You should have been there

Simon and Mick compare notes about their respective attempts to enjoy some time off. But was it better to be scaling Holland's highest peak or to be walking through a road-free valley on the way to a pint of Sussex ale? Well, we'll let you decide!

A typing error leads Mick and Simon to wonder about the desirability of travelling in threes. When is three a better number of people than the standard two?  The answer seems to be - when you're in a boat with a dog, when you're up a snowy mountain or when you're flying on a low-cost Spanish airline on Valentine's day!  

Travelling and embarrassment seem to go hand in glove.  Simon and Mick wonder whether it's an essential part of being a tourist and also, if we are often the authors of our own discomfort, not to mention that of our children. The tale  of the false beards is a case in point.  Thanks are due to Poppy and Daisy Calder for dishing the dirt on their dad! 

Are you a responsible traveller?   See if you measure up to the standards proposed by some of the movement's new gurus, and enjoy the poetic pledge created by the Tourist Office of Finland.  Thanks to Anna Hughes of Flight Free UK for her interview  and to  Aaron Burden@unsplash for his photo.

What is that makes us stretch every sinew to get to the top of things? Simon and Mick's favourite high places include the Blackpool Tower, Buenos Aires' Barolo Tower, Mount Aconcagua, also in Argentina, and The Cirque de Gavarnie in the French Pyrenees. Joining them are Silas Webb, who scaled Mount Kilimanjaro and Ed Douglas, whose book, "Himalaya, a human history" is published on the 27th August...

The act of travelling from one place to another may seem a simple thing. But it has spawned  a vast number of sayings and reflections. Simon and Mick discuss the wittiest, wisest, pithiest and most pathetic of them. 

Mick and Simon relive some of the travel situations which they're only too pleased to have survived.  Plus a visit to a pub in Southampton which is proud to carry the name of that ill-starred ship, The Titanic.  Thanks to Martin and Michelle for their contributions and to www.fesliyanstudios.com, for the music. 

What's in store for this summer's holidaymakers in the UK?  What's open, what needs booking and when do you need to take your own toilet with you? Plus an insight into the mysteries of Romney Marshes and the challenge of cycling from London to Land's End. Thanks to Rob, Silas, Karen, Jan and Vanessa. 

Simon unveils his five pillars of advice on how to avoid some of the nastier travel surprises that are emerging in the wake of the pandemic.  We're grateful to f_ilippo @Freesound for the casino recording  

Reflections on the subject, a bit of advice on how to do it and a look back at what some eccentric travellers carried with them on their journeys. You can see the painting "Waiting for a train" @ h ttps://www.nzmuseums.co.nz/collections/3243/objects/35106/waiting-for-the-train-willesden-junction

Mick and Simon try to make sense of the bewildering advice about where we can and can't  go on our holidays. They also ponder the new pop-up enclaves created by Coronavirus, adding to the historical oddities like Llívia, a small piece of Spain entirely surrounded by France. 

Simon and Mick discuss a tentative new dawn for camping, and swap tales of their own intense experiences under canvas.  Music: Solstice by Scott Buckley 

Is slow travel something we should all strive for, or is it just an exercise in marketing?  Simon and Mick investigate, helped by Gina Waggott, Anna Hughes, Alec Webb, Nicky Gardner, Graham Hoyland and James Hill. 

Mick and Simon discuss travel risks and how to manage them. Diseases, snakes and hippos all feature, along with selfies, local police and rip tides. For information about these, go to bit.ly/RipSafe . Thanks to Charlotte for her wise words. 

What makes a trip or a holiday into an expedition? Does it need a key objective, sponsorship or just some specialised kit?    Simon and Mick talk machetes and mountain meals, as well as catching up on the latest Covid19  travel news   

The search for the perfect, fleeting holiday experience takes in the Kentish North Downs, Kalingrad Oblast and Carnforth railway station. With the briefest of stops at Dublin airport and Newport Pagnell Motorway Services.   The recording of the steam train leaving Moor Street station was made by Keith Burnett 

What's the current guidance and what will await us, when and if we do get away?  Simon unveils his five "tests " for prospective travellers while Mick continues his worldwide search for Gerald Bernstein.                                &nbsp...

Enjoy the best bits from our first 20 podcasts.  Among the categories: best travel moment, best lock down story and best breakfast. 

Who would you most like to travel with on a long trip?  Someone who get things organised, can carry most of the kit, tells a good joke..........?  Thanks to Charlotte and Alec for their contributions .  

What were your journeys to school like? Long, uneventful, exciting, dangerous.....?  Enjoy the experiences of some of our listeners.  We'd like to thank Steph, Camilla, Silas, Lynette, Carol, Daisy and Poppy for their contributions. And the website we mentioned is www.boredpanda.com/dangerous-journey-to-school 

Travel and journeys have inspired some great lines and uplifting verses. But, how many of our chosen poems do you know ? 

Which famous site has come out top in our twitter poll?  Will it be a wonder of nature or an attraction created by us humans?   We also discuss Robert Louis Stevenson's book: Travels with a donkey in the Cévennes The musical fanfare,  The Curtain Rises, was composed by Kevin Macleod (incompetcech.com)  

Simon and I exchange ways of keeping the flame of travel alive, without going anywhere. Expect entertaining books, silly games and a brief appearance from the president of The AA, Edmund King.  The book "Journey round my room" is available, free, at gutenberg.org. 

Travel and tourism will be transformed. Will our attitudes have to change too? 

We ponder the future direction of travel and suggest some ways of combatting cabin fever.