Yesterday I was at Gatwick – today it's Heathrow, the one true hub airport in the UK. Within six months, transit passengers changing between international flights will need to pay £10 and fill in an online form for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) – making the UK's policy completely at odds with other nations. Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Paris CD…

Winter is coming – and for UK airports that can spell trouble. I'm at London Gatwick, talking to Chief Operating Officer Mark Johnston about preparations for ice and snow at the world's busiest single-runway airport. Plans include polar bears and yetis... This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered to your inbox e…

Travel Desk Tuesday today features Ben Parker, UK travel editor (and secret surfer), who has returned from an island-hopping trip around Hawaii – where he learned about the links between Hawaiian royalty and the British monarchy. This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered to your inbox every Friday. Hosted on Aca…

By mid-October many of us are looking at options for winter sun. For my money, the optimum combination of great weather, ancient history and good value is to be found in Egypt. I'm talking to Philip Breckner, director of Discover Egypt, about the options – and the prospects of the much-delayed Grand Egyptian Museum opening later this month. This po…

The EU Entry Exit System has been postponed again. But when it is rolled out it could delay our entrance to the Schengen Area. Here's what it means for you ... This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered to your inbox every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

The airline city-centre ticket office is making a comeback. In the 20th century, every airline had walk-in shops in all the major cities served. But that was in the bad old days of extremely high fares that could pay for lavish rentals in areas like Mayfair. They disappeared when online booking took hold. But this week Emirates has opened a fancy n…

England's worst motorway is the M42 south and east of Birmingham, according to a new survey of over 9,000 motorists by Transport Focus. I've been finding out more about this despised dual carriageway – and what can be done to improve the driver experience – with Alex Robertson, chief executive of the independent watchdog. This podcast is free, like…

In this episode, Simon Calder chats with Annabel Grossman about her intense skiing journey through the isolated landscape of Fins, Norway. Known as “Little Antarctica,” this region tests even the most experienced explorers. Annabel reflects on her trek, led by polar explorer Wendy Searle, and shines a spotlight on the untold stories of women thrivi…

The Great West Way is a marketing enterprise for the corridor from London to Bristol – taking in Stonehenge, Windsor Castle, Blenheim Palace, and the Roman Baths in Bath. Next year promises to be busy, with the 250th anniversary of the birth of Jane Austen. I heard more from Fiona Errington, head of marketing, and Florence Wallace, head of travel t…

Ahead of the weekend, where's best to be a wine tourist around the globe? I'm talking to the doyenne of wine experts, Jilly Goolden – who has great things to say about English wine, and visiting vineyards in Sussex and the Cotswolds. But don't offer her a glass of prosecco ... This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it del…

Finnair is an intriguing airline. The national carrier of Finland carved a Nordic niche offering great connections through its Helsinki hub between western Europe, including London Heathrow and Manchester, and east Asia – thanks to a fast track across Siberia. The closure of Russian airspace means it has had to rethink its strategy. I've been talki…

Cruise lines are often condemned for the environmental impact they have on the planet. But Ponant, the upmarket French small-ship expedition line, has a head of sustainability, Wassim Daoud, who is focused on cutting emissions – and the impact on nature and communities. He also talks about "training" tourists – we could do with more of that. Hosted…

In a new feature, Travel Desk Tuesday, I talk to one of my excellent colleagues at The Independent about their recent journeys. First up: Natalie Wilson, who flew to Mallorca with some trepidation after a summer of writing about over tourism – but her worst experience was having to dine on KFC in her hotel room because all the restaurants had close…

I'm at the British Museum in London where a blockbuster exhibition called Silk Roads has just opened – exploring the tangle of connections that linked communities as far apart as Scotland, Ireland, Ethiopia and Japan, as well as the more familiar lands of China, and central Asia. My guest is the world's foremost expert on the Silk Roads, and guidin…

I'm at London Waterloo, home of Network Rail. But I am not using the public WiFi – the system has been taken down since the landing page was replaced by a strange message about terrorist acts in Europe. It appears this was not a hack, but the act of someone working for the company that provides the landing page. Hopefully the system will be up and …

