If you happen to be near Lubeck in Germany, there is a huge ice and snow sculpture festival opening 9th December. Forty ice sculptors will create sculptures for the “Kingdom of Animals” under supervision of Dave Willé. Artists from the United States, Canada Great Britain Belgium, Russia and the Netherlands carve icy animals within the coming weeks. The sculptors use a variety of methods to carve out their figures; some use chain saws, some draw a draft on ice cubes. Beginning on top of the cubes, artists always carve down to the bottom using an array of ladders and scaffolds. All in all, some 350,000 kilos of ice and 150,000 kilos of snow will be processed for the Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival.

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Know someone who is? We have £1,000 to award each year for five years for the best submitted independent travel plan. Interested?

Then see our legacy page on our Website, where you can apply with your plans for a totally independent travel trip and we'll take a look at it. Get those plans in!!

According to Forbes magazine, for the second year in a row, Seattle takes the top spot in our study. Why? The city does poorly on all counts, but was at the bottom when it comes to job growth, and the cost of living is very high. “It's true the housing prices here have just gone through the stratosphere,” says Charles Knutson, spokesman for the Seattle Chamber of Commerce. The city got hit hard by the tech bubble, and took a big employment dive. “We're coming out of that, but if you're looking at a line chart, there's a huge gap between income and housing costs.” Still, Seattle may become easier to afford should big local employers such as Microsoft, Boeing and Starbucks stay healthy.

The UK's longest-running holiday operator Thomas Cook is offering family tours of Amsterdam's red-light district. The package costs £12, though half-price for children. Thomas Cook claims the tour, which is free to under threes, offers a 'fascinating insight into the oldest profession in the world'. A press release on the two-hour tour says it leaves at 8pm and 'will take visitors deep into the famous red-light district, accompanied by a reliable and trustworthy guide'. The brochure says: 'Begin with a drink at a prostitute information centre where a former prostitute will explain the system and answer any questions you may have. Then head for the Wallen (the red-light district) and see for yourself.'

The Chief Executive Tony Davis of Singapore based low-cost airline Tiger Airways said that they want to be the Ryanair of Asia. Tiger Airways flies from Singapore to Macau, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines, competing with Malaysia's AirAsia and a partnership of Valueair Ltd and Qantas Airways associate Jetstar Asia. Tiger is 49 per cent owned by Singapore Airlines.

Alligators have clashed with non native pythons before in Everglades National Park. A 13 ft long python tried to swallow a 6 ft alligator whole and then exploded. Scientists have documented four similar encounters in the last three years. The encroachment of Burmese pythons into the Everglades could threaten an $8 billion restoration project and endanger smaller species, said Frank Mazzotti, a University of Florida wildlife professor. The gators have had to share their territory with a python population that has swelled over the past 20 years after owners dropped off pythons they no longer wanted in the Everglades. The Asian snakes have thrived in the wet, hot climate. “Encounters like that are almost never seen in the wild – and we here are, it's happened for the fourth time,” Mazzotti said. In the other cases, the alligator won or the battle was an apparent draw.

Terminal 5, whose sole tenant is British Airways is due to open on Sunday, 30 March 2008. The £4.2bn project is intended to bring some … to your transit. Never mind the passenger experience; your baggage will have a first-class journey. Amazingly, Terminal 5 is said to be Europe's biggest construction project.

Need help? Want a travelling buddy or advice about a place or country – want to share something with us – why not visit our Mutual Aid section of the Website: Mutual Aid

Spotted by Webmaster Paul, here's a satellite photo from Google of York Minster:

A report from Malaysia's Star newspaper gives examples of how soaring fuel costs are impacting on air fares in certain instances. They gave two examples: a return ticket to Colombo, Sri Lanka from Kuala Lumpur costs RM400 but the fuel surcharge is RM450. Another bargain – a two-night return package to Bangkok from KL on Thai Airways costs RM399 but the fuel surcharge, airport tax and insurance will cost an additional RM323. With the rising demand for oil and hurricanes hitting the United States, world oil prices are not expected to come down in the near future. One Malaysian travel agent commented: “It looks like the days of cheap air travel are over as the high fuel prices are here to stay.” Another agent said: “Some of the fuel surcharges are so expensive that they make a mockery of their special cheap short flights from KLIA to regional destinations like Jakarta and Bangkok.”

The US businessman and scientist Gregory Olsen is the third person to pay to be a space tourist, after American Dennis Tito in 2001 and South African Mark Shuttleworth in 2002. If you have something in the region of £11m ($19.3m) to spare and are fit, perhaps you could apply too.

A recent survey of Americans indicates that international travel, particularly for leisure, continues to rise. A record number of nearly 62 million U.S. travellers went abroad last year, up 10 percent from 2003, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Interestingly, while the number of Americans who travel outside U.S. borders is climbing, the number of those
who have passports remains at a low 20 percent.

An estimated 21 million Americans will travel to and from the Caribbean,

Mexico and Bermuda this year. They are not required to have a passport – now. However, the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 requires all Americans to have a passport by 2008 to re-enter the United States from any other country in the Western Hemisphere. The first two phases of the initiative include the Caribbean, Bermuda, Mexico, Canada and Central and South America. This will create an enormous increase in demand for passports.

