Deals of the week: DaySave deal, Lake Lucerne, Virgin Express, Travellers' Health

Balham to Brighton, Watford to Worthing and Ashford to Bournemouth: those are just a few of the options offered by Britain's best one-day rail bargain.

A TRAIN

Balham to Brighton, Watford to Worthing and Ashford to Bournemouth: those are just a few of the options offered by Britain's best one-day rail bargain.

The DaySave deal from the south coast train operator SouthCentral represents exceptional value – £10 buys you a day's freedom of the network, from the north of London to a 100-mile stretch of the south coast, from Hastings in the east to Bournemouth in the west. A group of four people can travel for a total of £20. You must buy online, at least a week in advance, through www.southcentraltrains.co.uk; and you are not allowed to travel on peak-hour trains, Monday-Friday.

A BOAT

The best way to explore Lake Lucerne is by ferry, and the Lake Lucerne Navigation Company (00 41 41 367 6767, www.lakelucerne.ch) has been paddling for a century. This summer it is celebrating the 100th year of the paddlesteamer Unterwalden – one of five vessels that form an important part of the shipping line's fleet. A series of special cruises is operating through the summer, including evening sailings in August. You can reach Zurich from various UK airports on British Airways (0845 77 333 77, www.ba.com), easyJet (0870 600 0000, www.easyJet.com) and Swiss (0845 601 0956, www.swiss.com).

A PLANE

Virgin Express is to withdraw from Heathrow at the end of October, terminating the Brussels-based airline's troubled tenure in Britain – and putting an end to no-frills flying at the UK's busiest airport. For the next 12 weeks there are some bargains to be had. To Brussels itself, midweek departures in August cost as little as £64 return. You can fly via the Belgian capital to Rome for £127 return, and to Gothenburg for £142. The lowest fares are available from www.virgin-express.com; alternatively, call 0800 891199.

A BOOK

"We have, as a species, a need to travel. We have almost an obligation to travel for the purposes of better understanding, getting to know cultures, meeting each other, understanding the context of our own lives. A better awareness of travel health issues will do that more safely."

Those comments are from Dr Richard Dawood, author of Travellers' Health – how to stay healthy abroad, now in its fourth edition (Oxford, £14.99). The first edition, published in 1986, brought together tropical disease specialists, aviation medicine experts and many other disciplines. But, says Dr Dawood, the need for information on travel medicine is as strong as ever: "Remote places have become so much more accessible. It's just so easy to book something at the last minute, go off to Gambia tomorrow. Within 24 hours you can be anywhere in the world. Almost every tropical disease, almost every travel-related health issue is on the increase."