Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast

TUI says the good travel times are just around the cornerThe world’s most powerful passport is revealed.British Airways reveals its winter plans for the US.And it involves special guest Helen Coffey today!Of course this podcast is completely free, as is my weekly travel email. You can sign up at independent.co.uk/newsletters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

UK’s new high-speed rail route may lose its eastern promise.Flying in Europe: the UK remains way down in flights compared with two years ago.And Australia’s prime minister is in no rush to welcome international visitors.Of course this podcast is completely free, as is my weekly travel email. You can sign up at independent.co.uk/newsletters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today bring changes for the better if you’re fully vaccinated, but for the worst if you are unjabbed.British Airways brings back the Airbus A380 “SuperJumbo”.And more BA news: short-haul flights from Gatwick next summer are back on the table.Of course this podcast is completely free, as is my weekly travel email. You can sign up at independent.co.uk/newsletters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Depot opens next month – I’ve had a sneak preview of what will become one of Europe’s great attractions.One card for all the trains, buses and trams in the Netherlands.And more on the red list update expected this week.Of course this podcast is completely free, as is my weekly travel email. You can sign up at independent.co.uk/newsletters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today: I’m in the Netherlands, where they do things differently – I’ll explain how.As the countdown to the next red list changes gets under way, how did the UK get where it is today in terms of extreme measures against so many nations?And my life’s work may be complete – I’ll tell you why …Of course this podcast is completely free, as is my weekly travel email. You can sign up at independent.co.uk/newsletters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Australia opens up from November – but not to you and me.Turkey eases its testing rules for fully vaccinated British travellers.And Britain’s ID card ban – and why it matters.Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Heathrow is the last big UK airport to bring in a drop-off charge.Could the US bring in a mandatory vaccination rule for airline passengers?And United is “separating” from 600 staff who have declined to get vaccinated.Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Able to drive as far as Dover? Your problems could be only just beginning.Using a national ID card to enter the UK is about to be outlawed.And three months on, how great are the new “flexi season” tickets on the trains?Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Southeastern rail franchise is torn up amid fraud allegations – but don’t panic if you’re a passenger.South Africa is a cert to be removed from the red list in around 10 days’ time.And Egypt, the Maldives and Sri Lanka are removed from the Foreign Office no go list.Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

London-Perth nonstop flights won’t start before Christmas after all.Ireland scraps its red list – some more information on the change.And plans by ministers to give Civil Aviation Authority powers to force refunds have been scrapped.Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ireland abruptly scraps its red list. Could the same happen in the UK?Reports of chaos at the airport – not here, but in Europe, with passengers flying back.Ashley Davies wonders: is it weird sharing a cabin on the Caledonian Sleeper from Edinburgh to London.Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Three months to Christmas Day – should you be making festive travel plans now?What’s happening with the new travel rules for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?And the strange case of a railway ticket that warns you it is not valid on a train that doesn’t exist.Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Could you get your lateral flow post-arrival tests from Lidl?South African Airways back in the air. Good news … or not?And Ambre Plus – with a TPF of at least 50.Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

British Airways ditches its Gatwick short-haul operation.Those BA passengers stranded in Tashkent – are they due compensation?And the UK airport that lost almost £1,000 for every passenger it handled in a year.Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Red list reduces – but Foreign Office still warns against travel to Egypt.British Airways passengers stranded in Tashkent.And The Wizard of Oz – what’s that got to do with travel to France?Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

National Express and Megabus could be about to merge.More on the US opening up – with particular attention to the rules on jabs and kids.And my beautiful quarantine laundrettes: could Turkey and the US become the places for UK-bound travellers from Africa and Latin America respectively to shed their “red list” status?Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The US opens up – so how can you take an American adventure?And I’ve been at Battersea Power Station for the opening of two new stations on the London Underground.Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What’s the score for children returning to the UK – do they need to self-isolate or not?Some more detail on the government’s travel changes.And The Netherlands opens up – but with strings, or rather swabs, attached.Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More on the international travel rules – and the incoherence across the UK.A year late, red list hubs are opening up – underwhelming.And how Turkey will become the quarantine laundrette.Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The international travel rules have changed.I’ll explain why we’re still on red, amber and green.And how the testing regime will change.Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The waiting game goes on – how I predict international travel rules will change.What could happen to the despised red list.And trains turn out to be much more punctual if there are fewer of them, and hardly any passengers.Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Passport validity – the travel giants agree with me, at last.Qantas vows to start flying from the UK to Australia by Christmas. Probably.And Switzerland’s national airline starts selling its sandwiches at cut prices.Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Red alert – what could change in the next "traffic light" review?Boeing says, we’re back in business.And Tubes and trains are still cordoning seats off from passengers.Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More government leaks about easing travel restrictions.Manchester airport closed and flights diverted after a medical emergency.And how the ending of the “ID card” option will hit inbound tourism to the UK.Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A reduction in testing for travellers arriving in the UK is on the cards – how will ministers justify it?Wales now allows cheaper Covid tests.And 20 years after Ansett Australia collapsed – the state of Australian aviation.Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

