Simple tastes
Simply Travel is organising Taste for Travel evenings with food-writer Josceline Dimbleby at the Grissini restaurant at the Hyatt Carlton Hotel in Knightsbridge, London, on June 28 and July 5. Tickets are £35 including champagne reception and dinner. Details on: 020-8541 2223.
Green issue
If you are thinking of following in the divots of the stars this summer and going golfing in Scotland, where the Open is being played at St Andrews from July 20-23, the Scottish Tourist Board has produced a map showing more than 300 courses in the country. It includes all the details you need about playing the courses. The map is free. Tel: 08705 511511.
Tank tops
A combination of the sterling exchange rate against euro- participating countries and high taxation has left the UK at the bottom of an American Express Foreign Exchange survey to establish the best value for motoring in Europe.
1 Austria 53p per litre, travel costs £88.36 per 1,000 miles
2 Spain 54p, £90
3 Ireland 61p, £101.68
4 Switzerland and Belgium 64p, £106.68
6 Germany 66p, £110.02
7 Italy 74p, £123.40
8 France 77p, £128.38
9 Holland 78p, £129.23
10 UK 83p, £138.36
Holiday connections
The increased popularity of mobile phones and the new trend for constant communication means that mobile phones now feature in the UK's top holiday must-haves, according to Visa. The other most important must-haves are credit and debit cards and first-aid kits.
Departure time
Across the UK, workers receive on average 23 days annual holiday a year, recruitment agency Select Appointments found when it contacted 400 businesses employing 241,000 staff. For those in publishing and printing, the average was 26 days, whereas in the entertainment and leisure sectors the average was 20 days.
Park and ride
A UK Theme Park Survival Guide, published by Kids Out magazine, details top tips to keeping ahead of the crowd this summer. These include booking in advance to take advantage of discounts, using the virtual queuing schemes where available, and taking your valuables in a hip-bag rather than a handbag. The guide is free if you send a self-addressed envelope to Kids Out Book Offer, 87 Notting Hill Gate, London W11 3JZ. Alternatively, you will be sent one when booking tickets on-line for Chessington or Thorpe Park.