Anna Hughes, the distinguished director of FlightFree UK, has been telling me about how she believes a frequent-flyer levy could and should work to reduce the amount of flights we take. This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered every Friday to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informati…

Today's travel podcast: How far would you fly in no-frills (dis-) comfort? Natalie Wilson, travel writer for The Independent, says she would gladly go all the way to Australia if it saved her cash. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The all-knowing Rob Burgess, formidable founder of the Head for Points frequent-flyer website, explains the intricacies of business class flying within Europe; how you can sample long-haul comfort on a short-haul flight; and why you don't want to be further back than row 12 on a British Airways A320. This podcast is free, as is the Independent Trav…

It's all about booking horizons. How long in advance are people committing to holidays – and what "new" destination are in sight? Questions for Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of the Advantage Travel Partnership, representing 750 travel agents. This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered every Friday to your in…

I have the good fortune to be on the Greek island of Poros in the company of Melanie and Andy McCreddie – Londoners who are in love with this place. Andy was first here, under less-than-optimal circumstances, but now they both love the island and its people. This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered every Friday…

Commuting can be no fun if you happen to use the morning rush-hour trains from Bedford to London. Here's the top 10 most crowded trains in England and Wales, just published. But the most concerning point of the new Department for Transport (DfT) figures is the degree of undercrowding, with barely half of seats filled on the average peak-hour servic…

Most UK airports now charge for drop-offs and pick-ups at the terminal. They enforce the rule by imposing heavy penalties on motorists who breach the rules. But the leading consumer lawyer, Gary Rycroft, believes many of the "fines" imposed by airports – or the firms to which they have outsourced – may not have followed the correct procedure and ma…

Wizz Air says it will fly the narrow-bodied Airbus A321XLR from London Gatwick to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. What's the future for "long, thin" routes flown by, well, long, thin aircraft? I've been talking to long, thin Rhys Jones from the frequent-flyer website Head for Points. This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it deli…

My guest is Hazel McGuire of Intrepid Travel, who has just unveiled the Not Hot List 2025 – countries off the beaten tourist track. This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered every Friday to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can you really enjoy life without a car? I'm talking to the transport guru Thomas Ableman, who also happens to be co-author – with his wife, Helen – of the Carefree Car-free blog. Helen has a unique claim to fame: she passed her driving test first time aged 17, and has not driven since then. Thomas has never learnt, and tells me he's very happy lik…

The new ETA for visitors to the UK could cost Northern Ireland tourism £250m a year. I've been hearing why from Dr Joanne Stuart, chief executive of the Northern Ireland Tourism Alliance. This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered every Friday to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informa…

As Heathrow, Manchester, and Stansted airports announce record passenger numbers, I'm talking to Anna Hughes – director of Flight Free UK, who has a different perspective on travel. This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered every Friday to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

I'm in Durres, Albania, the most historic city in the nation – finding out about life under communism with former student revolutionary, now tour guide, Arjana Isaku. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's travel podcast is from the top of the 148 bus in west London. Four years after Boris Johnson promised to “level up across the country” with “beautiful, British-built buses that are cleaner, greener, quieter, safer and more frequent”, the new transport secretary, Louise Haigh, has vowed to start a "bus revolution". But will it work? This pod…

I'm in Hyères in southern France, at my usual breakfast spot, the Café Regence, but picking up news of dozens of flight cancellations on British Airways to and from London Heathrow. Is there a chronic problem with BA at the UK's busiest airport? Do passengers have any hope of compensation? And will events like this lead people to book on more resil…

Do you have to be barking mad to take a dog from the UK to Continental Europe these days? I'm talking to Dr Julia Ferguson, who is in the south of France with her lovely dog Bonnie. This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered every Friday to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

I'm talking to Jane West who represents Fiji, the South Pacific archipelago that's hard to reach but loads of fun when you get there. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What makes a railway pub different? Wetherspoon's The Lion & The Unicorn pub in London Waterloo is the company's biggest so far. I've visited on the pub's opening morning and talked to Barry Brewster of JD Wetherspoon. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Where's my plane? That call has gone out thousands of times this summer with so many delays. Flightradar24 can usually supply the answer – bringing an incredible amount of real-time aviation intelligence to the world. Ahead of the publication of a Flightradar24 puzzle book called You're the Captain (for which I have contributed the foreword) I have…

