Im i right in thinking that the special ability to "place progress on the current quest" only goes straight on the quest card if there is no active location ?

Is The quest the active location until the active location is completed. If a card/ability says to place the progress tokens on the "quest card " it would bypass the active location.

Yes, every time you should place token on the current quest, it should go to the active location instead. Only exception is when it is explicitly written that it bypass any active location.