Something to declare: Alton in autumn; Budapest and beyond;

The best deals, the latest hot spots and what's new in travel

Destination of the week: Alton in autumn

Now that children are back at school, Alton Towers is trying to entice bigger kids to ride its rollercoasters. In conjunction with Virgin Trains (08457 222 333; www.virgintrains.co.uk), the Staffordshire theme park is offering all-inclusive travel deals for little more than the normal price of admission (which is currently £22 if you book online). From Birmingham or Manchester Piccadilly, the price is as low as £29 if you book in advance; from London it is £34. This includes rail travel to Stoke-on-Trent and a bus connection from there.

Alton Towers (0870 520 4060; www.alton-towers. co.uk) opens daily until 30 October. Highlights include Nemesis, Oblivion and the new ride for 2005, Rita - The Queen of Speed.

Bargain of the week: Budapest and beyond

Hungary's national airline, Malev (0870 909 0577; www.malev.com), is pricing its links from Heathrow and Stansted aggressively. From the Essex airport, a return flight to Budapest costs as little as £83; from Heathrow, the fare is £6 higher. This is less than half the lowest fare charged a decade ago, and furthermore includes a full meal service. The lowest prices are available on off-peak services, booked in advance, but if you buy far enough ahead then even peak weekend departures are available.

You can also fly from Heathrow to Budapest on British Airways (0870 850 9850; www.ba.com) and from Bristol, Gatwick, Luton and Newcastle on easyJet (0905 821 0905; www.easyJet.com).

Rumours abound that Ryanair (0906 270 5656; www.ryanair.com) will soon announce a link from Stansted to another airport in Hungary: Sarmellek, near Lake Balaton.

Meanwhile, Malev is also offering connections at the Hungarian capital to south-east European destinations. For example, flights from London to Sofia are available for £145, while you can reach Athens for £152.

Warning of the week: Kenya

Kenya Airways has begun direct flights between Heathrow and Mombasa. The service calls at Nairobi on the outbound flight, but flies back non-stop. Mombasa was the location for terrorist attacks on Israeli tourists three years ago, including a failed attempt to shoot down a charter jet. The Foreign Office warns that "Terrorists may retain the capability to attack aircraft". It also warns that "Muggings and armed attacks by gangs can occur at any time, particularly in Nairobi and Mombasa."

More flights to more cities than ever before: that has been the effect of the Indian government's liberalisation of air travel. But many of those flights could come to an abrupt halt if a new law takes effect at the start of next month.

In common with many other countries, India is implementing an Advance Passenger Information System aimed at boosting homeland security. From 1 October, the authorities will demand personal details on all travellers flying to India. The information is supposed to be sent to officials within 15 minutes of the aircraft taking off. And to enforce the law, the Indian government is threatening captains of aircraft that fail to comply with a five-year jail sentence.

The general secretary of the British Air Line Pilots Association, Jim McAuslan, says: "It is outrageous that an aircraft commander can face five years in prison for something over which they have no control."

His trade union has written to the British government asking for support against the new measure. If the proposed law comes into force, flights to India could be grounded. "There will be no alternative but to advise pilots not to fly to India," says McAuslan.