Arrivals by Will Hide

Hot spot

The Northumbrian painter and decorator Chris Farrow has set up www.motorhomeholidayswap.com for those who, like him, enjoy the open road and the thought of life in an RV (as our American friends call their recreational vehicles.) The site resembles a holiday- home exchange scheme - motorhomers can get in touch with one another and swap with like-minded drivers across the globe. Annual registration is £45.

Bigger and better

Hard to believe it's 30 years since JR Ewing, Sue Ellen, Bobby, Pam, Miss Ellie and “poisoned dwarf” Lucy burst on to our TV screens in Dallas. We've missed the oil barons, heaving bosoms, Stetsons, lips the size of Texas and more shoulder pads than you could shake an illegitimate half brother who's sleeping with his best friend's wife but steps out of the shower and realises it's all a dream at. If y'all coming over mighty nostalgic, Southfork Ranch (www.southfork.com), near Dallas, is holding a reunion barbecue a week today attended by some of the stars, including Larry Hagman, Linda Gray and Patrick Duffy. Details at www.dr30.com

The debrief

Who says telly addicts never get off the sofa? Fans of US comedies can get free tickets for recordings of favourite shows in the Los Angeles area. Go to www.tvtickets.com or www.hollywoodtickets.com and see what's available. More difficult - but not impossible with some advanced planning - are seats in the audience for Oprah (filmed in Chicago; call 00 1 312 591 9222) or The Late Show with David Letterman (taped in New York; apply online at http://lateshow.cbs.com).

News in brief by Tom Chesshyre

PHONE IN Passengers can check-in at Cleveland's Hopkins International Airport by downloading boarding passes from the internet to their mobile phones. Barcodes on the downloads are then scanned by security and airline officials.

JUMPING ON THE BANDWAGON TourEast London, the East London tourist board, is urging Londoners to “reduce their carbon footprint” by visiting Spitalfields market and Canary Wharf rather than going abroad. Other “highlights” include the Thames Barrier and a wormery at ExCeL London.

DAMP SQUIB A tourist in Poland drove into a lake after following sat-nav directions rather than reading road signs. “The man took a road that was closed a year ago when the area was flooded to make an artificial lake,” a police spokesman said.

UP IN SMOKE Authorities in Roosendaal and Bergen-op-Doom in the Netherlands are planning to close coffee shops in which cannabis is smoked to deter “drug tourists”. In a statement, they said: “Soft drug tourism is the motor of criminality linked to (harder) drugs.”

Bellboy by Tom Chesshyre

WEDDING OFF A groom-to-be in the Yamanashi prefecture in Japan set fire to the hotel in which he was due to marry because he did not want to go through with the wedding. Tatsuhiko Kawata, 39, told police he already had a wife. Guests were evacuated.

A-ROD SPOT Alex Rodriguez, the New York Yankees player nicknamed A-Rod, might enjoy staying at the London West Hollywood hotel in Los Angeles - perfect for away games against the LA Dodgers. He has also been associated with Madonna whose London home was styled by the hotel's designer, David Collins.

SURF'S UP A “surfing village” consisting of a hundred “surf pods” has been granted planning permission in Cornwall. Retallack Surfside's pods will have two double bedrooms and storage for wetsuits and boards. There will also be restaurants, bars and “the first inland surf wave in the UK”. It is expected to open in 2010.

DREAM ON Guests staying at an hotel housed in a former Elizabethan inn in Buckinghamshire are being invited to “sleep, perchance to dream”. Shakespeare is believed to have stayed at the property, named Shakespeare House. It is said that he had the idea for A Midsummer Night's Dream during a visit.

A FAIR KIP

Bow Street Magistrates' Court in London is being turned into a five-star hotel after Westminster City Council gave the go-ahead to a hotel in the building in which Oscar Wilde, Reggie Kray and Dr Crippen were once held.

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