Something To Declare: half-price Gatwick or Heathrow Express; Holland for culture; child-proof hotels

Bargain of the week: the Gatwick or Heathrow Express for half price

Bargain of the week: the Gatwick or Heathrow Express for half price

The fast rail links from London to Britain's two busiest airports are the UK's most expensive trains per mile travelled. But, if you are a friendly sort of person, you may be able to halve the cost of travel.

The easiest prospects are between London Victoria and Gatwick. The "four-for-two" promotion on the Gatwick Express allows adults in groups of four to travel for half price. Individuals or couples can recruit other travellers at the ticket counter to form an ad-hoc group to secure these savings, recouping £5.50 on a single journey.

There is a similar deal on the Heathrow Express - but only on Saturdays and Sundays. A party of four or more qualifies for a Group Weekender ticket at half the normal single price: you pay just £6.50.

Destination of the week: Holland for culture and horticulture

Tulips from Amsterdam? From Keukenhof, more likely. The centre of the Dutch bulb fields has re-opened to visitors, and for the next seven weeks will put on a dazzling floral display. The location is close to the village of Lisse, and accessible by bus from Leiden station, itself only 15 minutes by train from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport. The site opens from 8am-7.30pm until 20 May, admission €12 (£7.50). For more information call 00 31 252 465 555 or visit www.keukenhof.nl.

If you can travel two weeks from now, you can combine horticulture with some free culture. Over 800 Dutch museums will open free of charge over the weekend of 17-18 April.

Innovation of the week: child-proof hotels

What does "family friendly hotel" mean? With no legal definition of the term, it could merely indicate that an establishment has a swimming pool and a restaurant. This is what concerned Clare Scott Dryden, the founder of Childalert - an organisation specialising in safety. She has many examples of the sorts of things that can go wrong; children burning themselves on kettles in bedrooms, catching fingers in door hinges or having access to open windows.

To provide reassurance about hotels and B&Bs that are genuinely safe for small children, Childalert aims to set up a best practice standard. The organisation will advise staff about how to keep children safe, and once a hotel meets an agreed set of standards it will be entitled to carry a "Family Assured Hotel" logo (rather like the "safety assured" logo on your kettle or toaster).

For more information contact Childalert on 020-7384 1311 or visit www.childalert.co.uk.