Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast

For many seasoned travellers, Venezuela was the first South American destination, thanks to Viasa's competitive fares from the UK to the wonder-filled continent.Currently, Venezuela is on the Foreign Office's no-go list. Despite this, travellers from other countries are flocking to the troubled republic bordering Guyana, Brazil, and Colombia.Blas Fabian from HoverTours in Caracas and Daniel Santin from Inspiring Destinations have been encouraging me to return.This podcast is free, much like our weekly travel newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered every Friday to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As summer approaches, we explore how to book international flights. Annabel Grossman and Ben Parker reveal their thorough processes, contrasting sharply with my approach.This podcast is free, much like our weekly travel newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered every Friday to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the summer travel season heats up, Simon Calder sits down with global travel editor Annabel Grossman and deputy travel editor Ben Parker to discuss their methods for booking train tickets in the UK. From using the Trainline app for convenience to seeking out cost-saving options, their approaches vary widely.This podcast is free, much like our weekly travel newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered every Friday to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, I talk with Claire Bonniol of Kevin Speed about their ambitious plans to bring competitive high-speed rail services to France by 2028. We discuss their affordable pricing strategy, the inclusion of lesser-known stations, and what this means for UK travellers heading to France.This podcast is free, much like our weekly travel newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered every Friday to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's four weeks today since Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 hit severe turbulence on a journey from London to Singapore. Tragically, one passenger lost his life after suffering a heart attack, and many more were injured. My guest today, Professor Paul Williams of Reading University, says turbulence is getting worse because of climate change.This podcast is free, much like our weekly travel newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered every Friday to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I’m on a train adventure in the Czech Republic with Steven Ollive of the Railway Correspondence and Travel Society. Listen as we explore the region's rail network and discuss the state of UK railways in comparison to those in Europe.This podcast is free, much like our weekly travel newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered every Friday to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm in Prague, having flown in last night with a lot of Scotland football fans who were finding a roundabout route to reach Munich for the opening match in the Euro 2024 tournament tonight. Want to experience the atmosphere? Wait till the knock-out stages. Meanwhile, travel and accommodation for the Paris 2024 Olympics are wide open.If like football, you'd like our weekly travel newsletter to come home with you, subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm at a very busy Manchester airport, studying the latest flight delay stats: on average each Wizz Air flight from a UK airport left 32 minutes late. Even the best British carrier, Virgin Atlantic, had an average delay of 14 minutes. And of course many delays are much longer. Here are your rights when it all goes wrong.This podcast is free, much like our weekly travel newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered every Friday to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's travel podcast comes to you from the garden of the Freud Museum in Hampstead, London. I'm talking to the director, Dr Giuseppe Albano, about this wonderful museum – days ahead of the release of a new film, Freud's Last Session, starring Sir Anthony Hopkins.This podcast is free, much like our weekly travel newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered every Friday to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm beneath the flightpath at London City airport in the Docklands area of the capital. And trying to make sense of the bizarre series of announcements on airport security.This podcast is free, much like our weekly travel newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered every Friday to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A manifesto at last! Not from Labour or the Conservatives, but from the Railway Industry Association. As many passengers see a rail network in chaos and decline, what does this trade association want from the next government? I've been talking to the RIA's chief executive, Darren Caplan – who doesn't hold back with his anger about the ditching of most of HS2 – and policy director, Rob Cook.This podcast is free, much like our weekly travel newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered every Friday to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm with Dillip Rajakarier, CEO of Minor Hotels and The Wolseley Hospitality Group. He's one of the top people globally in hospitality – with brands such as Anantara, NH Hotels and Tivoli – and has ambitious plans for the future.This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Subscribe to The Independent's newsletters here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s the centenary of one of the most celebrated mysteries in the history of mountaineering: did George Mallory and Andrew ‘Sandy’ Irvine reach the summit of Everest on 6 June 1924 – nearly three decades before the first documented climb to the top of the world?Mallory’s body was found in 1999 on a research expedition organised by today’s guest, Graham Hoyland – who himself has reached the summit of Everest, and is the author of Last Hours on Everest: The Gripping Story of Mallory & Irvine’s Fatal Ascent.Graham will be speaking at the annual Sir Edmund Hillary Memorial event takes place at the Royal Geographical Society in London on Saturday 8th June – tickets are still available from HimalayanTrust.co.ukThis podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Subscribe to The Independent's newsletters here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's podcast looks at aviation security, with Birmingham airport coming up with its own variant on rules for liquids, aerosols and gels (LAGs).This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Subscribe to The Independent's newsletters here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Unbelievably, I'm back at the boarding gate explaining post-Brexit passport rules. What they are, and how airlines should respond when they get them wrong.This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Subscribe