Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast
Episodes
July 9th - Tourist taxes and a Lake District congestion charge?
09 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
An entry fee for the Lake District on busy days, and the prospect of many more tourist taxes? I’ve been hearing from Henri Murison, chief executive ...
July 8th - Happy birthday, Ryanair: 40 years old today
08 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I've been back through the archive to bring you a report of the first departure from Waterford to London Gatwick – including an interview with chief...
July 7th - Why Napa Valley should be on every traveller's wish-list
07 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I'm talking to Adam Lechmere, publishing director of the Academie du Vin Library – which has just brought out The Smart Traveller's Wine Guide to Na...
July 4th - Could the guidebook be making a comeback?
04 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
That's the contention from Rene Frey, chief executive of Rough Guides and Insight GuidesThis podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsle...
July 3rd - Check in is a 20th-century procedure that has no place in the modern era
03 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When you buy a rail ticket, that's it: you just show up at the station and board the train. Flying should be like that. But instead, passengers are ob...
July 2nd - Interrail deal: save 20% if you book by close of play on 3 July
02 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I am reporting from a speedy Austrian train on the former route of the Orient Express - and talking about the many benefits of Interrail.You can get 1...
July 1st - Uber: how to rate drivers and how to tip, from an expert
01 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
An unusual way to start the month: talking to my friend Daniel Bettendorf outside the Art Inn in Linz, Austria, where we have cycled. Since the early ...
June 30th - Don't worry, travel happy: the message from top industry leader
30 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On the eve of the peak summer months of July and August, Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of the Advantage Travel Partnership, looks ahead to the ma...
June 27th - When global geo-politics and your holiday converge ...
27 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What a week it has been, as conflict surged and then waned in the Middle East – with dozens of flights cancelled and tens of thousands of people str...
June 26th - Celebrating Everest pioneer Howard Somervell
26 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I'm at the Alpine Club in Charlotte Road, Shoreditch, London – where, between 11am to 3pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays to 18 July 2025, you can find a ...
June 25th - Careful with the free wifi – and not so fast plugging into that USB socket to recharge
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Just ahead of the summer peak, a warning from Lloyd Figgins, CEO of the Trip Group, about cybersecurity while on the road. Are you sure that is the co...
June 24th - Doors to automatic and cross-check: understanding the role of cabin crew
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Young, gifted and cabin crew. No, not me – my excellent colleague Natalie Wilson, who reports in from an experience day at British Airways' global t...
June 23rd - Heightened tension in the Middle East, with British Airways diverting a Dubai flight to ... Zurich
23 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I am at Gatwick airport, busy as always, but keeping tabs on the unfolding disruption in the Middle East. British Airways has cancelled a series of fl...
June 20th - Flyaway Friday – but how early will you arrive at the airport?
20 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I am talking to my excellent colleague, Natalie Wilson, about how much time people should allow to reach and get through the airport. It follows a soc...
June 19th - Cruising – a force for good?
19 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Paul Ludlow, president of Carnival UK – which includes P&O Cruises and Cunard – says cruise is a benefit to all.This podcast is free, as is In...
June 18th - Small ship river cruising
18 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I'm talking to Powell Ettinger, founder and director of the Small Cruise Ship Collection – covering vessels from eight to 250 people. Most carry 40-...
June 17th - How could Middle East conflict affect your holiday flight?
17 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hundreds of flights are being diverted around closed airspace – these are the key impacts, and your rights.This podcast is free, as is Independent T...
June 16th - Norway's new polar bear rules are conservational fascism
16 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Norway has strict new rules in place to protect polar bears in Svalbard (Spitzbergen) from encroachment by tourists. The government in Oslo says: "It ...
June 13th - Tragedy in Ahmedabad
13 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
24 hours after the heartbreaking loss of Air India flight AI171, my reflections on the tragedy and what investigators will be looking for.This podcast...
June 12th - A taste of Mallorca: meet Michelin-starred chef Marc Fosh
12 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I am in Palma, where I met up with an English chef who has made a name for himself – and his restaurant. Marc Fosh talks about Mallorca as an island...
