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The Beetle
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Independent travel in Europe – Seven Secrets for Success by Karen Bryan
Independent travel in Europe – Seven Secrets for Success by Karen Bryan One: Do not try to see and do too much. You may end up actually seeing very little. I think it is better to see more of fewer countries/regions and see them properly. You may not want to stay in one location for…
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The Beetle
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Uganda Ban on Smoking in Public Places
Uganda has imposed a smoking ban in all public places, the environment minister has said. Smoking in restaurants, educational institutions and bars will now be an offence with a fine for offenders of between $10 and $50 if arrested by policemen who have been instructed to enforce the law. No-one is sure yet how rigorously…
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The Beetle
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Greg McKenzie Travels from Ushuaia to Alaska by Motorbike
My name is Greg McKenzie and I’m currently taking a break from earning a living to do something which has festered in the back of my mind for a while now – a major motorcycle trip. I’m going to ride the length of the Americas south to north, starting January 2005. I’ll be visiting friends…
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The Beetle
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Chocolate Bar Scare in Oz
Tens of thousands of Snickers and Mars chocolate bars have been withdrawn from sale in Australia’s New South Wales after the manufacturer was sent a letter threatening to poison a member of the public. The letter warned that up to seven Snickers and Mars bars in the metropolitan Sydney area had been contaminated. Police believed…
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The Beetle
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Kruger National Park, South Africa.
Framed by glowing sunsets and a bountiful canopy of stars, lies the Kruger National Park. The park, rich in biodiversity, was established in 1898 and stretches for 350km (approx 140 miles – within the park itself the road network measures in at about 1300 miles) from the south to north along the Mozambican border before…
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The Beetle
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Be Careful with Luggage Tampering
You may have heard about Schappelle Corby, the Australian surfer who has been arrested and sentenced to 20 years in prison for smuggling in 4.5 kgs of cannabis in her boogie board case into Bali. Some people say that the drugs were put inside her case by luggage handlers in Australia – and if true,…
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The Beetle
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Where in the World: Diego Garcia
In the first of a number of Where in the World profiles, we look at Diego Garcia, a tiny island in The Indian Ocean, with coral beaches, turquoise waters and a vast lagoon in the centre. It is 1,600 kilometres from land in any direction, which seems to be the main attraction for the people…
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The Beetle
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Pretoria May be Renamed
Pretoria was named after Andries Pretorius, a Boer settler and a folk hero of Afrikaners who later set up the apartheid racial discrimination system. The city council approved the switch to Tshwane in March as part of moves to make place names more African, but opposition campaigners say they feel marginalised. Hundreds of predominantly white…
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The Beetle
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Most and Least Liveable Countries
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…
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The Beetle
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Disney Parks
Disney's theme parks were launched 50 years ago this year. It is believed that 4% of all amateur photographs in the US are taken in a Disney park. Walt Disney was not impressed by American amusement parks, finding them “awful, smelly, dirty, and not particularly safe” so he decided to open his own. The Disneyworld…
The Globetrotters Club
The travel club for independent travellers.