By joining the Royal Oak Foundation (New York, NY; 800/913-6565, ext. 205, or 212/480-2889, www.royal-oak.org), American visitors to Britain can enjoy unlimited free entry to more than 350 National Trust destinations: historic houses, gardens, castles, nature reserves and UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

At hotels and holiday cottages owned by the National Trust, Royal Oak members also get a 25% discount on all published room-and-breakfast rates and a 10% discount on all published...

Australia’s Simpson Desert parks in Queensland and South Australia will be closed until March 15, 2009, due to projected temperatures in excess of 122°F. Such temperatures can cause fuel vaporization, tire blowouts and battery failure. There have been deaths in the region.

Violators will be fined US$657, and rescue costs will not be covered by the Australian parks service.

Contact Tourism Australia (GPO Box 2721, Sydney, NSW 1006, Australia; phone +61 2 9360 1111, fax +61 2...

Germany is celebrating the birth of the influential 20th-century school of design, the Bauhaus, throughout 2009. Many cities are holding exhibitions, concerts, theater performances and art installations (for instance, sculptures and paintings by Kandinsky, Klee and Itten at the New Museum in Weimar, March 28-May 7).

A downloadable PDF list of events is at www.weimar.de or contact the German National Tourist Office (212/661-7200, www.cometogermany.com).