STOP PRESS - VOLUNTEER TRAVEL DEALS

Check out i-to-i. They've got a sale on until the end of the month (10 days to go!), with 15% off every trip. On a normal basis, we're slightly suspicious of i-to-i prices - we've found a couple of projects that you can book direct for considerably under the i-to-i rate. But with 15% off, and the level of support (often including level 1 TEFL qualifications in the cost), it's hard to argue!


One trip we're particularly keen on is the China Train Experience. With the 15% off, this 14-day trip currently costs £718.25. It's a small group trip, with a tour leader, but with a fair bit of independence as well - you've got 2-3 days in Beijing and Shanghai at the beginning and end of the holiday, either side of a week in Xian, the city corresponding to the ancient capital of the first emperor. If you do feel like booking it (and we're thinking about sending a representative along ourselves), pop along to the British Museum and see a few of the Terracotta Warriors. They'll help you make your decision!

As ever, we're not hugely keen on flights. But the week you'll spend in Xian will be a much more effective form of offsetting than most, so we're all go for this one. BA or Air China fly direct into Beijing and back from Shanghai, and you can usually get BA's cheapest prices direct from them. If you don't mind changing, the cheapest option is probably the Russian airline Aeroflot, but the older planes and the two take-offs (you stop in Moscow) mean the emissions are probably a fair bit higher. Again their prices are cheapest at their website.