We are new parents with a holiday dilemma. Our daughter Ella is nearly three months old and we want to take her on holiday before October when a long-haul Air Miles voucher expires. But we have no idea where to go. Mumsy-dadsy and all-in resorts are not our thing - our last three trips were to the Galapagos Islands, Peru and Rwanda for the gorillas. Any ideas for something with culture and nature thrown in where we can accommodate Ella without cramping our style? - Eric and Elaine Chapman

There are plenty of good things about travelling long haul with a young baby. Price for one. Infant flights usually cost only around ten per cent of the adult fare and you only have to pay a nominal fee for a cot in your room; if the baby is breastfed you don't even have to pay for food. Babies are also extremely portable, especially before they reach the crawling/toddling stage, and are usually pretty happy to be carried around in a back carrier or sling. Also, airlines these days are much more geared up for babies than they were, meaning the flight need not be hell. But I don't know about not cramping your style. It's very difficult to travel anywhere - long or short haul - with a baby and not notice it.

Ella's health is the first thing to consider before making your final decision about where to go. You will probably want to avoid countries with a long list of vaccination requirements and anywhere where there is a risk of malaria. A country by country guide to vaccinations with malaria maps is available at www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk.

Depending on how adaptable she is you might also want to think about destinations where the time difference is not too great or perhaps with an overnight flight so she can stick to her baby routine. Travelling with an out-of-synch baby is no fun for anyone. Believe me. Choosing somewhere where she can soon adapt to local time will make the trip much more comfortable for her and hopefully also mean she will not wake you up at odd hours demanding a feed.

South Africa springs to mind. Mainly because it offers adventure with minimal risk of disease. Much of the country is non-malarial and health precautions are not required. Additionally there is only two hours time difference and overnight flights are available from British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and South African Airways.Self-drive options are another plus for those, like you, trying to maintain a sense of freedom and adventure.

That said, because Ella is still very young, I would suggest that you keep your itinerary fairly simple allowing her to settle down in each place before moving on. It will make life easier for her and ultimately you. How about combining Cape Town and the Winelands or the Garden Route for culture with a safari for the nature element? River Bend Country Lodge at Addo Elephant National Park in Eastern Cape provides excellent accommodation for families with very young children and there is no age restriction on children accompanying adults on game drives. Self-drive safaris, which are ideal if you are breastfeeding, are also available here. For a good tour operator, try Bushbaby Travel. It was set up specifically for families with young children and offers flight inclusive or land-only packages so you can put that air miles voucher to good use.

The inspirational family travel website Babygoes2.com now has Malaysia in its long-haul section for culture vultures with an interest in nature. It certainly has plenty of attractions - temples, colonial architecture, dazzling modern buildings, markets and even orang-utans but you have to take in to consideration that parts of the country are malarial; it is a 15-hour flight and there is an eight hour time difference for babies to get used to.

Got a question about family travel? Email our trio of experts at yoursay@timesonline.co.uk - Chloe Bryan-Brown takes care of questions for the 0-6 year olds, Emma Mahony handles the 7-12 age group and Jane Owen the teenage and single mother groups.

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