HALF A CENTURY ago, leaving the shores of the British Isles was considered a foolhardy and dangerous way to spend time.

The popularisation of foreign holidays began in the 1960s with the Costa Del Sol and swept across Europe, and falling air travel costs gradually brought the whole of the Western world within the average budget.

And in the last ten years, you're nobody if you haven't travelled across a swathe of the East or at least the USA.

Two new exhibitions which began at St David's Hall this week take a different look at once-exotic locations - and you won't need a course of injections to visit.

No Stop on Red brings the very different work of Richard Cox and Phil Mead together to look at their experience of creating art across the world. Both have travelled widely in Japan, India and the USA and the cultural contexts they share result in an exhibition that examines our world from many angles. All the work in the show was completed over the last three years.

Including examples of graphics, photography and mixed media, it continues a collaboration which has seen the two exhibit together across England and Wales.

Plain Tales: An Indian Experience, also at St David's Hall, documents photographer David J Smithson's recent travels in the Indian subcontinent.

The Scottish-born artist uses his camera to capture images of the people and the landscapes that make up one of the world's largest and most fascinating countries.

Both shows are in the foyer galleries at St David's Hall until April 28.