Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast

Bram Houtenbos is a charming Dutch financial services executive living in south London. He also self-identifies as a travel nerd. He is one of the foremost contenders in the Lupine Racing challenges that require contestants to get from A to B via a sequence of checkpoints using only terrestrial public transport (including taxis within cities). I caught up with him in the Estonian capital after an exhausting race ... hear how he got on.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Booking.com chief executive Glenn Fogel believes so. He says a lottery arrangement could keep numbers down without disenfranchising less wealthy travellers. But could this cunning plan encounter problems?This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Many airports have state-of-the-art scanners now, but only some of them are able to drop the annoying 100ml limit for containers of liquids, aerosols and gels. And we still seem some way from the "checkpoint of the future" at airports, where you don't even notice you're being security screened. An update from Richard Thompson, Vice President Portfolios, Innovation & Digital at Smiths Detection.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After my Explora I cruise that I reported on yesterday, I have today talked to my excellent colleague, cruise writer Marc Shoffman. He has just returned from a trip on Star Clipper, a tall ship where climbing the mast is part of the appealThis podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I have just spent an expensive but excellent week aboard the cruise ship Explora I. I talked to Martyn Moss, who has 28 years experience in the business and much of interest to say.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

That's the title of the latest series from the great historian Bettany Hughes – being broadcast starting Saturday 2 August on Five at 6.30pm. I caught up with Bettany during her latest shoot, and she told me more ...This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thousands of airline passengers are waking up where they did not intend to be after the temporary shutdown of UK airspace on Wednesday. What are passengers' rights?This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm talk to executive producer Dan Adamson about the new BBC series.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Global travel editor Annabel Grossman tells me: the slightly posher seats and service are excellent, shame about the inflight food.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm overlooking the harbour in Mytilene on the Greek island of Lesbos. Even at 7.30pm, the heat is intense. Over the weekend we have seen more wildfires in Greece, as well as soaring temperatures in Turkey. What are travellers' risks, and options?This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On 25 July 2000, all 109 passengers and crew aboard an Air France Concorde departing for New York JFK died when the supersonic plane crashed shortly after take-off from Paris CDG. Four people on the ground were also killed. Concorde was grounded shortly afterwards and, despite a short resurgence with British Airways, made her final passenger flight in October 2003. Leading aviation figure Jonathan Hinkles has been telling me more – and explaining why supersonic travel may never return.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I've been talking to Thomas Woldbye, chief executive of London Heathrow – the busiest airport in Europe. He explains why there won't be another runway until at least 2035 ... who will pay for the multibillion-pound project ... and what he plans for passengers in the meantime.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With figures from aviation analyst Cirium, this coming Friday, 25 July, will see 3,255 flights out of the UK with 585,189 seats on board. Paul Charles, chief executive of PC Agency – and former Virgin Atlantic communications director – has advice for the days ahead, and advises visiting Puglia and Provence.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's Travel Desk Tuesday, and joining me today is The Independent's US Travel Editor, Ted Thornhill. He's been to the US and back in business class on United – by most measures, the biggest airline in the world. Besides the experience itself, he was in New York to learn about what is in store with the launch of Polaris Studio suites.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm at the UK's busiest port, watching ferries zipping back and forth across the Channel while I talk to Doug Bannister, chief executive of the Port of Dover. He has useful advice for a smooth journey to Calais or Dunkirk this summer.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So says the president of the AA, Edmund King. He's urging motorists to plan their journeys with care in order to save on petrol or diesel.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some of the UK's top airports now charge a fee of £7 for dropping off passengers at the airport. Only one, London City, has no charge. In contrast, almost every airport abroad allows drivers to stop outside the terminal for free. Rod Dennis of the RAC says this is another example of “rip-off Britain”.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Europe's biggest budget airline cancelled hundreds of flights earlier this month due to a strike by French air-traffic controllers. Most of those were so-called "overflights" that weren't landing or taking off in France. As Ryanair's communications director, Jade Kirwan, has been telling me, the airline is demanding that flights using a country's airspace simply to reach the final destination should be protected in the event of a strike. Also, what about increasing the free cabin baggage limit?This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's Travel Desk Tuesday, in which one of my excellent colleagues fills us in on what's happening around the world – and, in this case, around the UK. Amelia Neath has done so much work on tourism taxes she's now our correspondent on the subject.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yvonne Moynihan has taken over running the British offshoot of one of Europe's top three budget airlines (the other two being easyJet and Ryanair, where Ms Moynihan used to work). We talked about the move into Saudi Arabia, punctuality and service.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rejoice! For the first summer since 2006, passengers at some UK airports can leave all electrical items and liquids inside their cabin baggage at the security checkpoint. Al Titterington, Birmingham Airport Terminal Operations Director, has been telling me more.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ahead of the key England v Wales match in the Women's Euros in St Gallen, Switzerland, I have been assessing the cost of being a tourist in the Alpine nation. For more advice, I am talking to Alex Herrmann, director United Kingdom & Ireland for Switzerland Tourism – about Big Macs and much else.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership – and an advocate for more funding and decision-making for local leaders.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 executive Michael O'Leary from the end of 2019, which is entirely pertinent today.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Napa Valley, north of San Francisco in California.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

That's the contention from Rene Frey, chief executive of Rough Guides and Insight GuidesThis podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 obliged to check in with the airline. I think the aviation industry could do away with it.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 1/5th off if you buy today or tomorrow.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 day of Uber, he has been a regular user of the ride-sharing app – and has strong views on rating and tipping drivers, partly based on his knowledge of Game Theory as a mathematician.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 main holiday season at a time of uncertainty.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 stranded by the sudden closure of Qatari airspace. To put current events in perspective, I'm talking to Jane Kinninmont, chief executive of UNA-UK – the United Nations Association. This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 fascinating exhibition of the work of Everest pioneer Howard Somervell.He was one of the world's best climbers – and an artist of high repute. And Graham Hoyland, who is writing a biography of Howard Somervell, provides a fascinating insight into his life and work.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 coffee shop's wifi, and doesn't belong to that chap sitting in the corner with a laptop?This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Young, gifted and cabin crew. No, not me – my excellent colleague Natalie Wilson, who reports in from an experience day at British Airways' global training academy, where she was drilled in some of the skills required to work on commercial aircraft.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 flights to and from Dubai and Doha.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 social media trend about "airport theory" in the US.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm talking to Powell Ettinger, founder and director of the Small Cruise Ship Collection – covering vessels from eight to 250 people. Most carry 40-100 passengers. River cruising on one of these vessels has many advantagesThis podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hundreds of flights are being diverted around closed airspace – these are the key impacts, and your rights.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Norway has strict new rules in place to protect polar bears in Svalbard (Spitzbergen) from encroachment by tourists. The government in Oslo says: "It is important for them to be able to search for food, hunt, rest, and take care of their cubs without interference from humans." But my guest today, expedition leader and photographer Paul Goldstein, says the rules go too far.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 of plenty, with all the ingredients for a feast – including outstanding wine.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 – Cascais, the port planted elegantly on the shoreline west of the capital, Lisbon, on what's known as the Portuguese Riviera. It was settled in turn by Romans, Visigoths and Moors and today the centre of Cascais is an intriguing combination of sun-worn houses, cafés shops and smart hotels – including the Farol, whose sales director is Teresa Saramago.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 train operator's chief executive, Gwendoline Casenave.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm talking to Lloyd Figgins of Travel Risk & Incident Prevention about a course designed for adventurers.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.