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$1 AUD =
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WORLD WEATHER 

USEFUL TRAVEL LINKS

Visa information
DFAT websiteAlthough visa requirements for countries change all the time, you can find links to their various embassies and consulates on the DFAT website. Advice for travellers overseas
www.smartraveller.gov.auThe Australian government's Smart Traveller website lists up-to-date warnings and travel information for all the countries of the world. Currency converter
Ninemsn moneyUse this currency converter to plan the costs you'll be looking at overseas, or to decide when to convert your hard-earned Aussie dollars into something else. Lonely Planet guidebooks
ninemsn.lonelyplanet.comInspired, authentic and practical advice from Lonely Planet. "Old school" travel guides and downloadable chapters on demand, plus plenty of gift ideas and travel gear you can depend on.

FREE PHRASEBOOKS



Ever found yourself waving your hands and trying to mime what you want to an uncomprehending audience? Help is at hand in the form of these handy printable mini phrasebooks, produced by global publishing legend Lonely Planet.

Cantonese Czech Egyptian French Filippino German Greek Indonesian Italian Japanese Korean Mandarin Polish Portuguese Russian Spanish Swahili Thai Turkish Vietnamese

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HOT TOPICS

Weird(414)/ Culture(259)/ Adventure(249)/ Wine and dine(243)/ Flying(238)/ Eco and nature(220)/ Luxury and spa(168)/ Beaches(155)/ Showbiz(149)/ Kids and family(143)/ Sydney(138)

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 Blue Mountains luxury: Fairmont Resort revivalJust a bounce from Sydney, you'll find the iconic mountain range known for the blue mist given off by the unending forests of eucalypt trees. Central to the Blue Mountain's essential tourism industry is the Fairmont Resort located in the quaint town of Leura.
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 Which is the world's safest airline?Every other day we seem to hear reports of commercial airline failures — planes diverted to make emergency landings after in-flight dramas, aircraft grounded due to shonky equipment, near collisions and crew strikes over safety standards — and these are just to name a few from this week.
 Airlines with the worst safety recordsSafety records amongst Australian airlines are remarkably good. Indeed, Qantas doesn't shy away from boasting that it's the world's oldest airline to have never had a fatal accident. But it's not the same story worldwide — and some airlines look considerably iffier when you start looking at the crash data.
 Innocent gestures that mean rude things abroadThink you're a well-mannered person? Most people do — and so they might be, at home. But the most apparently harmless gestures and customs — the thumbs-up sign, a casual greeting, certain types of gifts — can be radically misconstrued on foreign soil, with embarrassing or even dangerous consequences.

Just remember: never shake hands with a Ukrainian in a doorway and never ever make the okay sign to a Greek.

Don't say we didn't warn you! Here's our essential guide to all sorts of unintended ways to offend your foreign friends.

 50 must-see places: 11-20With our 50 must-see places of the world - now we give you 11 to 20 in the line up. From Machu Picchu to Rome.
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