New research on seismic events conducted by scientists indicates that a massive earthquake could hit Istanbul in the near future. This warning is being taken seriously by the Turkish government who are now taking action to minimise damage if the prediction turns out to be true. The seismic team predicted a quake in the coastal city of Izmit in 1999 – but the specific warnings were ignored and some 25,000 people were killed. The latest thinking is that earthquakes are connected and can trigger each other and that fault lines close to the Turkish city are under severe stress and will lead to a large quake sooner rather than later.

Latest figures show that reservations for the summer season in south-western France are down by on average 50% compared with those made last year following the Prestige oil disaster and the ensuing pollution. Foreign tourists are also said to be shunning the area, according to the report, in particular German visitors who are said to be particularly sensitive to the impact of environmental disasters such as that caused by the Prestige. Most beaches in the area remain closed except those in the Gironde area around Bordeaux, but are expected to be re-opened in time for the Easter holidays. Many local industries, such as the spa centres the region is famous for, have also been affected because of unfounded fears over polluted water, local reports say. Oyster producers have seen their sales drop by almost 40% during the Christmas period, while fish prices have plummeted by between 20% and 40% – even though their products remain unaffected by the oil pollution.

While the Middle East conflict continues to hit air travel badly, Asian carriers are also feeling the effects of a mystery respiratory illness, similar to flu that originated in the region. Already some 50 deaths have occurred worldwide. The feeling is that the illness has been spread by air travel. Singapore Airlines has admitted it continues to see cancellations and a fall in bookings because of fears about the disease.

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Italy’s national airline, Alitalia, is the latest major carrier to raise the price of its fares because of a 30% increase in fuel costs in the last 6 months. From March 15, Alitalia will charge an additional EUR6 (USD$6.60) on domestic tickets; EUR8 on international flights and EUR12 for inter-continental services.

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Fares at Air Canada are to cost more. The airline is raising its fuel surcharge on domestic long haul flights from March 11. The new charges will also apply to services flown by Air Canada subsidiaries Jazz and Tango. The price of tickets on flights over 300 miles is go up by CAD$10 to CAD$25 (USD$17) each way. The surcharges will not apply to short haul services where the charge remains at CAD$15.

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The European Parliament voted to overturn an agreement made between European airlines and US Customs officials. The agreement was to allow European airlines to give data on passengers flying to the US to US Customs. The European Parliament felt that this agreement infringed data protection rules.

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Paris based French airline Air Jet, started in the 1980s has been put into receivership after filing for bankruptcy earlier this week. Jet used to fly charter services and code-share flights on behalf of Air France, and has suspended services from Paris to La Rochelle and St Etienne.

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In response to military action in the Middle East, Delta has just announced capacity cuts of around 12 percent to both domestic and international routes (but not Delta Connection.) Delta is to postpone indefinitely the start of seasonal service between Boston and Rome and daily service between Cincinnati and Rome. Both were set to start on May 1.

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With passenger numbers falling because of the Middle East conflict, British Airways has cut flights and trimmed staff as have US Airways, Alitalia, Japan Airlines System and Air France.

A recent UK survey for the Department for Education found that of over 1,000 adults, 30% felt unable to compare rates in exchange bureaux. A similar proportion said they were not comfortable converting foreign currency into sterling. Over a fifth of those surveyed admitted they had wrongly calculated how much they spent on holiday, with 12% saying they had run out of money.

The Globetrotters Club has just teamed up with Oanda.com to provide people with information about currency conversions and cheat sheets. To translate currency or make a cheat sheet, visit:

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.

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 British Foreign and Commonwealth Office have just updated its advice for Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti, referring to a high risk of terror attacks.

The FCO website (www.fco.gov.uk/travel) warns visitors to the three countries to be highly vigilant in all areas frequented by foreign visitors, including hotels, nightclubs, shopping centres and restaurants.

The website has been changed to underline the continued threat from terrorism: ‘The Foreign Office continues to receive information that Westerners are at risk from terrorist attacks in areas frequented by foreigners.

‘In particular there is a potential threat against western interests in Nairobi, Kenya.’

Despite the current warnings, the Foreign Office has stopped short of advising against all non-essential travel to the three countries.

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

Wandsworth Museum

Housed in the old court house, this local museum collection shows the development of social history in the borough of Wandsworth from medieval times to the present day. You can find out about local life in Roman times and learn about the London’s first black mayor. There are plenty of interactive displays and quizzes to keep children occupied and amused.

Address: The Courthouse, 11 Garratt Lane, SW18 Telephone: 020 8871 7074

Admission times: Tues-Sat, 10am-5pm; Sun 2-5pm

Costs: Free

Disabled facilities: Wheelchair access

Web: www.wandsworth.gov.uk

Win a Moon Handbook on Guadalajara. See www.moon.com for info on Moon guidebooks.

Some people have said the quiz is difficult, we say do some research, try google.com or Ask Jeeves, if you need help with the answers.

The winner of last month’s Moon guide of Guadalajara is Gavin Fernandes, so please let us have your postal address, Gavin.

Under 30? 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!!

1. BOS Boston Logan
2. MXP Milan Malpensa
3. SYD Sydney
4. NAS Nassau, Bahamas
5. FEZ Fez, Morocco

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?

The Beetle likes www.bunk.com a directory of university-owned accommodation for all UK universities and colleges, available to rent outside of term time in the UK. It’s a great way of staying cheaply in a town or city. Check it out!

Ever been to Mexico and Guatemala and looked at the wonderful remains of the Mayan culture? Climbed the pyramids and wondered what went wrong? New research indicates that climate change was largely to blame for the collapse of the Mayan Civilisation over 1,000 years ago.

At the height of the Mayan era, around the middle of the 8th Century, there were up to 13 million people, but within 200 years, it was all over, cities ruined and people gone.

Archaeologists have shown that the Mayans built sophisticated systems of canals and reservoirs to collect rainwater for drinking in the hot, dry summers. Now scientists are able to prove that in the 9th and 10th Centuries, probably just before the Mayan civilisation collapsed, there was a long period of dry weather and three intense droughts caused by climate change and this contributed to the fall of the Mayans.