Health check
"Passports, money, tickets" is a familiar mantra to travellers, but two-thirds fail to seek health advice before going off on holiday. In many cases, this leaves them open to the risk of hepatitis A, malaria and typhoid fever. The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) and the Primary Care Virology Group (PCVG) have launched a travel health campaign encouraging holiday-makers to visit their GP or local travel clinic at least eight weeks before travel. As part of the campaign, ABTA is distributing one million leaflets, Ticket to Health: Your Guide to Safer Holidays, to its member travel agents in time for the summer.

Turning the tide
More UK beaches than ever have been awarded the European Blue Flag for clean water and beach management. The record haul of 57 winners is up 16 on last year's total and puts the UK ninth in the European league of clean beaches. Of the home nations, 24 beaches in England made the grade, 22 in Wales, eight in Northern Ireland and three in Scotland.

Clean break The Centre for Environmentally Responsible Tourism (Cert) has introduced information packs for the most popular destinations, highlighting how travellers can minimise the impact on the environments they visit. The packs cover 140 destinations at home and abroad and cost £25 - of which 20% goes to an appropriate environmental or cultural project. Send for a destination form to: Cert, 1 Hydeway, Thundersley, Essex SS7 3BE.

Raising the capital
The price of a hotel room in London is set to increase by more than double the rate of inflation by 2001, pushing the average rate up from £107.90 a night in 1999 to £119. In Madrid, the average rate was £57.52 in 1999; in Paris, it was £112. According to TRI Hospitality Consulting's latest hotel industry report, 26.5 million people are expected to visit the capital this year - an increase of 4.5% over last year.

Miles better
More than 50 post offices in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland can now process International Driving Permit (IDP) applications over the counter. The scheme is being arranged by the AA and should alleviate any last-minute panics. Normally, the AA takes 10 days to turn an application around. And remember, US law enforcement authorities expect to see ID photos on licences, meaning that an IDP is expected to accompany the normal UK licence. IDPs cost £4 and are valid for a year. For a list of countries requiring one and issuing post offices, call 0990 500600.