Neil Harris writes in to say: buying foreign currency from a high street bank or travel agency either involves a hefty commission or a poor rate of exchange. I’ve found the best rates for popular currencies are to be found in Oxford Street. On the way to the last Globetrotters meeting I got $1.85 to the pound at the KM Cash Booth that sits at the end of a souvenir shop at 53 Oxford Street. At the time the Post office were offering around $1.78. Both are commission free. I have used this exchange many times and trust them, there are similar exchanges nearby. I believe these prices are a reflection of the poor exchange rates that they can obtain through a bank.

Spotted by Webmaster Paul, this is an excellent source of low cost air travel from the UK and includes many airlines, especially charter airlines that the Beetle has never heard of. So if you are in the UK and want to take a break, this is an excellent resource; if you are travelling to the UK and would like to take some side trips, this cold help you book some very cheap trips from the UK to Europe and beyond.

Take a look at Who Flies Where?

A new Netherlands study of blood clots has shown that travelling for more than four hours by air, car, bus or train can all increase the risk of blood clots, with air travel no worse than the others. The Dutch team studied 2,000 people who had suffered a venous thrombosis — a blood clot in a vein — for the first time. They found that 233 of them had travelled for more than four hours in the eight weeks preceding the event. Travelling doubled the chances of having a venous thrombosis. The hazard was greatest in the first week after travelling, and the overall risk of flying was no worse than that of going by car, bus or train. Particular groups of people, especially women on the Pill, were more at risk than others, and the risk was increased almost tenfold for people who were obese, and fourfold for individuals who were more than 6ft 3in (1.90m) tall. And if you are short, like the Beetle, the researchers found that being shorter than 5ft 3in was associated with a fivefold increased risk of thrombosis after air travel.

Need to convert currency?

Take a look at The Globetrotters Currency Converter – get the exchange rates for 164 currencies The Globetrotters Currency Cheat Sheet – create and print a currency converter table for your next trip.

Globetrotters interested in travel writing have two inspiring opportunities to learn this November with Travellers Tales, the UK’s leading travel writing and photography training agency. We’ll be in Granada, Spain, with best-selling author Chris Stewart (‘Driving Over Lemons’) on November 18-20; and in London with Wanderlust editor Lyn Hughes on November 14-16. Both courses include writing practice, feedback on your work, and insiders’ advice on how to get published. Full details from www.travellerstales.org.

In January, 2007, our Legacy co-ordinator Jeanie Copland will be taking part in an ascent of Mt. Kilimanjaro, 5895 metres, to raise money for VSO and would welcome your support. (All Jeanie’s expenses to Africa and the trek itself are self-funded).

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

Did you know that Australia is suffering a drought, now in its sixth year, and the worst in over a century?

Australian farmers have been hardest hit, forced to make a living sometimes in very harsh conditions, raising emaciated cattle. The severe drought has led to an alarming increase in the number of suicides among farmers, now at twice the national average.

According to the Australian national mental health body Beyond Blue, one farmer takes his life every four days. The group has called for psychologists to tour agricultural areas to combat anxiety, stress and depression. Australian Prime Minister John Howard tried to address the growing problem of rural poverty by announcing a $263m aid package for farmers.

A German art student briefly fooled police by posing as one of China’s terracotta warriors at the heritage site in the ancient capital, Xian. Pablo Wendel, who is studying in China dressed up, very convincingly, as an ancient warrior and jumped into a pit showcasing the 2,200-year-old pottery soldiers, standing still for several minutes. He was eventually spotted by police and removed from the scene. “I got to the area where he was supposed to be, looked around and didn’t see him – he looked too much like a terracotta warrior,” Hong Kong newspapers quoted a security guard as saying.

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