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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"Huge, massive beautiful place" – welcome to Mongolia
Ulan Bator, the capital, is a busy, creative location, says Anna Butler – Tour Manager for Expat Adventure. She has lived in the vast land – six times...
Dual citizens may now be able to use expired passports to enter the UK
From Wednesday 25 February, people who are British but also citizens of another country were told they can travel to the UK only with a valid British...
Forget travel with family or partner – the trend is to explore with friends
Andrea Godfrey, head of the long-standing and highly innovative travel company Regent Holidays, tells me about the new Holidays with Friends portfolio...
Are you tempted to travel to the frozen north?
Greenland, Iceland, Lapland – their names alone might make you shiver. Then there's the geological instability of Iceland (remember the volcano?) and...
Egypt: new opportunities in an ancient land
The Grand Egyptian Museum is finally fully open on the edge of Cairo. It tells the story of this amazing nation in what has become one of the world's...
'Please, let's get on with expanding Heathrow'
That's the perhaps surprising message from Paul Griffiths, chief executive of the world's leading international airport: Dubai, whose code is DXB. Pau...
The expert's guide to the great cities of the world
What makes a great city? The man who knows is top geographer David Gilbert, Professor of Urban and Historical Geography at The Royal Holloway Centre f...
View from the flight deck
Captain David Sanders, who has a long and distinguished career in aviation, tells me how passengers could help themselves by turning up on time and no...
How does river cruising compare?
It's Travel Desk Tuesday, and cruise writer Marc Shoffman is bringing me up to speed on the joys of river cruising – in Europe and beyond.
This...
Insider’s guide to Portugal’s Algarve
Sharon Cleator has been travelling to the lovely south coast of Portugal for 40 years. She knows the Algarve like the back of her hand, and now offers...
Rome's most celebrated public space now costs €2 for admission
The Trevi fountain in the Italian capital has been overrun by tourists for many years, and now the Roman authorities are seeking to impose some order....
Your audio guide to Argentina
In the second part of my conversation with Buenos Aires local Stephen Melton, we discuss the highlights of Argentina beyond the capital.
This po...
Insider tips on Buenos Aires
In the beautiful wrought-iron market of San Telmo in Buenos Aires, British teacher and all-round Latin legend Stephen Melton has been telling me about...
Is flying really cheaper?
That’s the title of a challenging event being organised by campaigning group Flight Free UK. Director Anna Hughes talks to me about exploring Europe b...
China: 'Go before you get too old' – because so much walking is involved
The first UK tour operator to China in the 1970s was Regent Holidays. Neil Taylor, now a tour leader and travel guide writer, was the man behind the t...
China visa for UK holidaymakers could be dropped as early as Monday, says top tour operator
I am talking to Wendy Wu, founder of Wendy Wu Tours, a leading provider of holidays in the People's Republic. She believes red tape for China could be...
How do passengers feel about the luggage rules on budget airline?
Britain's biggest budget airline, easyJet, has had its knuckles rapped over its charges for larger pieces of cabin baggage. I have come to London Gatw...
What are the world’s most useful currencies for travellers?
Once again I am talking to Kaya Niedenthal of the Currency Online Group – but in unusual circumstances. He is a busy man so I could interview him only...
Skyscanner expands its price-comparison service to include package holidays
Travel desk Tuesday, and my excellent colleague Sophie Dickinson gives her thoughts on the highly popular airfare comparison site moving into the real...
It's Australia Day – but how to make the most of the vast and distant nation?
For insights and advice I've been talking to top expert Lauren McLeod, who heads up the Australia product portfolio for Trailfinders – the largest ind...
Liverpool John Lennon airport sets a new passenger record
The UK has a fabulously competitive bunch of airports as well as airlines. Today, I’m talking to John Vincent, chief executive of Liverpool John Lenno...
Michael O'Leary on Elon Musk, air traffic control and drinking at airports
In which the chief executive of Ryanair – Europe’s biggest budget airline – challenges the world's richest man to an arm-wrestling contest.
This...
If the earth is actually curved, we’ll be able to tell
Fifty years to the day since the first British Airways Concorde took off with passengers on board, a final interview with Blake Scholl, founder of Boo...
Who knows where the tourists go?
Patricia Yates does: she is chief executive of Visit Britain, which has just delivered a major survey on the value of inbound tourism to the UK.
...
Wish it could be Concorde every day? Hear what a leading environmental campaigner has to say
Back by popular demand: more on supersonic flying. But Anna Hughes, director of Flight Free UK, does not believe we should return to the era of breaki...
What is the market for supersonic flying?
All week I've been hearing about Boom Supersonic's plan for its Overture aircraft, 50 years after Concorde first flew with paying passengers. For an a...
New York? Sydney? Boom Supersonic wants to take you there more swiftly.
Blake Scholl, CEO and founder of Denver-based Boom Supersonic, tells me in part 4 of supersonic week, that the longer the route, the better the appeal...
Fly supersonic between London and New York for £4,000 return?
That's the plan from Blake Scholl, CEO and founder of Denver-based Boom Supersonic. In part 3 of supersonic week, he has been telling me about the pri...
Boom Supersonic's big idea for a small impact on the planet
Part 2 of my exclusive interview with Blake Scholl, CEO and founder of Denver-based Boom Supersonic. His Overture aircraft aims to be the first supers...
Welcome to Supersonic week! Will passengers ever break the sound barrier again?
It’s 50 years this month since the first-ever passenger flights on Concorde, the Anglo-French supersonic jet that travelled at 1,350mph. All this week...
In search of the UK's most beautiful railway station
I am stuck at Crewe, the rail junction in Cheshire, but I have been hearing from two of the presenters of an excellent new Channel 4 series, Britain's...
Greece: is it really a year-round destination?
Eleni Skarveli, director of the Greek National Tourism Organisation in London, says Athens and Thessaloniki are excellent winter destinations – and al...
How tourism can help endangered species
My guest today is Paul Goldstein: photographer, expedition guide, and campaigner for protecting wildlife. He’s also author of a book out this week cal...
Travel Desk Tuesday: top tips for '26 from Global Travel Editor Annabel Grossman
Uganda and northern Argentina are off the tourism mainstream, but high on Annabel's recommendations for the year ahead. Adventure travel in Africa and...
Preston to Carlisle – the pretty way
Avanti West Coast is providing a glorious workaround to the closure of the main rail line between Preston and Carlisle: a scenic train diversion along...
How the Eurostar chaos *should* have been handled
Right at the end of 2025, tens of thousands of passengers had their New Year plans wrecked when a problem in the Channel Tunnel.
30 trains link...
How to be a responsible tourist
To start 2026, I'm talking to Mark Tanzer, well respected chief executive of Abta, the travel association – about reasons to be cheerful, challenges f...
How does a hotel keep going through Christmas and into New Year?
I'm talking to Mike Vincent, General Manager of the Langdale Chase Hotel overlooking Windermere in Cumbria – who has been working through the festive...
The secret behind Manchester Airport's growth
I've been talking to Chris Woodroffe, managing director of Manchester airport, about plans for the future in terms of passenger numbers – and also pub...
Part 2/2 – 2026 predictions with travel CEO
Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy the PC Agency, is back to talk about travel in 2026.
This podcast is free, as is Independent...