The Caribbean is a mosaic of delectable isles - but what makes St Lucia distinctive? Senior travel writer Natalie Wilson was there in the summer and was smitten by the island's beauty, friendliness and culture.

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"The pearl of the Adriatic" has been enticing millions of tourists every year, with its spectacular setting and mighty walls wrapping around the old city. More recently Dubrovnik's starring role as a backdrop in Game of Thrones has brought even more visitors. The pressure from tourism has been evident – but the Mayor, Mato Frankovic, has been telling me how he plans to rebalance the relationship between visitors and the citizens.

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From 12 October, the EU's much-delayed entry-exit system (EES) will begin to be rolled out. Using some mathematical modelling, Oliver Ranson from Airline Revenue Economics has worked out the European airports most at risk of collapse on first contact with the EES. Milan Malpensa, Bucharest and Athens top the chart.

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Since he took over as chief executive of Ryanair in 1994, Michael O'Leary has guided what was an ailing Irish regional airline to become Europe’s biggest budget carrier.

I've been talking to him about a crackdown on cabin baggage, his plan for smartphone-only boarding passes and the EU entry-exit system. Listen up!

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My guest is travel expert Gilly Bachelor, who is a champion of solo travel for women. Tomorrow (Thursday 28 August) she is organising a special evening aimed at women preparing to go it alone abroad – under the brand "No stopping her".

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Travel Desk Tuesday, and Global Travel Editor Annabel Grossman has been telling me about her experience in Bali – the Indonesian island that has been under attack for the quality of the travel experience.

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Today I am talking to a campaigner on cabin air quality, Captain Tristan Loraine. He believes passengers and crew are often at risk because of engine oil contaminating the air inside commercial aircraft. He is the spokesperson for the Global Cabin Air Quality Executive, gcaqe.org

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On the eve of the last bank holiday weekend before Christmas, I'm in Runswick Bay, North Yorkshire – at the home of Andrew Smith, part of the crew of the Runswick Bay Rescue Boat – which does amazing work helping holidaymakers who get into difficult on the water.

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Adventurer, photographer and wildlife campaigner Paul Goldstein is walking, in a Bengal tiger suit, from Tigerton in northeast Scotland to Tiger Bay in Cardiff to raise money for animal protection. I caught up with Paul, his walking companions and support team, at Caldbeck in Cumbria. How has the walk been so far?

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Every time I visit the US, I am fascinated by the differences between British and American habits. To get the latest, I have been talking to top cinematographer Douglas Bolton, who spends a lot of time in Colorado – and kindly offered me a lift along Interstate 70.

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