We have some people in the Bay Area of San Francisco, Los Angeles and Sacramento in the US and also in Sydney and Melbourne in Australia who are interested in starting a branch of the Globetrotters Club. But we need some help! Please contact our Branch Liaison Officer via our Website at Meeting FAQ

The Beetle can report back on the Palm House in the Burggaten, the historic heart of Vienna. It is perfect for coffee and cake or brunch ~ whatever ~ good service, good food and you can loiter and gossip with friends or just sit and read the papers.

Want to tell us about your favourite coffee corner or watering hole? Then contact the Beetle: Beetle@globetrotters.co.uk

Under 24? 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!!

Bootsnall.com is an excellent website allowing access to a free travel club with members in 80 countries. There’s a newsletter, a chat forum and travel articles. Nice one!

For more high quality links why not visit the recently updated links section of our website, as well as a free link page we now have over 250+ travel links sorted into over 40 categoies.

The beetle always carries a Maglite and stores lunchtime or dinner paper serviettes in pockets as emergency paper for the bathroom.

Got any travel tips for the Beetle? Then e-mail them to: Beetle@globetrotters.co.uk

Karen from L.A found Bhutan to be interesting but a tad expensive. She says she had to pay $225 a day per person to stay in substandard hotels and eat substandard food. Although she feels it was not worth the money, she is glad that she did it.

Bradt Guides have offered to give away a Bradt Guide Book on Madagascar for the best travel story, tip or info. Contact Beetle@globetrotters.co.uk

The Beetle spent some time beetling around in Zanzibar last year and noted that unsuspecting travellers at the Dar es Salaam port were being told by unscrupulous individuals that they had to pay an additional $10 or $15 for port tax. This is completely untrue as port tax is included in the price of the ticket. You now know what to say to these vermin!

Emma needs you!!! Only 8 people have replied to Emma so far and she needs 90 contestants!!! If you live in the UK, are knowledgeable about travel and countries, and would like to be a contestant on the Geo Quiz – it goes out on the National Geographic Cable Channel, then contact Emma: thomase@meridiantv.com or call her on 02380 712 118.

During WWII, Frank of Alabama found himself in Samoa and even today, he can still speak some Samoan. He paid a visit back in 1999 to Samoa and surprised a lady who called him something rude by returning the compliment back in her own language! The woman’s 350 lb daughter was not amused, but the mother laughed and said that she would watch her language in future!