to The Independent's newsletters here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join me as I discuss with Kennedy Ricci how the business aviation sector is at the forefront of efforts to minimise climate impact. Learn about the latest advancements and sustainable practices in the industry.This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Sign up here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's travel podcast is brought to you from the line that runs across the Pennines – the Settle to Carlisle railway. It threads through mighty landscapes and across viaducts, and you can make the journey as part of an Anglo-Scottish rail trip.This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Sign up here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is this the future of travel money? The UK's first "cash to cash" ATM has been installed at Waterloo station in central London. I've been testing out the automatic foreign exchange terminal with Kaya Niedenthal, Director of International Payments at Currency Online Group.This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Sign up here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm talking to Hilary Bradt, who is celebrating 50 years of publishing travel guides with her autobiography, Taking the Risk.This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Sign up here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Everybody has the same rights to travel... don't they? For those with severe food allergies, travel risks being complicated, expensive and even deadly.Just last week a 12-year-old girl with a peanut allergy and her family were thrown off a SunExpress flight from Gatwick to Dalaman, Turkey after the captain refused to ask other passengers not to eat nuts.Travel can be a tricky for those with such allergies. Here's my advice.This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Sign up here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today I'm looking at linear parks – effectively, old road or rail lines that are now green vectors for hikers and bikers. Some, like my location today, are in the middle of busy cities: I am in Seoul, South Korea, on a 1970s flyover that was threatened with demolition yet rescued and turned into a leafy, elevated walkway above the tumult of the city. New York has a similar option, the High Line, which has taken over a former elevated freight line in Manhattan.Two rail links now turned into cycle/walkways that I particularly like: Singapore's Rail Trail and the Great Western Greenway between Westport, Co Mayo and Achill Island in the west of Ireland.This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Sign up here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What effect will the general election have on travel? It's Thursday, the 23rd of May, meaning that we are six weeks away from the next general election. What on earth has this got to do with the general election? Well, I will be studying the party's manifestos to see what they are going to do about, for example, airports and sustainable travel.This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Sign up here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yesterday, the world was shocked by the news that a passenger had died following extreme turbulence on Singapore Airlines flight SQ321. The very sad episode was a reminder of the threat that turbulence can unfortunately have upon all flights - but can airlines do anything to mitigate the effects of such events?I take a look at what the industry guidelines currently are, and what may have to change to improve safety during moments of turbulence.This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Sign up here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Clean, efficient, and amazing value for money. No, not me: the Seoul Metro system, which has some foibles but overall is an excellent and incredibly far reaching network.This podcast is free, as is the travel newsletter from The Independent. Sign up for it here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When choosing the optimum flight path gets tangled with geo-politics, the results are never positive. My report on the long and winding route from Zagreb to Seoul on the world's longest budget airline link.This podcast is free, as is the travel newsletter from The Independent. Sign up for it here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Reporting from King's Cross, I explore the recent Commons debate on rail reliability. I offer my perspective on Labour's approach to rail reform and the challenges of improving UK rail services.This podcast is free, as is the travel newsletter from The Independent. Sign up for it here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's travel podcast, in which my excellent travel desk colleagues – Annabel Grossman, Benjamin Parker and Natalie Wilson – quiz me about 30 years at The Independent.This podcast is free, as is the travel newsletter from The Independent. Sign up for it here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Good heavens! Today I'm looking skyward with astronomer extraordinary Dr John Mason, who reports on the total eclipse last month, and the biggest display of Northern Lights for decades, last weekend.This podcast is free, as is the travel newsletter from The Independent. Sign up for it here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One month to go before Euro 2024 kicks off in Munich, and two months before the final (England v Scotland?) in Berlin. Today I speak to Charles Wilson of CW Sports Travel.This podcast is free, as is the travel newsletter from The Independent. Sign up for it here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

South Western Railway is shortly to bring in ultra-fast wifi on trains between London and Hampshire. But almost everywhere else in the UK, connectivity on rail is lousy. Why is this, and what can be done about it?This podcast is free, as is the travel newsletter from The Independent. Sign up for it here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I explore the weekend closure of the M25 and its impact on travellers between Heathrow and Gatwick Airports. From Central London, I delve into the reasons behind the closure, the detours, and how to navigate the changes.This podcast is free, as is the travel newsletter from The Independent. Sign up for it here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're now at the end of the latest round of rail strikes by the train drivers’ union, Aslef, and so it's a good moment to look forward with some anticipation to the new rail options when the summer timetables come into effect on 2nd June.This podcast is free, as is the travel newsletter from The Independent. Sign up for it here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tens of thousands of airline passengers arriving at airports across the UK faced waits of several hours last night after another collapse of the eGates