A new high-speed, high-tech ferry has just started a crossing Lake Michigan, from Milwaukee to Muskegon, a 76 nautical miles journey in about two and a half hours. The ferry is an affordable alternative to flying to Muskegon and is faster and more relaxing than the six-hour 286-mile drive through Chicago traffic and around the southern end of Lake Michigan. The Lake Express has a capacity of 250 passengers and 46 vehicles. Officials from the new Lake Express car-passenger ferry say thousands of tickets were pre-sold. Local attractions include Muskegon’s Pere Marquette Beach and Michigan’s Adventure amusement park, which is just north of town.

I want to thank all the members who helped me in my research for a novel I was writing set on the liner Queen Elizabeth in the 1960s. ‘ Cherry Ice’ has recently been published by Penguin and it carries the following message in the Acknowledgements: – ‘Thanks are also due to the worldwide membership of the Globetrotters Club – very helpful via the Web in my search for the precise amount of the British Sterling travel allowance circa 1964, when no amount of studious research could provide me with a definitive answer. Not even Her Majesty’s Treasury nor Customs and Excise could provide the solution – in fact the latter came up with five different possibilities in a hilarious letter I shall always keep to make me smile in times of angst.’ – from Jill Laurimore

Channel Tunnel operator Eurotunnel is cutting prices in its latest bid to compete with high speed ferry operators. The latest offer is £100 return tickets for a car and passengers travelling to France until December 31. To get this price, you must travel from the UK to France after 2pm on the day of the outward journey and to return before 2pm on any subsequent day, bookable at least one day in advance. Eurotunnel is facing tough competition from ferries and high speed catamaran services on routes from Dover to northern France. The latest rival is Speedferries.com, which recently launched a low-cost catamaran service offering to carry cars between Dover and Boulogne for £50 return.

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

The Foreign Office says it will in future be more selective about issuing travel advice on the risk of terrorism. From now on, people will be warned against travelling only in situations of extreme and imminent danger. The UK government announced that blanket warnings against travel to an area would only be used only when the threat to British citizens looked “acute, large-scale and specific”. The move is likely to be welcomed by foreign governments like Turkey and Kenya who had complained that warnings issued after terrorist attacks had seriously damaging their tourist trade. The Beetle hopes that this applies to Bali, as she has just come back from a wonderful trip, but few UK travel insurance companies will insure trips to Bali because of FCO advice.

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

If you’ve ever thought of going to San Francisco and weren’t sure, take a look at this: http://www.virtuar.com/ysf2/ – a virtual tour of San Francisco. It is so real, you almost feel that you’ve been there without the hassle of the journey!

The winner of last month’s Moon’s Guidebook on the Four Corners is: Paul Roberts. Congratulations!

This month, win a Rough Guide on Peru. See www.roughguides.com for info.

The first virtual town web site for The Old town Nessebar in Bulgaria, in four languages, including English. Take a look at:

The capitals are:

1. Tonga: Nuku’Alofa
2. Albania: Tirane
3. Latvia: Riga
4. Argentina: Buenos Aires
5. Ireland: Dublin

0 out of 5 – you need to get out more!

1-3 – not bad

4 – very good! You are a Globetrotter!

5 – are you sure you didn’t sneak a look?