Something to Declare: St Helena, Venezuela, cheap ferries

The column that gives the global picture

Destination of the week: St Helena

This remote British territory in the South Atlantic celebrates its 500th anniversary of discovery on 21 May 2002. The 6,000 residents are expecting a tourism boom. The limiting factor is that the only way to reach this red speck on the map is aboard RMS St Helena, the supply ship that makes visits to the island. The journey is not cheap: flying to Cape Town, then spending a fortnight at sea and the same length of time in St Helena, continuing on to Ascension Island and flying back with the RAF is likely to cost at least £3,000. Book with Andrew Weir Shipping on 020-7265 0808, fax: 020-7816 4835, www.rms-st-helena.com. Or, read about the island in Harry Ritchie's book, The Last Pink Bits (Sceptre, £6.99).

Warning of the week: The case for caution in Venezuela

The US State Department has strengthened its warnings on the country regarded by many British travellers as the gateway to South America. "Four out of five Venezuelans live in poverty, and many tactics are employed to separate Westerners from their cash. Be wary of supposed police who demand an on-the-spot fine for some imagined irregularity in your papers. Insist you go together to the police station if you suspect they are tricksters. Politely refuse drinks from people you don't know; spiking a drink with drugs can be a preliminary to robbery or worse."

The State Department warns about driving, saying many Venezuelans fail to obey basic regulations.Night driving can be dangerous because of unmarked road damage or repairs, unlighted vehicles and livestock: "Even in urban areas, road damage is often marked by a pile of rocks or sticks left by passers-by near or in the pothole or crevice."

Bargain of the week: cheap ferries The leading ferry operator across the Channel is P&O Stena (087 0600 0600, www.posl.com), which offers early-booking discounts on ferries between Dover and Calais for travel in the summer; book by 7 January for the best deals. Before you do, visit www.ferry.co.uk (the company's discount website) and compare prices to Calais with SeaFrance (08705 711711, www.seafrance.com), Hoverspeed (08705 240 241, www. hoverspeed.co.uk) and Eurotunnel (08705 353 535, www.eurotunnel.com).

Simon Calder