Gatwick Airport is planning to add a second runway to improve resilience and capacity. I discuss how this could benefit travelers and the London aviation market, while also addressing the environmental concerns and potential hurdles the project might face This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered every Friday to…

London bike wars: the cycles you can pick up here, and leave there. In the green corner, Anthony Smith, transport supremo, is championing the Lime electric bikes that are allowed to roam free (as are the people who hire them, within limits). In the red (and grey) corner, I am a true believer in Santander Cycles. This episode is free, much like the …

I'm talking to Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary about record amounts of air rage; European Union plans to standardise cabin baggage; and how he expects air fares to fall during the autumn and winter. This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's newsletter. Sign up here to have it delivered every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri…

I'm sitting down with Tony Wheeler, the co-founder of Lonely Planet who revolutionised travel guides with his iconic 1970s journey, Across Asia on the Cheap. Tony has now completed a dream trek through southern England, walking the entire length of the River Thames, from its source to the heart of London. This podcast is free, as is Independent Tra…

It's bank holiday Monday in England and Wales, which spells chaos on trains, planes and automobiles. I take you through the weekend's troubles and what is being done to mitigate it. This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

What will the entry-exit system mean for car drivers and coach passengers using the UK's busiest ferry port, Dover? I've been talking to Doug Bannister, chief executive of the Port of Dover. He says they can cope with the new rules on fingerprinting and facial biometrics until April 2025, but once things get busy new options are needed. This podcas…

In today’s podcast, I tackle the confusion surrounding new travel requirements for UK citizens heading to Europe. I clarify the timeline and facts about the upcoming entry/exit system and ETIAS, debunking myths and explaining what you need to know. This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered every Friday to your i…

Once again I'm at London King's Cross station, a hub for the East Coast main line to Yorkshire, northeast England, and Scotland. Two significant fare changes, neither of them beneficial: ScotRail's experiment to abolish peak fares will end in late September after it failed to lure enough travelers out of their cars. And LNER is expanding the area w…

Join me as I chat with Bram Houtenbos, who earned third place in the thrilling race from London to Tirana. We explore his race strategy, the challenges that came his way, and his reflections on finishing in the top three once again.Join me as I chat with Bram Houtenbos, who earned third place in the thrilling race from London to Tirana. We explore …

I’m at London Gatwick Airport in today's podcast, delving into an exclusive survey that ranks the world's best-connected airports. Gatwick impressively secures 15th place, highlighting London’s dominance in global air travel. This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered every Friday to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. …

I'm Simon Calder, and I'm sharing insights on the end of the ASLEF rail strike from London Euston Station. While the pay dispute is settled, significant hurdles remain for the UK rail system, requiring urgent action from Transport Secretary Louise Haigh. This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered every Friday to …

I'm Simon Calder, and in this podcast, I guide Taylor Swift fans on the best ways to reach Wembley Stadium. You'll be well-prepared for the eras tour with tips on avoiding the busiest routes and selecting the most efficient transport options. This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered every Friday to your inbox. …

The first country in the world to close at the start of Covid pandemic in January 2020 will finally open this winter. Simon Calder hears the latest from Simon Cockerell of specialist operator Koryo Tours. This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered every Friday to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy…

What's happening in Greece and what are travellers' rights if they are there and want to come home early or cancel a pre-booked holiday? This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered every Friday to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

On Saturday 17 August, 180 competitors will set off from Trafalgar Square in London, destination Tirana in Albania, in the second Race Across Europe staged by Lupine Travel – using only public transport. Today I'm talking to the organiser, James Finnerty. This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered every Friday to…

Leeds Bradford Airport has unveiled its Vision 2030 strategy, aiming for more flights and more passengers but a more gentle environmental footprint. Simon Calder speaks with Vincent Hodder, the airport’s chief executive, about plans to boost the transform the gateway to – and from – Yorkshire. This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsl…