As a result of last month's feature on the world's smallest countries, David wrote in to say: Ahh, but what about the Sovereign Military Hospitable Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Rhodes, and Malta, which has diplomatic ties with 87 countries, its own license plates, postage stamps passports, and currency, and runs dozens of hospitals…

For a truly unique experience with nature, you can't beat Xcarat in the Cancun area of Mexico. Best known for the swimming with dolphins opportunity they offer, most tourists flock there for the experience, and it is well worth it. For a reasonable fee you have about an hour with the dolphins. The trainers teach…

The Human Development Index (HDI), published annually by the UN, ranks nations according to their citizens' quality of life rather than strictly by a nation's traditional economic figures. The criteria for calculating rankings include life expectancy, educational attainment, and adjusted real income. “Most Liveable” Countries, 2004 “Least Liveable” Countries, 2004 1. Norway 1. Sierra Leone…

What is it: hookworm is an intestinal parasite of humans that usually causes mild diarrhoea or cramps. Heavy infection with hookworm can create serious health problems for newborns, children, and pregnant women. Hookworm infections occur mostly in tropical and subtropical climates and are estimated to infect about 1 billion people — about one-fifth of the…

Sally, from Malmsbury, Wiltshire in the UK packed her bags a few years ago to make a new home for herself in a small village near Estoril, Lisbon in Portugal. She works as an English as a Foreign Language teacher and here are some of her latest exploits. If you have ever thought or dreamt…

Outdoor enthusiasts and holidaymakers planning trips to central and eastern Europe this year are being warned about a potentially life-threatening disease. The 'Tick Alert' awareness campaign urges travellers to 16 named European countries, including many of the new popular destinations for outdoor tourism such as Croatia, Slovenia and Slovakia, to protect themselves against Tick Borne…

We are sorry to say that Mac is not very well, but he is still e-mailing strong and recently sent the Beetle a collection of travel reminiscences and in particular discusses some travel writers. Former Globetrotter President, Arthur Frommer (Europe On $5 A Day) gave an interesting interview to travel writer Michael Shapiro for Michael's…

Ryanair has banned its staff from charging their mobile (cell) phones at work, saying it is an inappropriate use of office time. A UK newspaper reported that staff were “furious” about the rule. However, a Ryanair spokeswoman said no-one had “batted an eyelid” since the rule was introduced about two months ago. She said the…