(Here is the latest posting by Clive Culley. Travelling long haul by a budget airline is rare for us in Europe so here is his view of one of the few opportunities around. He is having connection problems in Indonesia so we suspect we’ll get a glut of stories for you and then some gaps till he arrives at some bigger places. In a couple of weeks time, we’ll give you the complete opposite, – a long haul flight in first class)

You might wonder what an African country and the largest conservation charity in the UK have in common. At this time of the year there are tourism awards that are given out and both have received a pretty similar award.
The World Travel & Tourism Council, (WTTC) is a body that you may not have come across. It is a forum for 100 of the top business leaders in travel and tourism across the world. They have just announced what they call their Tourism for Tomorrow Awards which reward sustainable tourism. The destination that has won this year’s Destination Stewardship Award is Botswana for the way that it treats tourism in the Okavango delta

Minneapolis-St Paul isn’t one of the most visited places by us yet it has one of the best airline connections we have. North-West Airlines, now Delta has a daily service into the main airport. Such is its efficiency it has long been my favourite US airport as I once managed to take only 3 minutes to get from the queue at immigration down to where I had to wait for the shuttle bus to take me to my hotel. I’m not alone as it has been voted the best airport in the US and the 3rd best in the world. Still you don’t go to Minneapolis-St Paul to visit the airport.
You go there to visit the Mall of America, the largest shopping complex in the US which even has a bit of its own Disneyland in the middle. And in this state, Minnesota, there is no sales tax on clothing and shoes. By the light railway system, (called Hiawatha) it is only 10 minutes from the airport so there is an opportunity to nip out if you are changing planes there. And it takes 25 minutes into the heart of the cities. All by public transport so no expensive taxis are needed like some other cities.

UPDATE: Air France-KLM have announced that as from 28 March that they have extended their policy on hold baggage so now you can carry up to 3 hold bags at no additional charge. Each can weigh up to 23kgs.
In the last couple of years, putting your luggage in the hold has begun to be charged. On charter and no-frills flights it is not unusual to pay anything between £8 and £14 or so for a case and maybe more for a second case. And that is for each part of the journey. In America even the traditional carriers such as American, United, Delta, Continental and US Air charge for the first bag (and any other bags) on domestic routes. Over here, BA, Virgin Atlantic, Aer Lingus, Aer Arann, Air Southwest, Eastern Airways, Logonair and BMI haven’t reached that stage though flybe charges.
The obvious way to avoid paying hold luggage charges is to only carry hand luggage, the result being that some hand luggage is beginning to resemble the size of the kitchen sink. Some airlines limit hand baggage to 5, 7 or 10 kilos, others go by size. Some airlines turn a blind eye to the size of a bag and if you can lift it and place it in the overhead bin, that’s acceptable. But will that continue?

Aidan Lawes shares his experience of the Mekong Delta with CD Traveller

Aidan Lawes ventured to Vietnam and quickly fell under the country’s spell. Read about his oriental odyssey all this week exclusively on the CD Traveller website

Wallow in nostalgia for a moment.

Do you remember when flying was fun and an adventure?

No, neither do I. It has always been a chore. Just as one thing improves flying, online check-in for example, something comes up to make it more difficult.

I go across the Atlantic to the US a few timnes a year. Usually I travel on a 777 because that is largely what American Airlines and United Airlines use. (I tend to fly them because they give me access to the internal routings I need at generally a cheaper price).But what am I to [...]