June 11th - Cascais, Estoril and Sintra – all worth adding to a trip to Lisbon
11 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I’m on something of a personal campaign to persuade more people to add a day or two to their trip to visit one of my favourite Portuguese locations ...
June 10th - UK to Germany and Switzerland by direct train – but not this decade
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Eurostar promises a new Golden Age of rail with new direct links from London to Frankfurt and Geneva, as I've been hearing from the cross-Channel trai...
June 9th - Remote medicine training
09 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I'm talking to Lloyd Figgins of Travel Risk & Incident Prevention about a course designed for adventurers.This podcast is free, as is Independent ...
June 6th - Vilnius: the intriguing capital of Lithuania, formerly part of the Soviet Union
06 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I'm back in the USSR – or at least what was a small part of that vast and brutal empire. Today, Lithuania is a modern, democratic nation and a membe...
June 5th - Expedition cruising: what does it involve?
05 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today I'm talking to Martin Johnson, chair of the Expedition Cruise Network, about the ships that take travellers to the ends of the world.This podcas...
June 4th - Staying safe on your holidays – and the allure of Venezuela
04 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I really enjoyed talking to Christine Shacklady, Managing Director of the TRIP Group – Travel Risk & Incident Prevention. She began with some to...
June 3rd - Travel Desk Tuesday: reflections on Sweden from Natalie Wilson
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
My excellent colleague, Natalie Wilson, has just returned from a short but intensive exploration of Sweden with Intrepid, and talks about the food, dr...
June 2nd - Arvinda Bahal, world traveller, shares his philosophy
02 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
My friend Arvi has just returned from Uzbekistan, and – aged 80, having visited every country in the world, is now planning his next adventure. Afte...
May 30th - Would you go on a Political Tour – or is the news quite bad enough for you without spoiling a holiday?
30 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I'm talking to Nicholas Wood, director of Political Tours, who organises trips to various frontlines around the world. The 2026 offering has just been...
May 29th - Heathrow: what went wrong on 21 March when the UK's busiest airport closed down due a power outage?
29 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I have been talking to Ruth Kelly, author of the review into the shutdown of Heathrow airport on 21 March, following a fire at the North Hyde electric...
May 28th - What’s wrong with air passengers’ rights rules?
28 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Air passengers’ rights rules have been around for a couple of decades now – spurring the creation of a side industry in claims handling. Companies...
May 27th - Are budget airlines being unkind to passengers with "hidden charges" for cabin baggage?
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A pan-European consumer group is urging the EU to force airlines to allow passengers to bring a wheelie bag on board planes as well as a smaller item ...
May 26th - First train in Great British Railways colours departs London Waterloo
26 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I was on board the 6.14am train to Shepperton, along with the transport secretary, Heidi Alexander. What is the big idea behind renationalising the ra...
May 23rd - Summer flight disruption: easyJet spells out what it's doing to minimise delays
23 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The boss of Britain's biggest budget airline, easyJet, reveals pre-emptive action:Sharper turns between arrival and departure.Spare parts and planes j...
May 22nd - Summer travellers warned: strikes and overbooking could hit your holiday flight
22 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I have been talking once again to Gediminas Žiemelis, boss of Avia Solutions Group – which runs 14 different airlines including Ascend of the UK. H...
May 21st - Stratford, east London: gateway to Europe?
21 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The transport tech giant Uber is to take on Eurostar through the Channel Tunnel – but you may need an Uber to reach the departure station in east Lo...
May 20th - How much??? Why it makes sense for airlines to price a one-hour flight at close to £1,000
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Many people grumble at soaring air fares. But if an airline is setting fares at a preposterous level, such as £900-plus from London to Edinburgh, tha...
May 19th - Rotterdam has a new must-visit enticement
19 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Fenix, which has just had its opening weekend, is a breathtaking new museum that explores the deep-rooted human instinct of migration. “In every fam...
Special Podcast - A new British airline is taking to the skies
15 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A giant Airbus A380 plane in the colours of Global Airlines will lift off from Glasgow airport in Scotland, destination New York JFK. The founder, bus...
