Something To Declare: New Zealand and Australia; phone penalty; travel via Leeds to the sun; Thai terror?

The column that gives the global picture

Destination of the week: New Zealand and Australia, in the southern spring

"It's a mini-low season," says Arran Sutherland of Quest Travel (0870 442 3516, www.questtravel.com). "Airlines flying to Australia have dropped their fares in September by hundreds of pounds, to fill seats in the lull before the Rugby World Cup begins in October." Malaysia Airlines is selling September flights from Heathrow or Manchester to Perth for £595; to Adelaide, Brisbane or Melbourne for £639; to Sydney for £645; and to Auckland for a very reasonable £609. Book by the end of July.

Phone penalty of the week: £10

Luddites heading for the sun with easyJet (0870 600 0000, www.easyJet.com) who book by phone rather than through the internet will henceforth pay an extra £10 for each return flight. This is twice the previous surcharge imposed by easyJet. The airline has just put its winter timetable on sale. It has also enhanced its website so that passengers can now access details of their booking direct.

Bargain of the week: travel via Leeds to the sun in August

One more reason to get online: the Leeds/Bradford based airline, Jet2 (0870 737 82 82, www.jet2.com), has installed a natty "Low fare finder" on its website that allows you to spot the cheap seats to destinations across a whole month. Search in August, and you should find Amsterdam as cheap as £77 return, Bergamo (near Milan) for £87 and Barcelona for £127.

Warning of the week: Thai terror?

"We believe that there is currently an increased risk of terrorist activity in Thailand," the Foreign Office warned this week. "Places frequented by Westerners are particularly vulnerable to terrorist attack."

The Government says British nationals should "exercise good security practice in all public places and tourist resorts, particularly large resorts favoured by Westerners, and in airports, on public transport and in night clubs, bars, restaurants and places of worship".