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British insurer, Norwich Union have just compiled a study based on more than 60,000 claims made with the insurance company, during 2005. The research indicates that visitors heading to the south-east Asian kingdom of Thailand face the highest risk of suffering theft, food poisoning or being caught in a traffic accident. Ireland was deemed the safest place to travel to, closely followed by Belgium and the Netherlands. Germany and France were also considered to be low-risk holiday destinations for British tourists. The Caribbean was revealed as the worst place for insect bites and stings and South Africa came out worst for violent robberies and bags going missing in transit.

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

I am thinking of driving around the world and wondered if anyone else has done this trip in the club. I'll be taking my own car and I can see a few problems arising but will do it anyway. Getting started is always the hardest. Trying to get information on how best to get out of Australia is my main issue at present. Any advice most welcome, best wishes to all, <a dutchkiwy@hotmail.com

Which web browser do you use? Amnesty International is urging UK users of Yahoo, Microsoft and Google to e-mail the companies asking them to change the way they operate in China. Amnesty says the Yahoo, Microsoft and Google are colluding with internet censorship in the still Communist state of China. Amnesty is asking them to reveal which words they have banned from blogs or web searches in China. The three internet companies on the other hand say they are helping the people of China by making information more freely available, but Amnesty says they are helping to reinforce censorship by the Chinese government. Amnesty International UK director Kate Allen said: “Yahoo, Microsoft and Google claim they are obeying local laws when in fact they are succumbing to political pressure. “We want them to hear from customers here in the UK. If enough people tell them they are not happy with their actions in China, we hope it will make them think again.”

In 1950 Mao Zedong ordered the Chinese takeover of Tibet resulting in communist troops marching into and occupying Tibet to enforce its claim on the tiny country. Since 1979 there has been economic reform, but no political reform, like the rest of the China.

From Beijing's perspective, the area has been part of China for centuries, but for many, the Chinese government is an occupying power which has shown little regard for human rights or for Tibet's unique culture. Some PRC policies in Tibet have been described as moderate, while others are judged to be more oppressive. Most religious freedoms have been officially restored, provided the lamas do not challenge PRC rule.

Foreigners can visit most parts of Tibet, and it is claimed that more unpleasant aspects of PRC rule are kept hidden from visitors. According to the Beijing authorities, they are erecting a huge 35-ton statue of Chairman Mao Zedong in in Gonggar County, near the Tibetan capital Lhasa, Tibet to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the former leader's death. The statue will rise 7m from a 5m pedestal strengthened to withstand earthquakes and is scheduled for completion in July.

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

“Ugly Koreans” is a media-coined term referring to people caught buying sex or committing crimes overseas. Officials in South Korea recently proposed a foreign travel ban for citizens who have committed misdeeds overseas, in an attempt to protect the nation's image. The proposed travel ban on “ugly Koreans” was contained in a recent foreign ministry report to the presidential office, ministry officials said.

“In case their illegal or shameful acts are reported overseas, we are planning to restrict their travel to foreign countries for a certain period of time,” a ministry official said. South Korean laws already say that citizens can be denied passports for up to three years if they have been expelled from a foreign state for violating the law. In July 2005 Vietnamese television reported that police detained 28 South Koreans in a single day for buying sex at a Korean-owned salon. Police in Shanghai arrested 17 South Koreans in February for involvement in running a “host bar” where men were hired for sexual services. Authorities are planning to step up a separate campaign to educate people about internationally accepted etiquette.

You heard it here. The third annual “Pig Olympics” have been held in Russia. 12 piglets from seven countries took part in the games, which included pig-racing, a short run where their trainers ran behind encouraging them to go faster, pig-swimming and pigball where the pigs chased a ball covered in yummy fish oil. Pig enthusiasts laid bets on the competitors in each event, at an exhibition centre near Moscow. Contestants included Mykola from Ukraine, Nelson from South Africa, and the home favourite Kostik Russisch Schwein.

The Russian foreign ministry urged Russian citizens on Friday to defer travel to Nepal for personal security reasons. “The internal political situation in the Kingdom of Nepal has recently deteriorated,” the ministry said. “Mass demonstrations against the government accompanied by acts of violence have spread over the country.”

The Foreign Office has advised “against all but essential travel” to Nepal because of enhanced tension in the Himalayan country.

Three people have been killed and hundreds injured as police opened fire on crowds. There have also been hundreds of arrests.

The Foreign Office (FO) warned there was a risk of visiting Britons getting caught up in violence on the streets.

“Those British nationals already in Nepal should decide whether their presence there is essential,” the FO said. “We will keep this advice under close review.”

News in July comes form Kenya that hundreds of flamingos have been reported dead in Kenya's Lake Nakuru wildlife sanctuary. Experts believe that the flamingos died due to chemical pollution from surrounding industries. Over 1.2 million flamingos are under threat and fears have been expressed over the extinction of the Lake, which is drying up due to environmental degradation and dwindling flows from

several rivers that drain into the Lake.

Yahoo! Inc said it has launched a travel service that promised to find the best deals on airfare and hotels. The 'Yahoo Farechase' website differed from a travel service in that it scoured internet websites to compare prices being offered online for flights or lodging, according to the Sunnyvale, California-based firm. 'This is the first time a search engine for travel pricing and a search engine for travel experiences have come together in a single product,' said Jasper Malcolmson, director of Yahoo Travel. Tools on the site allow people to create itineraries, map routes and share insights gleaned from their travels.