Cinnarizine

One Account, Richard Branson's long-awaited Virgin bank, starts business on 1 November, but there are no high- street branches to seen. One Account will be a telephone operation based in Norwich, open 24 hours a day throughout the year. Virgin cash cards will be usable at all but two of the 22,000 cash dispensers in the UK (the exceptions being those operated by the United Bank of Kuwait). Credits can be paid in by post, but Virgin customers will also have access to the branch system of Royal Bank of Scotland.

Initially the account will be available only to Virgin's existing 220,000 customers - those with Virgin PEPs, pensions, life assurance or income- protection insurance policies - but it will open up to the general public as soon as practical, a spokesman said last week. RBS, which already operates the Tesco Bank for the supermarket chain, will have a 50 per cent stake in One Account alongside Mr Branson. The venture will operate profitably from the start and will not be used as a loss leader to syphon off business from existing banks and building societies, with the aim of racking up charges when the business has been built up, Mr Branson's spokesmen say.

The concept is based on simplicity, with a single account that doubles as a mortgage, overdraft, personal loan and current savings account, complete with cards and cash dispensers. Customers will receive a monthly statement showing the balance of their account and the monthly inflows and outflows, but there will be no bank charges for operating the account, no annual fees for providing credit cards, no charges for writing letters and no need to switch funds from one account to another in search of the best combination of easy access to cash and the highest rates of interest. The core of the Virgin bank business will be a lifetime mortgage of at least pounds 50,000 and a revolving credit limit up to 100 per cent of the property value. The mortgage will be secured on the customer's home but will also provide the base for overdrafts and personal loans, all charged at the same rate, starting at 8.2 per cent and guaranteed to stay below the average mortgage rate of the Big Five lenders, now 8.45 per cent. Customers will be able to save money by keeping all borrowings at the same rate of interest and using all their credits to reduce their debts instantly. Customers who move in to credit will be offered a competitive savings rate, but this is essentially an account for borrowers rather than creditors. The mortgages are flexible, allowing customers to pay them back on a regular basis or keep them as interest-only loans, have repayment holidays and borrow more. Conventional bank customers would have to negotiate separate overdraft facilities or personal loans or run up credit card bills to achieve the same flexibility. One Account will appeal to home owners in the middle to upper-middle income brackets, and to those who regularly run up bills on their credit cards, buy cars and other goods and services on hire purchase, take personal loans, and who are regularly overdrawn at the bank. It is of no appeal to anys {TT} Caribbean worries We are considering a Caribbean holiday with our children, aged three and five. Is it too ambitious, are there any snags, and which island should we choose? Jane Hall Leicester Jill Crawshaw replies: Apart from the 8-10 hour flight, the cost, and the danger of too much sun, there shouldn't be any problem. No injections are needed and most islands are not malarial. I have, however, seen too many fair-skinned children in real distress from sunburn. So it's T-shirts, hats, high-factor sun cream, and right out of the sun between 12 noon and 3pm. The most economical times for families are after Easter and until October - look out for the "free children" and other offers. Choose April or May, when you get the benefit of lower prices with clearer skies; from June onwards expect some rain, steamy heat, even occasional hurricanes. Which island? Although Virgin Gorda or Petit St Vincent are idyllic, they involve inter-island flights which are notoriously erratic. Of the islands with direct flights, I personally would pick friendly Barbados rather than Antigua or St Lucia. As an ideal family hotel I'd pick Cobblers Cove, near Speightstown. It is small, informal and friendly. Several operators offer packages there. Other attractive islands with good beaches, though with few direct flights, include Grenada and Tobago. The one island I'd be prepared to island-hop for would be Nevis, which you reach via Antigua. It has some delightful old plantation inns, or the large family-friendly Four Seasons Hotel. It has excellent beaches, is historically interesting, and you need have no fears about moving around in safety. Jill Crawshaw is a travel expert, writer and broadcaster. Can I avoid motion sickness? Are there any solutions for motion sickness? I always seem to suffer from this at the slightest excuse. John Timov Dorset Dr Larry Goodyer replies: When our normal balance mechanisms, controlled by the vestibular apparatus in the middle ear, encounter an unfamiliar motion stimulus from whatever cause the syndrome called motion sickness can result. The initial common symptoms are nausea, loss of colour in the face and cold sweats. These seem to get rapidly worse accompanied by lightheadedness and apathy, rising to a crescendo with vomiting. Other symptoms include headaches, drowsiness and depression. It is most common in children between 2 and 12 years. There is no vaccine, although medication can be very effective if you remember to take it before you travel. Side- effects include drowsiness and a dry mouth and eyes, so it is important not to drive or operate machinery if adversely affected. Tablets which suit one person may not work very well on another, and it is worth experimenting. My favourite are those that contain cinnarizine as they have the fewest side-effects. On a long sea journey, many people find that after a day or two they gain their "sea legs" and the problem abates. There are a few things that can be done to try and alleviate the problem on board ship; lying down with the eyes closed in the middle of the ship is one suggestion, or if on deck try fixing the attention on a particular point on the horizon. If in a car it is better to drive or sit in the front passenger seat and watch the road. Reading is the worst thing to do. Dr Larry Goodyer is superintendent of the Nomad Pharmacy (3-4 Turnpike Lane, London N8, Tel: 0181-889 7014) which specialises in catering for travellers' medical needs. Where should I go with my large family? Next summer I would like to take my extended family (maximum 14 people with ages ranging from 7 to 75) on a seven day French canal holiday, with cook and crew provided. Can you recommend a suitable tour company who will be able to help us out? Joyce Allen, Herts The travel editor replies: The only operator I could find who can possibly meet your criteria is European Waterways (tel. 0171 436 2931). They offer tailor-made cruises for up to 12 people, which include full-board, wine with meals, open bar (!) and sight seeing, along with chef and crew. Such luxury does not come cheap however. I don't know what kind of budget you have in mind, but you will probably be spending pounds 1,500 per person per week, not including transport to and from France. For example, a week for 12 (maximum) in Burgundy in either the Cote d'Or and Yonne regions or cruising between Dijion and Vandenesse, will set you back a group total of pounds 19,030 or pounds 28,780 respectively. What you have to remember is that these are personalised cruises and a open bar is not an option you'll find on many family holidays this side of the Caribbean. European Waterways are happy to help organise your flights, though for any other mode of transport (train, car) it would be up to you to make your own arrangements. If you would consider self-catering, crewing your own boat and perhaps taking fewer people or two smaller boats, then the price would drop massively. Companies to contact include Arblaster & Clark (tel. 01730 893 344), Headwater Holidays (tel. 01606 48699) and Hoseasons (tel. 01502 500 555). Write to: the Travel Editor, Independent on Sunday, 1 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5DL fax: 0171-293 2043; e-mail: sundaytravel@independent.co.uk

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