Travel Agenda: The Shard; World of gardening; Pod hotels in New York; Stress-buster; Waterproof gear; Global store; Montenegro sale

The Shard rises

The capital's latest landmark officially opened this week. Tickets to The View observation deck, which launches on 1 Feb, 2013, are now on sale (theviewfromtheshard.com).

Gardening leave

The RHS is to join Colette Worldwide Holidays to offer expert-led trips to see flowers in their natural habitat (rhs.org.uk).

Pod hotels in New York

2 - the number of Pod hotels in New York, now Pod 39 has opened in Murray Hill. Budget-chic rooms have brick-tiled, private bathrooms and there's a rooftop bar and taco stand. Doubles from $119 (£79) (thepodhotel.com)

Far East to Wester Ross

Remote Torridon Hostel in Scotland's Wester Ross has a five-night t'ai chi break to help "combat stress" from 7 Oct, with breakfast and packed lunch for £279pp (syha.org.uk).

Raining champions

Protect camping gear from the rain with Kathmandu's range of waterproof accessories. The Amphi pack (£89.99) features a roll-top opening and water-resistant material (kathmandu.co.uk).

There is only one ...

... department store with plans to open a global hotel chain. Qatar Holding intends to open Harrods-branded hotels in Kuala Lumpur, London, Sardinia, New York and Paris. Work on the Malaysian site starts in 2013, in the Bukit Bintang area.

Montenegro sale

Explore Montenegro has a sale on rentals throughout the tiny Adriatic country. They include the four-bed Casa Resor, in Lepetane on the Bay of Kotor, where a seven-night stay is £1,688. Or the three-bed Splendido apartment near Prcanj (£518 for a week). Both valid from 22 July to 26 August (montenegroholidays.com).