20 years on from 9/11 – what has changed in aviation?Passport rules for Europe – please check yours as soon as you’ve finished listeningAnd, no, you don’t need a PCR test to board a plane from Spain to the UKSign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rail commuters disappear.Bus wars in Bristol and beyond.Jet Airways trying to revive itself.Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today: easyJet and Wizz Air call the whole thing offThe “traffic light” review – what can we expect?And back on the rails? Let’s see.LNER reports leisure passenger numbers are now above pre-pandemic levels, but business travel is still only at the halfway mark.Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The desperate state of inbound tourism to the UK has been revealed.Europeans touch down in Singapore for a quarantine-free holiday.More on those cheap trains between England and Scotland – railcards and timings.Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New cheap trains between England and ScotlandAs one London Eye lookalike closes down, another is set to open up.And talking of opening up – that’s what Canada is doing.Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I’ve been at Heathrow assessing the queues to get into the UK.Ryanair breaks up talks with Boeing – is it a flounce or a strategy?And that Brazil Argentina match – what triggered its abandonment?Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Travel restrictions: the three reasons why even the most bizarre remain in place.Flights are being cancelled – can you expect more than a refund?And Sunday best for rail travel – in some parts of the UK at least.Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Inbound tourism to the UK is being destroyed. Should you care?What’s happening with queues at airports?British Airways explains its plans for Gatwick airport – not what you might have thought?Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Should the UK scrap the “red list” requiring hotel quarantine?Why cruises cost more from Liverpool than from Southampton.And if you want to pay an homage to Abba in Stockholm – is there any way around the tough Swedish ban on British visitors.Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Portugal opens up – a bit.Australia closes down – a bit more.And Russia may be back on the travel map soon.Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is your journey to Devon or Cornwall by rail really necessary?What could happen to Turkey at the next “red list review”And does your middle name have any significance at all in travel?Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ryanair declares a fares war for autumn.Italy’s new rules on travel start today.More trouble on the rails – bring back the relief trainsSign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chaos on evacuation flight from red-list MontenegroConcern that the European Union could reinstate restrictions on American visitors.And Qantas sets out its plans for December onwards.Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Italy opens up to British holidaymakers – my pick of September escapes.Short-notice cancellations – why are they still happening to holidaymakers?And: “Save our G&Ts” – my take on the changes in British Airways’ inflight service.Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I warned you yesterday of a bank holiday squeeze on the railways this weekend – well, I’m caught up in it.What to do when it all goes Tango Uniform on the trainsAnd Jamaica goes a funny kind of amber.Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After Thursday’s bizarre “traffic light” changes, the fall-out continues from furious travel industry bosses.British Airways has a cunning plan for its Gatwick short-haul operation: a new budget airline.And prepare for a bank holiday squeeze on the railways this weekend.Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The new green list announcement – Canada is good to go, Turkey stays on the red list.Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s been described as the unanticipated Covid travel trap – could your vaccination record lose its sheen as early as the end of the year?Gatwick plans a second runway, saying: ‘Here’s one we prepared earlier”And German trains – fine once you’ve got a ticket, but trying to buy one can make you lose the will to live.Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New green list possibilities?British Airways signals a return to Australia seven months from now – with a faster journey but smaller plane.And could Ryanair be leaving Northern Ireland?Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Action at last against the “cowboy” firms on the government’s register of travel testing providers – but it is too little too late. And let’s talk about tipping – which many travellers find a nightmare, but it shouldn’t be.Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week there’s another traffic light review. I don’t know exactly what changes will be made, but I can guide you through the practicalities.Travel in the former East Germany 32 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall.And while foreign secretary Dominic Raab is in trouble after his holiday in Crete – if you don’t have any pressing matters of state, it’s a great island to explore.Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I’ve just touched down in Berlin, location for probably the world’s least successful new airport project.75 weeks into the coronavirus pandemic, a snapshot of the international travel experience – at least between the UK and Germany.And what’s happening with autumn cancellations and expansion to southern Europe?Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

News of a seat sale on LNERLikely moves in the next traffic light announcement.And another reminder: you need no test to leave the UKSign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Please stop worrying about Spain going on the red list everybody.Booking “insurance” flights – how to do it.And on the final full day of my trip to Shetland, my top five from the islands. Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A leading analyst gives a damning verdict on the UK’s travel rules.More holiday cancellations coming in for late summer and autumn. Why?And my recommendations for the Mediterranean in September.Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.