What is the longest flight you can take from the UK

A. One of the longest flights from the UK is to New Zealand, which takes just over 24 hours. Australia is slightly less.

Q. What about stopovers

A. Qantas and British Airways have launched a 'Kangaroo Route' which operates about 35 services a week between London and Australia. The service has stopovers in Singapore and Bangkok and heads to the seven major Australian destinations; Sydney; Perth; Melbourne; Adelaide; Cairns, Brisbane and Darwin. The travel firm Going Places says customers can specify where they want to stopover on long-haul flights Down Under, and the choice includes destinations such as Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

Q. What about time differences

A. If you're heading somewhere like Darwin in Australia's Northern Territory, the time difference is about nine hours. If it's 9.30am in the UK, the time in Darwin will be 7.30pm. In Brisbane and Queensland, you're looking at a 10-hour difference. Hong Kong is eight hours ahead of GMT. If you're ringing a pal at 9.35am in Dorking, it will be 5.34pm in Hong Kong.

Q. And in the States

A. On the West Coast, LA and Seattle are eight hours or so behind GMT. Flights to the West Coast are usually direct, as are flights to the Caribbean and Hawaii, although passengers can request stopovers. Travellers heading to Boston or New York are now being offered two or three-day stopovers in the Icelandic capital Reykjavik.

Q. What about the safety of long haul trips to destinations like Canada, Australia and South America

A. It's important to move around on an aircraft during long flights. Recent concerns over blood clots during lengthy flights have prompted doctors to advise travellers to get up at least once an hour, drink plenty of water and wear loose clothing. Some people are taking aspirin on medical advice before flying. For more on deep vein thrombosis click here.

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By Katharine MacColl