Something To Declare: India; Wales for £6; Southern Med
Where to go, how to save, what to avoid
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Your support makes all the difference.Warning of the week: India
"In some areas there are terrorist incidents virtually on a daily basis," says the Foreign & Commonwealth Office travel advice for India. Following this week's bomb attacks in Jaipur, which killed more than 60 people, the FCO strengthened its warning about the risks. "The areas most affected are Jammu and Kashmir (excluding Ladakh) and the north-east. A 30-year insurgency campaign by an ultra-nationalist group in Assam continues with frequent bombings and random killings. Violent extremist groups are also active in the rural areas of Bihar, Jharkland, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Orissa."
In addition, four other fatal attacks in the past two years have targeted locations popular with tourists: Varanasi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and the Samjhauta Express train from Delhi to Lahore.
"Exercise particular caution when in the vicinity of key government installations and tourist sites, attending public events (including religious events), and in public places including hotels, airports, shopping malls, and on public transport," advises the FCO.
Bargain of the week: Wales (or part of it) for £6
Plenty of people know that the Cambrian Coast line, which extends from Machynlleth in Mid Wales to Aberystwyth to the south and Pwllheli to the north, is one of the most beautiful shoreline railways in Europe. But few travellers may know that you can get the run of the line for as little as £6 a day using a two-zone Tocyn Taith Rover. This covers the line as described, plus several connecting buses and even the spectacular Snowdonia line between Blaenau Ffestiniog and Llandudno.
The only "missing link" is the narrow-gauge Ffestiniog Railway between Porthmadog and Blaenau Ffestiniog, though this is covered if you buy the £21 "all-zones" rover, which is valid across North Wales.
Destination of the week: Southern Med
A couple of new air links starting this weekend make the Mediterranean more accessible from cities in northern England. Today, easyJet (0871 244 2366; www.easyJet.com) starts flying from Newcastle to Murcia in southern Spain – handy for the region's vineyards, the eastern end of Andalucia, as well as and port of Cartagena. Tomorrow, Monarch (08700 40 50 40; www. flymonarch.com) launches services between Manchester and Larnaca, the main airport for Cyprus.
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