May 14th - There are bitey things all over the world’ – but mosquitoes are the worst
15 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As the UK basks in unusually warm weather, everyone is in holiday mood. But beware the natural world, says the doyenne of travel health, Dr Jane Wilso...
May 13th - Farewell to my excellent colleague, UK Travel Editor Ben Parker
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ben is sadly leaving The Independent this week after two years with the travel team. He looks back over the highlights during that time – with Scott...
May 12th - Cross-Channel by catamaran?
12 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Foot passengers and cyclists across the Channel from Dover to France have a tricky experience with the traditional ferry operators. But this summer th...
May 9th - Trailfinders: the secrets of Sir Mike Gooley's success
09 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For the final part of my exclusive week-long series with Trailfinders founder and chairman, Sir Mike Gooley, I learn about his relationship with the l...
May 8th - "We wanted to call the company Pathfinders"
08 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Day four of my conversation with Trailfinders founder and chairman Sir Mike Gooley, in which he reveals how the company name was chosen; why booking o...
May 7th - Trailfinders: the ethos of one of the UK's most successful companies
07 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sir Mike Gooley CBE, founder and chairman of Trailfinders, has given The Independent an exclusive, in-depth interview about his innovative company –...
May 6th - The Trailfinders story – part two
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
All week I am talking to Sir Mike Gooley CBE, founder and chairman of Trailfinders, about the story of this innovative company – which has been unlo...
May 5th - The Trailfinders story – part one
05 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
All week I am talking to Sir Mike Gooley CBE, founder and chairman of Trailfinders, about the story of this innovative company – which has been unlo...
May 2nd - Bank holiday travel chaos has begun early
02 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
LNER is saying don't travel on the East Coast main line between Doncaster and York unless you really have to. On the West Coast main line there will b...
May 1st - Grand Central journey: we need to talk about pricing
01 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I'm aboard the 8.26am from London to Sunderland, run by "open access" train operator Grand Central. My ticket cost £42. Grand Central had to pay arou...
April 30th - WhatsApp – the key to a successful day trip?
30 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I have been enjoying an excellent day out from the Croatian city of Split to Krka National Park and the town of Skradin. The excellent local guide, Ma...
April 29th - UK trains and buses – the latest twists and turns
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's Travel Desk Tuesday so I'm talking to my excellent colleague Natalie Wilson about the curtailment of Britain's longest rail route, the bus vs the...
April 28th - Spain and Portugal – travel chaos as the power goes off
28 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hundreds of thousands of travellers to, from and within Spain and Portugal have faced chaos after a massive power cut across the Iberian peninsula. Th...
April 25th - Ryanair fury at Civil Aviation Authority refusing to allow rescue flight after diversion
25 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Thursday night a Ryanair flight from Agadir to Manchester was diverted due to a disruptive passenger. A tech issue was found. Ryanair wanted to lay...
April 24th - UK Global Health Insurance Card (Ghic) – why it's a good plan for travel to Europe
24 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A report says the number of applications for these cards – which get you free or reduced-rate health care – is falling. I think that's no surprise...
April 23rd - Travel round-up: planes, cruises and all roads leading to Rome
23 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today I've discovered the average plane flying in and out of Heathrow have three fewer passengers than they did a year ago.P&O Cruises has disappo...
April 22nd - Earth Day: How are travellers' attitudes changing?
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
That is the question on Travel Desk Tuesday for my colleague, Natalie Wilson. So many factors are at work when deciding where to go and what to do on ...
April 21st - On their way to an airport near you: aircraft with folding wings
21 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A special Easter Monday edition. I've been talking to Sue Partridge, head of the Wing of Tomorrow programme at Airbus, about how folding wings on shor...
April 18th - Passport Waiting Time – a valuable online resource
18 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I'm talking to Andy Anderson, founder of Passport Waiting Time – which does what it says and helps travellers with their expectations of how long it...
