults. Any advice re accommodation, car hire and travel from Paris to Sarlat? E. Beck, Surrey Hills VIC

Take a look at Oliver's Travels [oliverstravels.com], which specialises in upmarket European villas. Searching the Sarlat region I'm seeing half a dozen properties that would suit your group and I think you'd be perfectly happy with something like Le Prieure Esperance. However the Chateau de Cardou just a little to the west near Bergerac could be a contender if you need more room, and you don't have to worry about the neighbours on the 150 hectare estate,