Take me there
If at any point this summer you start to feel a bit stressed, we strongly advise you to get down to the Royal Geographical Society in London and plant yourself in front of this scene for a few minutes. Think of it as your own personal aquarium and let it carry you away to a river in the wetlands of Brazil. The hyperreal photograph of piraputanga fish in the crystal-clear waters of the Sucuri River in the Pantanal region was taken by Franco Banfi and is part of the Travel Photographer of the Year exhibition, which runs from 22 June-19 August (tpoty.com). It is open Mon-Fri 9.30am-5pm; Sat, Sun 10am-5pm. Entry is free (rgs.org)
Travel clinic: UK holidays
The dilemma We haven't booked a family holiday yet and are wondering what to do. Is the UK a no-go zone in July and August, with no-vacancy signs in every window? Jane, Hounslow
"It's busy in London on your dates, so you may wish to try different dates" is the message that flashes up on booking.com during a search for London hotels in August, together with eye-watering prices, so perhaps steer clear of the capital. Any British city with international appeal is busy in peak summer season, but there are still options. The four-star boutique Bocardo in Oxford (thebocardo.co.uk) has doubles from £120. Elsewhere in the UK there's plenty of availability, as the wait-and-see approach to booking remains popular. Sites such as cottages4you.co.uk still have plenty of properties, such as Dell Cottage in Far Sawrey near Windermere (sleeps four; £579 for seven nights). That said, as ever, the good places go first, so if you have your heart set on somewhere special, don't hang around. The Hayloft at Calgary Farmhouse on the Isle of Mull (calgary.co.uk), slap bang on Calgary Bay, sleeps eight and is available in August for £1,075. Tom Hall
Three of the best: new central London hotels
In the run-up to the Olympics, new hotels will be opening in London – many charging Olympic-sized rates. We wanted to show you that not everywhere in the capital is looking to bleed you dry
CitizenM, Bankside Affordable luxury – online check-in, mood pads, free Wi-Fi and films – in a prime location, from £99 to £199 during the Olympics (citizenM.com)
Tune Hotel, Paddington/ King's Cross The Malaysian-based budget chain launches a hotel in Paddington on 25 June from £50 and King's Cross on 9 July from £40 (tunehotels.com/uk)
Z Hotel, Victoria A converted Victorian townhouse with small designer rooms, from £75 as of 1 July. Free Sky and Wi-Fi, plus iDock (thezhotels.com/victoria)
