Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast
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Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast
Simon Calder is the Independent’s travel correspondent, the UK’s leading travel journalist. From news updates to discussions with experts, Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast will bring you all you need to know from the world of travel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informati...
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October 15th - EU entry-exit system: UK borders minister on the new challenges for travellers
At London St Pancras International, hub for Eurostar – and one of three locations in the UK where passport control is carried out before departing for...
October 14th - Inside the world of British Airways cabin crew
My colleague, senior travel writer Natalie Wilson, has been telling me more about the making of a film about training to be cabin crew.
This pod...
October 13th - Entry-exit system arrives – and I try it out
I'm in Prague, tackling the Kafkaesque bureaucracy of the new Schengen area digital borders scheme.
This podcast is free, as is Independent Trav...
October 10th - Entry-exit system starts on Sunday – hear from Abta's EES expert
This weekend it's not exact all change for British holidaymakers going to the European Union and wider Schengen area – but some of us will have our fi...
October 9th - How to make the most of Mallorca
Today I'm talking to Alex Smith – who has lived and worked in the travel industry in Mallorca for two decades. Five years ago she created the YouTube...
October 8th - How to start – and run – a successful travel business
Jacqueline Dobson, president of Barrhead Travel and Internova Leisure, tells me that this chain of travel agencies grew from a single branch in a subu...
October 7th - "The universe is looking favourably on northern Spain"
So says Jessica Harvey Taylor, head of press for the Spanish Tourist Office in the UK, who's been telling me about the increased appetite among Britis...
October 6th - The amazing city tour that invites rewards in the form of donations to charity
Meet Dr Nick Brown, resident of Palma in Mallorca. His day job is as data sleuth, but he also does all he can to help tourists make the most of the is...
October 3rd - Flight cancellations – what is the best way to deal with them?
That's the discussion I've been having with my excellent colleague, global travel editor Annabel Grossman. In September we both had flight cancellatio...
October 2nd - The insider's guide to "status matching" with travel loyalty schemes
Rob Burgess, founder of the frequent flyer website Head for Points, explains how to benefit from this quirk: could status with one airline earn you th...
October 1st - Is the Airbus A321 XLR the biggest gamechanger in aviation?
That's the belief of Rhys Jones of the frequent-flyer website Head for Points, who explains why the economics of the extra long range narrow-bodied tw...
September 30th - Play, a low-cost Icelandic airline, has shut down
The carrier is telling passengers: “All flights have been cancelled.” Around 500 staff have lost their jobs. It follows former Icelandic carriers Prim...
September 29th - Entry-exit system: 'We're ready, so bring it on'
That's the message from Yann Leriche, chief executive of Getlink – the company that runs Eurotunnel and LeShuttle car-carrying operation between Folke...
September 26th - Meet Linger, the company that wants to organise the ultimate career break for you
Steve Wilson, founder of Linger, tells me that many legal and financial services firms are happy for their top people to take sabbatical – a break to...
September 25th - All change for British travellers to Europe from 12 October
Hi from London St Pancras International – most beautiful railway station in the world, and also the hub for Eurostar. I am talking to Simon Lejeune, C...
September 24th - Gatwick – what will expansion mean, and when will passengers get to benefit?
My guest is Stewart Wingate, Vinci Airports Managing Director for United Kingdom, overseeing future development and strategic direction of London Gatw...
September 23rd - Check out this guide to the Czech Republic
I am in Brno in the Czech Republic, where I have come to meet Kevan Vogler – a Canadian who has been living in his adopted homeland of the Czech Repub...
September 22nd - Gatwick's second runway gets government go ahea
I've been covering airport expansion in south-east England for decades. Could this finally be the moment when an additional runway is pressed into ser...
September 19th - Should the retirement age for pilots be raised from 65 to 67?
That's the recommendation of the International Air Transport Association (Iata). Opponents say the airlines see raising the age limit as an attempt to...
September 18th - What happens in the wake of an aviation tragedy?
Flying is incredibly safe. But as we have seen over the past nine months, accidents happen with tragic consequences. I am talking to Elmarie Marais, t...
September 17th - Andorra in summer?
