Something To Declare: Poland; Pope on tour; cut-price health advice

Destination of the week: Poland

Flight options to the largest of the "accession countries" who joined the EU in May are increasing. From next Tuesday, 10 August, Wizz Air (00 48 22 500 9499; www.wizzair.com) will fly twice daily from Luton to Warsaw and daily between Luton and Gdansk. The airline already flies from Luton to the southern Polish city of Katowice. Fares at around £100 return are widely available, even in August.

Competition on the Luton-Warsaw route will intensify from 31 October, when easyJet (0871 750 0100; www.easyJet.com) starts flying; expect some severe price-cutting during November and the first half of December. The airline is starting flights from Luton to Krakow on 13 October.

On 8 December, easyJet begins services from Luton to Bratislava, the capital of neighbouring Slovakia.

Warning of the week: Pope on tour

Pope John Paul II is making a pilgrimage to Lourdes next weekend, and the approach roads to the city in south-west France are to be sealed on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 August. Visitors will be obliged to park in towns some distance away, such as Pau and Lannemezan, from which shuttle buses will run to the railway station at Tarbes. Special trains will run from here to Lourdes, for a flat fare of €10 (£7). More information from the official pilgrimage site, www.lourdes2004.com

Bargain of the week: cut-price health advice

The travel medicine specialist Masta (0906 550 1403; www.masta.org) has a summer deal on its health briefs if you buy online: you pay £3.49, saving £1.50. It also offers 10 per cent off health items if you also buy a brief.