Reunion Kingston London Sunday 11th Sept 2005 for any member of Globetrotters

who travelled overland to India or on the rail tours organised by Butterfields. Please e-mail butterfieldashley@yahoo.co.uk

Have you ever wanted to present a travel programme? Do you see yourself as a budding Judith Chalmers or Michael Palin? Or, do you just have a passion for the Island of Ireland? If the answer to any of the above questions is yes, then this is the challenge for you.

We’re on the lookout for two friends to front Ireland’s first ever online ‘travelmentary’, filming daily reports on the trip of a lifetime for thousands of Internet users. A camera crew will follow the lucky winners as they are chauffeured around Ireland in their very own Tourism Ireland luxury ‘taxi’ and given the chance to win up to г10,000.

To enter, just send a one-minute video clip of you and a friend explaining why you should be chosen to enjoy the Taxi Challenge. For further details on the challenge and how to enter visit www.tourismireland.com/taxi

So, find a friend, get out your video cameras and send us a one-minute clip telling us why you should front the Taxi Challenge.

Remember all you have to do is visit www.tourismireland.com/taxi

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

Spotted by Webmaster Paul, here’s a satellite photo from Google of Spaghetti Junction.

Spaghetti Junction

Camels were introduced to Australia in the 19th Century as desert transport creatures. Australian officials say the country’s camel population has grown to about 700,000 in recent years and because they have no local predators, their numbers are growing by an estimated 11% per year, and population size has been doubling about once every eight years. State land officials decided a cull was the most efficient way to manage camel numbers. “The simplest, quickest and most cost effective way of doing that is an aerial cull,” said rural lands inspector Chris Turner. Marksmen riding in helicopters would track the camels and shoot them from the air, Mr Turner told Australia’s ABC radio.

Low-cost Indian airline SpiceJet said it would launch cut-rate domestic flights in May 2005 to lure travellers from popular train services.

“The fares will be slightly higher than AC (air conditioned) train fares,” chief executive Mark Winders said. “We believe there is a tremendous opportunity in the low cost model in India. The air market is dramatically under served here.”

SpiceJet said its most expensive fares were 55-60 percent cheaper than regular full economy fares of competitors such as Jet Airways, India’s largest domestic airline. SpiceJet will also offer more than 9,000 seats for as low as 99 rupees (USD$2.30) each for the first 99 days of operations.

Rock bottom fares by SpiceJet and rival Air Deccan are helping to fuel the supply of low cost carriers and stimulating demand.

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!!

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 looking for people to join me in trekking in Nepal – Mt Everest region. If you are interested, or you know some one who may be, please send me mail – lszymala@poczta.onet.pl

I am trying to find a trip to the Norwegian fjords. So far, all the trips on the internet are American, so prices reflect included transatlantic journeys. My trip to the Travel Agents was not enlightening as the choice is very small.

What I'm looking for is a coastal trip along the fjords for 6/7 days, with return flight to and from London, preferably Heathrow, after September 24th. The travel agents said it wasn't something people were after!! Can anyone give me any advice?

Thank you, Ipsita: ipsita_halder@hotmail.com

A Ukrainian team of nine caving experts has set a new depth record for caving. They managed to go 2,080m (6,822ft) underground at Krubera in Georgia, the world's deepest known cave. The team carried an amazing five tonnes of equipment and kept in touch with the surface base camp by rigging nearly 3km (two miles) of rope strung with a telephone wire. The world's deepest known caves are:

1. Krubera, Georgia (Abkhazia) 2,080m (6,822ft)
2. Lamprechtsofen, Austria 1,631m (5,354 ft)
3. Gouffre Mirolda, France 1,626m (5,335 ft)
4. Reseau Jean Bernard, France 1,602m (5,256 ft)
5. Torca del Cerro, Spain 1,589m (5,213 ft)
6. Sarma, Georgia (Abkhazia) 1,542m (5,062 ft)
7. Cehi 2, Slovenia, 1,533m (5,030 ft)

I am writing on behalf of an NGO out in Ecuador with whom I volunteered last year. This organisation is trying to find other volunteers. The organisation has experience of placing volunteers previously and is a registered NGO with the Ecuadorian government. I can be contacted on: andy_blake31@yahoo.co.uk