I am still in southwest France, specifically at Toulouse airport departure lounge, where I am talking to Jackie Banfill and Frank Epstein – who have b...
September 16th - What happens when your flight is cancelled at the airport?
I'm just on the French side of the Pyrenees, but I reached here – with my hiking friend Mick – after some extreme stress, when our Vueling flight from...
September 15th - Checking in bags for a flight? Don't head for the airport without hearing from Steve Kelso from Gatwick
Steve is Head of Engineering at the UK's second-busiest airport, and responsible for the baggage systems. Almost all the time things work well for the...
September 12th - As the Tube strike ends – what was it all about, and will we see more?
All week I have been covering the strike by members of the RMT union working for London Underground, which has paralysed the capital. While some Tube...
September 11th - What's happening in aviation? Jeremy Bowen is the man who knows
The summer has actually been excellent in terms of coming out of the UK," says Jeremy. While the peak day for flights from the UK is still back before...
September 10th - Not Hot List – places off the tourism mainstream, from Nevada to Sierra Leone
Today is the day that Intrepid Travel has revealed its Not Hot List – places off the tourism mainstream, from Nevada to Sierra Leone. I've been speaki...
September 9th - Walking from Scotland via England to Wales – what are the highlights?
Paul Goldstein, adventurer and wildlife campaigner, successfully completed 25 Marathon-length walks from Tigerton in Scotland to Tiger Bay in Wales to...
September 8th - Autumn and winter in Austria: what awaits the traveller?
I'm talking to Martina Jamnig, director of the Austrian National Tourist Office in London, about the activities on offer in autumn and winter – which...
September 5th - Today is National Travel Agent Day – and here's a top travel figure on a mission
5 September is the day to celebrate travel professionals, and therefore a good day to hear from Julia Lo Bue-Said OBE, chief executive of the Advantag...
September 4th - The freedom of Europe – how to make the most of the current Interrail flash sale
Nicky Gardner, co-author of Europe by Rail, tells me the best places to make the most of all-you-can-travel rail.
This podcast is free, as is In...
September 3rd - Dollar dives, euro strengthens, and the surprise third currency
At the end of the summer I'm talking to Kaya Niedenthal of Currency Online Group in London about trends in the currency markets: what's worth buying n...
September 2nd - Travel Desk Tuesday: the joys of St Lucia
The Caribbean is a mosaic of delectable isles - but what makes St Lucia distinctive? Senior travel writer Natalie Wilson was there in the summer and w...
September 1st - How do you solve a problem like overtourism? The story from Dubrovnik
"The pearl of the Adriatic" has been enticing millions of tourists every year, with its spectacular setting and mighty walls wrapping around the old c...
August 29th - Entry-exit system begins 12 October – and these could be the worst-affected European airports
From 12 October, the EU's much-delayed entry-exit system (EES) will begin to be rolled out. Using some mathematical modelling, Oliver Ranson from Airl...
August 28th - The most successful and resilient figure in aviation? Meet Michael O'Leary
Since he took over as chief executive of Ryanair in 1994, Michael O'Leary has guided what was an ailing Irish regional airline to become Europe’s bigg...
August 27th - Going solo: how travelling on your own can be a joy more than a challenge – especially for women
My guest is travel expert Gilly Bachelor, who is a champion of solo travel for women. Tomorrow (Thursday 28 August) she is organising a special evenin...
August 26th - "You feel like you’re giving back as much as you’re taking”
Travel Desk Tuesday, and Global Travel Editor Annabel Grossman has been telling me about her experience in Bali – the Indonesian island that has been...
August 25th - Cabin air quality: what’s the problem – and the solution?
Today I am talking to a campaigner on cabin air quality, Captain Tristan Loraine. He believes passengers and crew are often at risk because of engine...
August 22nd - Beach safety thanks to public-spirited local volunteers
On the eve of the last bank holiday weekend before Christmas, I'm in Runswick Bay, North Yorkshire – at the home of Andrew Smith, part of the crew of...
August 21st - 10 Marathon-length walks down, 15 more to go
Adventurer, photographer and wildlife campaigner Paul Goldstein is walking, in a Bengal tiger suit, from Tigerton in northeast Scotland to Tiger Bay i...