Something To Declare: Heart of Wales; strike season begins

Destination of the week: the Heart of Wales

Destination of the week: the Heart of Wales

This beautiful railway, which runs through Mid-Wales from Swansea via Llanelli to Shropshire, has a couple of tasty travel-and-food offers. For a flat fare of £5 from any station on the line, the "Llanwrtyd + Soup" ticket offers return rail travel to the small town of Llanwrtyd (a normal day return from Swansea costs £6.60, and from Shrewsbury, £8.80).

When you reach Llanwrtyd, your ticket entitles you to a bowl of home-made soup and a roll (normally £2.30) at the Neuadd Arms Hotel (01591 610236). The offer expires on 11 June.

On Sundays, rail travellers from Llanelli or Swansea qualify for a three-course lunch at the North Western Hotel in Llandovery for £4.90. National Rail enquiries: 08457 48 49 50 or visit www.heart-of-wales.co.uk.

Warning of the week: strike season begins

This half-term usually coincides with industrial action. Today, air-traffic controllers in Italy will strike for much of the day. Airlines are likely to cancel or reschedule dozens of flights; easyJet has already cancelled 14, and passengers on Ryanair, British Airways and Alitalia can expect delays or cancellations - with ripple effects disrupting departures to other destinations. Some airlines have rescheduled flights - so check with the airline if your trip could be affected.