Travel agenda

From yoga in India and glass in Venice to augmented reality apps

Top glass

See a different side of Venice with a stay on Murano. The island, which has been a hub for glass-production since the 13th century, has a new hotel. The four-star LaGare has warm chocolatey interiors, a luxurious lobby-bar and an elegant courtyard restaurant (lagarehotelvenezia.com).

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The starting price, in sterling, of a return Eurostar fare from London St Pancras, Ashford or Ebbsfleet to Paris, Brussels, Lille or Calais, if you book before 16 September in the current sale. The Belgian stations of Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp start at £69 return. Travel 30 September to 19 December (eurostar.com).

Know how

Thomas Cook has launched "Trip Tips" on its website. There are health tips on getting the right vaccinations; practical advice on visas; and hints on where to find the best exchange rates (bit.ly/TCTips).

Transfer season

Eastpak's new range includes the Transfer M, which comes in 22 colours from bright geometric stripes to eye-catching red. The 78-litre case has a soft backpack-like shell, with the wheels and pull-out handle of a suitcase; £120 (eastpak.com).

The full package

Etihad Airways is now offering packages to destinations in its network. Examples from Heathrow via Abu Dhabi include six nights in Bangkok at the Aloft hotel for £801pp. The airline is also increasing its baggage allowance to 30kg (etihadholidays.co.uk).

Southern belle

British Airways launches non-stop flights from Heathrow to the Texan state capital, Austin, next March. A fare of £508 return is available for some dates. But BA is ending its link to Lusaka in Zambia from November, due to rising losses (ba.com).

Ready for take-off

Upload the augmented-reality app Blippar (blippar.com) and scan the front cover of your passport to see how it has been transformed. You'll be able to watch a 3D plane taking off from the runway, learn some common phrases before your trip or quiz yourself on travel trivia. For a preview of how it works, see: bit.ly/PassportBlipp

Grand tour

Kuoni has 14 new escorted tours that include yoga in India; culinary adventures in Vietnam; fishing in Jordan; and bird-watching in Costa Rica (kuoni.co.uk).