Pilots of a chartered jet carrying 289 Gambian soccer fans faked the need to make an emergency landing in Peru so that passengers could watch their nation's team play a key match. The plane, claiming to be low on fuel, landed in Peru's northern coast city of Piura, where Gambia played Qatar in the FIFA Under-17 World Championships later that night. The fans were allowed to watch the soccer game in Piura, which Gambia won 3-1. The fans apparently would have been late or missed the game if the flight had first gone to its scheduled destination of Lima, 550 miles to the south. “It truly was a scam,” said Betty Maldonado, a spokeswoman for Peru's aviation authority, CORPAC. “They tricked the control tower, saying they were low on fuel.”

If you have a travellers tale that your aching to tell. Then why not visit the “Travel Sized Bites” section of the Website and share it with the world. Travel Sized Bites

Spotted by webmaster Paul: “Because your first trip to Tokyo can be like going to another planet.

Planet Tokyo is here to guide you through the culture shock that many western travellers experience upon arrival in Japan. If you're planning a trip, or just hoping to learn something new and interesting in this western traveller's guide to Japan” http://www.planettokyo.com/

Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has agreed that work on an underwater dam to try to save the lagoon city of Venice from floods will go ahead, despite increasing calls for it to be halted because of environmental damage. Work on the project known as Mose, Italian for Moses, began in 2003. Designers hope the construction of underwater barriers will protect the fragile canal city from the ravages of the sea. The project aims to construct 78 flood barriers, 20 metres (65 feet) wide and up to 28 metres (92 feet) high, that will be fixed to the bed of the sea at points where Venice's lagoon meets the Adriatic. Venice's mayor Massimo Cacciari, supported by environmentalists and Venetian elders, had asked Berlusconi to consider other measures, arguing the barriers would cause as much damage to Venice as they prevent. The World Wildlife Fund Italy has said that shutting Venice's cargo port and barring cruise liners from entering the lagoon would be more effective in controlling the waters. There are also concerns about the cost of the scheme.

American soldiers in Iraq claim they uncovered evidence of a terrorist bomb plot targeting the US. People in New York City are warned to remain on alert amid fears of a terrorist attack on the New York subway system. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has ordered increased security on the subway system and warned that the threat – which includes the use of explosives packed in baby strollers – suggested New York’s underground train network and its 4.5 million daily passengers could be attacked within days.

The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office advise caution on Indonesia.

On 1 October 2005, at least 3 bombs exploded in Central Kuta and Jimbaran beach in Bali. Up to 26 people have been killed and over 90 injured. A British/Australian dual national was killed in the attacks and at least 2 British nationals were injured, 1 seriously.

There remains a high threat from terrorism in Indonesia. We continue to receive reports that terrorists in Indonesia are planning further attacks on Westerners and Western interests. Attacks could occur at any time, anywhere in Indonesia and are likely to be directed against locations and buildings frequented by foreigners.

If you intend to travel to Indonesia in the immediate future or you are already in Indonesia, you should exercise caution at all times. You should review thoroughly the latest information on the situation, including media reports; keep in close contact with your tour operator; and follow any advice from local authorities. If you are travelling to, or resident in Indonesia, you should ensure that you are comfortable with, and regularly review, your and your family’s security arrangements.

The Indonesian Police are on a state of high alert and have deployed extra personnel to high profile and sensitive locations including, but not limited to, embassies, consulates outside Jakarta and hotels.

Terrorists have shown in previous attacks, like the attack on the Australian Embassy, the Marriott Hotel, Jakarta and both the Bali bombings, that they have the means and the motivation to carry out successful attacks.

We advise against all travel to Aceh, except for those involved in post-tsunami humanitarian and reconstruction work or in preparations for the Aceh Monitoring Mission. Parts of Aceh remain affected by a long running internal conflict. Two aid workers were shot and injured in separate shooting attacks on 23 June and 7 July respectively. There is a risk that further incidents may occur. You should exercise caution when travelling to remote areas.

We advise against travel to some parts of Maluku, especially Ambon, and some parts of Central Sulawesi, which are experiencing civilian unrest. At least 20 people were killed in a bomb attack in Central Sulawesi on Saturday 28 May.

Spotted by webmaster Paul: three robot fish, created by robotics experts from Essex University can be found at London Aquarium. They move around the tank like real fish, and have sensor-based controls, so they can move around the tank, avoiding objects and other fish, and reacting to their environment as a real fish would. Professor Huosheng Hu, of the university’s computer science department, said the aim of creating the fish and having them on display in a public place was to increase awareness about robots’ capabilities. He said the robotic fish, which took three years to create, could also be used in the ocean such as including seabed exploration, detecting leaks in oil pipelines, mine countermeasures, and improving the performance of underwater vehicles.

A member of Globetrotters Club? Interested in a £1,000 travel award?

Know someone who is? We have £1,000 to award each year for five years for the best submitted independent travel plan. Interested?

Then see our legacy page on our Website, where you can apply with your plans for a totally independent travel trip and we’ll take a look at it. Get those plans in!!