Departures: Travel show finale

THE THIRD and final Independent Traveller's World Exhibition takes place at the County Ground, Edgbaston, Birmingham, from 18 to 20 February. Exhibitors include specialists giving advice on cheap flights, expeditions, activity holidays, working abroad, health, travel equipment and guidebooks.

Fifty companies are participating in the exhibition, which is sponsored by the Independent. The show also features talks by 'travel writers, enthusiasts and eccentrics' (there is no charge for these: tickets are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis). On Saturday at 12.30, for example, Simon Calder will talk about Guyana, the only English-speaking country in South America; at 2pm, Independent travel correspondent Frank Barrett will speak on selling travel articles; and at 3.30pm, Simon Calder, David Prest of BBC Radio 4's Breakaway, Jennifer Cox of the Lonely Planet guides and John Bell of Channel 4's Travelog will take part in a Traveller's Question Time chaired by Frank Barrett.

Admission to the exhibition on Friday (noon-6pm) costs pounds 1.50; Saturday and Sunday (10am-6pm), pounds 2.50; a weekend ticket is pounds 4. The charge includes 50p towards Actionaid's work in Vietnam.