April 17th - Careful with that tech when you are on your airport journey
17 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Many travellers have welcomed speculation that facial recognition combined with digital passports could allow smoother journeys through the airport. B...
April 16th - We're going to Barbados
16 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sandra Greig, senior cabin crew for Aer Lingus, says Barbados is her favourite destination anywhere in the world. Sandra kindly took a call from me wh...
April 15th - Malta: gem of the southern Mediterranean?
15 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's travel desk Tuesday, which means I am talking to one of my excellent colleagues. Today it's Natalie Wilson, just returned from the fine island of...
April 14th - Driving in the UK at Easter? Prepare for congestion on key holiday routes
14 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rod Dennis of the RAC is telling me how to avoid getting caught in the worst of the traffic over Easter, which is projected to peak on the M25 anticlo...
April 11th - Birmingham airport – only 32 minutes from Old Oak Common
11 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
That's the long-term prospect for the West Midlands airport, which aims to compete with the London airports. In the very short term, Birmingham is exp...
April 10th - Step on the train in London, step off in Milan, Geneva or Bordeaux
10 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
That's the hope of London St Pancras Highspeed, the company that runs the UK's only functioning international rail station – as well as the High Spe...
April 9th - How online scammers pretending to be airlines could plunder your bank account
09 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Villains are stalking social media in search of passengers frustrated at the lack of contact from their airlines.I've been hearing from Karen Welsh, w...
April 8th - The world's ten best airport approaches revealed
08 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's Travel Desk Tuesday, and I'm talking to travel writer for The Independent Amelia Neath about a survey that rates the most beautiful approaches to...
April 7th - Continental Corridor through Dover
07 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When Europe’s much delayed entry-exit system finally takes effect, motorists departing by ferry from Dover will face a two-stage process to enter th...
April 4th - Easter rush gets under way
04 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Many schools break up on Friday 4 April, and I've been looking ahead to the likely pain points on road, rail, air and ferry.This podcast is free, as i...
April 3rd - Luton gets the go-ahead for expansion
03 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
London's fourth airport is to expand by 90% in the next 15 years. I've been looking back at its history – and forward at possible long-haul expansio...
April 2nd - Heathrow – what went wrong on 21 March?
02 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
MPs on the Transport Select Committee spent the morning grilling Thomas Woldbye, chief executive of London Heathrow, about the decision to close down ...
April 1st - Busy week for budget airlines in southeast England
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Yesterday I was at Southend airport for the opening of a new easyJet base. Today the target is Luton airport where Jet2 has opened a new base – at t...
March 31st - Exclusive interview with Michael O’Leary
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ryanair has just announced it has carried 200 million passengers over the course of a year. A good moment, then, to catch up with Michael O’Leary, w...
March 28th - CNN's Richard Quest warns travellers to be wary of visiting the US because of tighter borders
28 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
US immigration is going to be looking more closely at everybody coming through the border. How this translates into travel and decision making, we don...
March 27th - Ryanair has launched a loyalty scheme of sorts – but how good is it?
27 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
"Ryanair Prime" costs £79 a year, and its benefits are – to be polite – modest. Rob Burgess, founder of the excellent Head for Points frequent-fl...
March 26th - Diversionary tactics: should the UK do more when planes can't land where they are supposed to?
26 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
“Passengers don’t deserve to end up on random Atlantic islands,” says Matt Purton – group aviation services director at Air Charter Service –...
March 25th - London to Sydney nonstop via the North Pole!
25 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I'm talking today to Vanessa Hudson, chief executive of Qantas, about Project Sunrise – connecting London and Sydney nonstop.This podcast is free, a...
March 24th - Heathrow: what went wrong?
24 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I've spent the weekend covering the airport shutdown. Around a quarter-million passengers who were due to fly to, from or via Heathrow on Friday and o...
March 21st - Taking the temperature of UK tourism
21 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions has released its figures for 2024 – showing a "slow but steady" increase in visitor numbers. Bu...
March 20th - Electric ferry for pedestrians and cyclists starts crossing the Thames in East London soon
20 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I've been talking to Sean Collins, chief executive of Uber Boat by Thames Clippers, about his shiny new ferry – and how it will transform travel acr...
