Something to declare: Top travel tips; fewer frills to Calais; Valkyrie country; India

Where to go, how to save, what to avoid

Event of the week: Top travel tips

To make the most of your puny pounds, pick up some useful advice from two Lonely Planet experts at Stanfords travel bookshop in central London. On Tuesday 20 January, the travel writers Tom Hall and Joe Bindloss will pick out the best destinations for 2009, whether you are after an unusual city break or find yourself taking an involuntary career break. Tickets for the event (£5) are bookable on 020-7836 1321 or by emailing sales@stanfords.co.uk.

Bargain of the week: Fewer frills to Calais

To try to get an edge in the very competitive cross-Channel market, P&O Ferries (08716 645 645; poferries.com) has just introduced "Best Fare Sailings" on its Dover-Calais route. The idea is that, on a few sailings each day, the Club Lounge and Langan's Brasserie are closed; in return for a reduction in on-board facilities, the fare is lower than it would otherwise be. The sailings are flagged up on the website; bear in mind, though, that they may not be the cheapest available overall.

Destination of the week: Valkyrie country

The new Tom Cruise film, Valkyrie, opens on Friday. Largely set in Berlin, it describes the 1944 plot by German army officers to assassinate Adolf Hitler and bring the Second World War to a swift end.

But the location of the actual failed attack is well beyond the German capital – once an obscure corner of eastern Poland, now part of Poland. The Wolf's Lair, in the Ketrzyn woods, was where the Führer spent more of the war than any other location. Hitler oversaw the war on the eastern front with the Soviet Union from the Führerhauptquartier Wolfsschanze. At its height, the Wolf's Lair was home to more than 2,000 people, many of them detailed to protect the Führer.

A subterranean sauna, a cinema and even a casino were created to entertain the warriors. Hitler lived in bunker 13, with neighbours who included Hermann Goering and Martin Bormann.

Much of the complex was wrecked by the incumbents as they fled the Soviet advance in January 1945, to prevent the Red Army using the facilities, but the site is now a tourist attraction (00 48 89 752 44 29; wolfsschanze.home.pl). You can reach it by flying to Gdansk, from which there are several buses a day taking around five hours for a fare of around 25 zlotys (£6).

Warning of the week: India

The US State Department is warning of the risk of further terrorist attacks between now and India's Republic Day on 26 January.

After the Mumbai bombings in November, it warns: "Future attacks may also target public places frequented by Westerners, including in large cities and tourist areas". The current Foreign Office bulletin warns: "British nationals should exercise particular caution when in the vicinity of key government installations and tourist sites, attending public events (including religious and sporting events), and in public places including hotels, airports, shopping malls, markets and on public transport."

The UK government also issues specific warnings about crimes against passengers using Mumbai airport: "After you have cleared customs and immigration at Mumbai airport you should be wary of approaches by thieves posing as government officials". In addition, "there is a risk of armed robbers holding up taxis travelling along the main highway from the airport to the city in the early hours of the morning when there is little traffic on the roads".