Something to declare: Corsica - Women in Vienna - Sub-continental connections to New York

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Destination of the week: Corsica

When the father of the modern package holiday, Vladimir Raitz, first chartered a plane and filled it with holidaymakers and dispatched it to the Med, the destination he chose was Corsica. This Mediterranean island is still relatively unspoilt – and a culturally fascinating mix of French and Italian influences.

Yet in the half-century since Horizon Holidays began, the island has almost vanished from the tour-operators' radar. You can't even fly to Corsica on a no-frills flight, though there are plenty of rumours about flights from Stansted. This summer, Cresta Holidays (0870 161 0900) offers charter flights to all four of Corsica's airports – Ajaccio, Figari, Bastia and Calvi – from Gatwick, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh, but only on Sundays.

A week at the top-of-the range Hotel La Villa in Calvi costs £1,148 per person, based on two sharing, including flights from Gatwick and breakfast. Half-board at the two-star Arcu di Sole costs £545 in August including flights from Gatwick.

When you get there, you can buy the freedom of the island for €47 (£30) a week. Corsican Railways has a rail pass, called La Carte Zoom, that will save you money even on a return journey between Ajaccio and Bastia. La Carte Zoom allows seven days' unlimited travel on the rail network. You can buy the ticket from any Corsican station.

Warning of the week: women in Vienna

"The Austrians are a law-abiding lot, almost obsessively so," says the new second edition of the Rough Guide to Austria (£10.99). "Few people drop litter, and no one jaywalks. That said, crime does, of course, exist and is on the rise.

"In Vienna, large sections of the Gürtel ring road double as a red-light district, and as such are best avoided. Big-city train stations, particularly the Südbahnhof in Vienna, can be unsavoury after dark.

"Austrian Railways has introduced Damenabteilen (women-only sections) on some InterCity and EuroCity expresses, especially those that involve travel late at night."

Bargain of the week: sub-continental connections to New York

As the political climate in the Indian sub-continent cools, it is a good moment to mention the deals to New York JFK on Air India and Pakistan International Airlines. Air India flies daily from Heathrow, and is selling a flexible fare in July and August of £354 through its consolidator, Welcome Travel (020-7439 3627). There is a maximum stay of 90 days.

From Manchester, Pakistan International Airlines has plenty of availability on its non-stop flights between Manchester and JFK. Fares sold through discount agents are likely to be consistently below those on the other carriers on the route.