How to ... speak foreign languages without trying
Abroad does have its drawbacks. Only 8 per cent of the world's population have English as their first language, which leaves rather a lot of the globe where most Brits are forced to communicate with the locals by speaking English very slowly and clearly.
A new gadget, the snappily-named 12 Language Speaking Global Translator, has come to the rescue of the language-blind and lazy. You simply type what you want to say into the calculator-sized device and it will then speak the phrase in Mandarin Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian or Spanish (the 12th language is English). The device contains 450,000 words and 12,000 phrases and retails for £149.99. Progress indeed (especially as it includes an MP3 player). See www.franklin-uk.co.uk.
Where to ... change your life while you sleep
You might not immediately think of a Travelodge as the perfect place to start getting your life back on track, but the hotel chain has a new self-improving initiative. It has introduced the UK's first 'Nodcasts', a type of podcast designed to aid 'motivational sleeping' and help guests make positive changes to their lives. Neurolinguistics programming therapist Greg Laws has come up with a series of 10-minute Nodcasts which guests can download for free and listen to on their MP3 players as their heads hit the pillow.
The five Nodcasts deal with different issues - assertiveness, confidence, communication, stress and motivation - but, rather than keep you awake with your head spinning, they are meant to help you wind down so you'll somehow absorb the messages overnight. Sounds exhausting.
Rooms at Travelodge cost from £29 a night (travelodge.co.uk).
What is ... sightjogging?
When most people want to get to know a new city, they simply take a leisurely stroll around. But the latest trend for health-conscious or time-pressed visitors wanting to check out key landmarks and get to know their way around town is 'sightjogging'.
On running tours of Berlin, a charismatic guide will help you discover the sights and secrets of the German capital, regaling you with insider tips as you jog. Tours last for up to 90 minutes and can be tailored to all fitness levels, with a choice of routes (sightjogging-berlin.de).
In the US, the joys of sightjogging are spreading fast. In 2006, City Running Tours were started in New York City and have expanded to Chicago, San Diego, Washington DC and Charleston, with more in the pipeline (cityrunningtours.com). 'It's been a runaway success,' said owner Michael Gazaleh. Tours cost $60 (£30) for the first six miles and $6 a mile after that.
Jogging tours of Berlin cost €30 per hour, but you can get 25 per cent off with a Berlin WelcomeCard (which costs €16.50 and also gives 48 hours of unlimited public transport (berlinwelcomecard.com).