system that automatically check passports. The IT failure took over four hours to fix, during which time large queues built up.This podcast is free, as is the travel newsletter from The Independent. Sign up for it here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Once again I am at London Waterloo station reporting on another strike by members of the Aslef union. But as a third summer of strikes by train drivers belonging to Aslef begins, a glimmer of hope for an end to the conflict. Negotiations with rail firms could shortly resume after a year. Union boss Mick Whelan tells me a ‘relatively’ clean pay deal could end the dispute.This podcast is free, as is the travel newsletter from The Independent. Sign up for it here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thirty years ago Queen Elizabeth II and French president Francois Mitterand officially opened the Channel Tunnel between Folkestone in Kent and Calais in northern France. So how much has the link transformed travel – and what does the future hold? Unfortunately, it’s been a tale of broken promises so far in terms of direct services between the UK and Continental Europe. The only prospect of improvement: cutting costs and opening up to new budget operators.This podcast is free, as is The Independent's weekly travel newsletter. Sign up for all our newsletters here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm on the route of the (actually scheduled) Orient Express, 15 years after that legendary train last left Vienna to cross Germany into France overnight. My transport is an Austrian Railways Nightjet, destination Amsterdam and Hamburg. And I'm rather impressed ...This podcast is free, as is the travel newsletter from The Independent. Sign up for it here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm still in Newcastle Airport admiring the recently opened three-tier lounge experience. It's a great place to catch up with Rob Burgess, editor of the frequent-flyer website, Head For Points. I picked his brains about what makes a good airport lounge experience, who's doing it right, wrong and what the modern lounge traveller is really looking for.This podcast is free, as is the travel newsletter from The Independent. Sign up for it here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

 I'm in Newcastle, whose international airport is the venue for a world lounge first: three tiers, loosely corresponding to economy, business and first class travel. My guest in the Aspire lounge – or lounges – is David Collyer, Global Vice President of Executive Lounges at Swissport. He tells me his vision for the lounges and how it sets a possible path forward for other airports.This podcast is free, as is the weekly newsletter of travel updates. Sign up for it here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today, from Euston Station, I explore the looming disruptions poised to challenge UK rail passengers this May. From Network Rail's engineering projects during the bank holiday to a series of planned strikes affecting key routes.This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's podcast brings you to Paddington Station, where I speak with passengers just off the Heathrow Express. Despite the ongoing UK Border Force strike, travellers report unexpectedly quick entries, highlighting the efficiency of e-gates and minimal queues. This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s podcast, I’m aboard an Italian train, reflecting on the Labour Party's vision for the UK's railways. From the comfortable and punctual Italian rails, we dive into the Labour Party’s initiatives to address the UK’s rail system issues. This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join me, Simon Calder, in today’s travel podcast as I navigate the newly implemented entry fee at Venice's Santa Lucia Station. This fee, targeting daytrippers with a €5 charge on peak days, aims to reduce overcrowding and preserve the city’s heritage. I provide a firsthand account of the inaugural day, including reactions at the checkpoint and insights from local officials on how this fee might reshape tourism in Venice.This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join me, Simon Calder, in today's travel podcast as we delve into Heathrow's bustling activity and strategic outlook with Chief Financial Officer Javier Echave. We discuss the record-breaking passenger traffic of 18.5 million in the first quarter of 2024, the challenges posed by upcoming strikes, and the introduction of new security scanners. Amidst financial hurdles and operational updates, discover how Heathrow maintains its status as a top global hub and prepares for a busy summer season.This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join me, Simon Calder, as I explore the persistent rail strikes impacting the UK's train services. In this episode, I'll delve into the Aslef Union's ongoing dispute with the government over pay and working conditions, which has now extended into a third summer.This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I unpack the impending strikes at Heathrow Airport, scheduled by PCS and Unite union members. I'll delve into the potential impact on travelers and discuss the roles of the UK Border Force and AFS Aviation refueling service staff.This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over 20 years in the travel industry, Paul Goldstein has gained a reputation as a forthright commentator on all things related to travel.In today’s travel podcast, the wildlife guide and photographer shares forthright opinions on "eco-tourism", the value of visitors in preserving wildlife, and the value – or otherwise – of influencers.This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I, Simon Calder, break down the crisis at Dubai International Airport where a storm has left many travelers stranded. I'll cover your entitlements and the broader impacts on global travel, providing essential advice for navigating disruptions and securing your rights as a traveler.This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's possible that no one's bucket list is more complete than Arvi Bahal's.He is one of the rare human beings who has travelled to every single country on earth - and not just the tourist spots.I talk to the global wanderer about his lust for extreme travel, and why he chose to holiday in Mogadishu, Somalia - one of the world’s most dangerous places.This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm at Heathrow airport – assessing the prospects for travellers who are flying to and from the Middle East, Asia and Australasia in the light of increasing tensions.This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some say New York JFK is not the worst airport in the world. It's my first visit here since early 2020, and I hoped the main US gateway had improved. But it's even worse. And if you take the Airtrain (one good thing about it), beware the Jamaica jive.This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.