Chris,

I think I will pick one of the Jessops branded monopods when I get to the UK.

Ideally I would like to have one that folds into < 24 inches and has a quick release system.

Mine is WAY smaller than 24". It's smaller than a fold-up umbrella when collapsed, and you can "expand" it in a couple of seconds - it's telescopic.

You'll find a "Jessops" in virtually every town and city. They are also, if it's of any interest, a good place to have pictures transferred to CD; they specialise in digital photography and offer all sorts of printing and transfer facilities at very reasonable prices.

I've just returned from my Insight tour and ended up taking the gimmicky QuikPod and a Giottos RT8000 tripod. I hadn't practised enough with the QuikPod and got much better shots of myself in scenes just by handing my camera off to a fellow tour member.

The tripod helped me get shots of Florence at night from the viewpoint. There was a sliver of a moon visible and I was able to include it in a shot of the city as well as the David copy in the square. I also took a few other night shots with it. The price ($20 CDN) made it attractive to me but you get what you pay for. It's not all that tall and has no quick release platform. I have finally learned how to operate the legs for closing it down.

What I take with on my next tour will depend on the itinerary description and how many tour activities will take place after dark and in low light situations.