March 19th - Visit this museum to understand divided Berlin
19 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today, the German capital is a busy, fun and coherent city. But I first knew Berlin when the Wall carved through its streets, dividing families. Some ...
March 18th - Welcome to Liechtenstein
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Cheese dumplings, the castle of the princely family, a national trail and some excellent skiing. That’s some of the offering from one of Europe's bl...
March 17th - Five years on from the first UK Covid travel restrictions
17 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hope you don't get flashback anxiety – I have been looking back with many a shudder at the extraordinary tangle of travel restrictions that blighted...
March 14th - Is April the new August?
14 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This year Easter is unusually late ... and that spells a very different holiday pattern for many people, especially families. Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief...
March 13th - Game fishing from the Algarve shore
13 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I'm in Portugal, and talking to Captain João Melo about the prospects for serious fishing 40 miles off the coast of the Algarve –and how the tuna a...
March 12th - Etias postponed yet again
12 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
BREAKING NEWS! British travellers will not need an online permit to visit the European Union and wider Schengen Area until April 2027 at the earliest....
March 11th - Could you soon be skimming along the River Thames at 30mph?
11 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I am talking to Mikael Mahlberg of Swedish e-ferry manufacturer Candela. His firm makes the electric hydrofoil that darts between the islands of ...
March 10th - Could the post-Brexit rules we demanded be eased?
10 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
One of the many triumphs of the Brexit agreement was that British travellers to the European Union are now counted as “third-country nationals” –...
March 7th - "We want to make cruising sexy again"
07 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Explora Journeys might sound like an overland adventure company, but in fact it is an upmarket cruise line.The president of the organisation, Anna Nas...
March 6th - Could the UN World Tourism Organisation finally get a female leader?
06 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Gloria Guevara is campaigning for the post of Secretary-General of the United Nations body that works to promote sustainable tourism around the world....
March 5th - Wednesday 5 March is the first day that Europeans can apply for the UK ETA
05 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I've been looking into Electronic Travel Authorisation ahead of the 2 April 2025 deadline – after which every foreign visa-exempt visitor to the UK,...
March 4th - Travel: Things can only get better
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
March hasn't started brilliantly on the travel disruption front, with ultra-long passport queues at Stansted, a delayed flight from Gatwick and a canc...
March 3rd - Roaming the railways of Italy
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For the past five days I have been rattling around the southernmost province of mainland Italy, Calabria. Most of the ground has been covered by train...
February 28th - Annual increase of rail fares across England and Wales
28 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Sunday 2nd of March, rail fares across England and Wales will rise by 4.6 per cent. Alex Robertson, chief executive of the consumer watchdog Transp...
February 27th - Cash is king – but where are the best deals?
27 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Despite the spread of contactless payments around the world, it's always useful to have some cash. And, more broadly, where are the locations where yo...
February 26th - Heathrow eyes a third runway by 2035
26 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Heathrow has just announced record passenger numbers for 2024 – but it has a much bigger prize in its sights.I have been talking to Thomas Woldbye, ...
February 25th - Dubai – the destination at its best in Ramadan?
25 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I'm talking to Issam Kazim, responsible for Dubai Tourism, about the remarkable visitor numbers and "key performance indicators" (KPIs) – and, with ...
February 24th - Decision day approaches for new runway at Gatwick
24 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s a busy week for airport announcements in the London area. On Wednesday Heathrow is likely to say more on its expansion plans for an added runwa...
February 21st - The SAS million-point challenge – Part 2
21 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today the second episode of a special two-part podcast with Barry Collins – a property developer from Eastbourne who decided to take up the SAS mill...
February 20th - The SAS million-point challenge – part 1
20 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Thursday and Friday I am bringing you a special two-part podcast with Barry Collins – a property developer from Eastbourne who decided to take up...
February 19th - Russia: international pariah, but well connected
19 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As talk of a peace deal intensifies, Russia remains on the no-fly list for the UK and European Union. But many airlines from outside Europe are happy ...