A round-up of this week's other travel stories in brief...
A guide on beginning in Beijing
Anyone travelling to the Olympic Games in Beijing in August may find a new book by Gary Finnegan helpful. Beijing for Beginners: An Irishman in the People's Republicwill be published by Liffey Press next month. It gives the journalist's account of life in the Chinese capital.
Keeping tabs on kids
Parents visiting one of Britain's most famous seaside resorts this summer will be able to tag their children with wristbands in case they get lost. Lifeguards in Skegness, in Lincolnshire, on the east coast of England, will give parents tags on which they can write their names and mobile-telephone numbers.
East Lindsey District Council, which is responsible for the resort, said 46 children were found last year after becoming separated from their parents along its coastline.
Rock out at the opera
Tired of trudging your way through the usual list of rock festivals? Feel like something a little more glamorous? Then put on your glad rags, pack a picnic and head to Opera in the Gardens, in the grounds of Borris House, in Co Carlow, on July 4th and 5th. Irish company Opera Fringe will be performing a double bill of Puccini's Gianni Schicchi and Rimsky-Korsakov's Mozart and Salieri. This year, for the first time, there is a special event for young children. Prams & Proms is a matinee performance that takes place on Sunday, July 6th. Opera tickets are from €80. Prams & Proms family tickets cost €20. Contact Helen Carroll on 086-8057220, www.blackstairsopera.com.