Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast

All week you may have been reading headlines about flight cancellations and soaring airfares. Well, to round off the week, I have been talking to the boss of the leading western Channel ferry operator, Brittany Ferries. Chief executive Christophe Mathieu says he can guarantee no increased prices – due to the company's policy of hedging. And he says there is no shortage of LNG or maritime fuel for...

On St George's Day, there's no need to trim your travel sails. Despite challenging headlines travel remains in good health. My guest today, Ted Wake, managing director of Kirker Holidays, says that airlines could cut one flight in five with impunity. "There is scope for the airlines to trim their schedules in the coming months without having any appreciable impact on consumers." This podcast is fr...

Six months ago, Hawaiian Airlines became part of the Alaska Air Group, with the understanding that its identity as the carrier to, from and within the Pacific state would continue. Today, 22 April, the enterprise joins the Oneworld airline alliance. Chief executive Diana Birkett Rakow has been telling me about her airline, the state of Hawaii and the benefits of an airline alliance. This podcast i...

Today I'm talking about the deep south of the world, with conservation biologist Dr Louise Blight – whose book of that title is published today. The work – part science, part adventure and part travelogue – is subtitled "A Story of Penguins, People and Place in Antarctica". Louise told me about her time on Ross Island – and the emotions of life taken to extremes. This podcast is free, as is Indepe...

It is more than 40 years since BA last connected its main base, London Heathrow, with the Channel Island of Guernsey. I was on board the first departure from the isle – a notable operation with both pilots and all but one of the cabin crew being Guernsey born and bread. While I waited for the flight I talked to Zoe Gosling, Lead Marketing Officer at Visit Guernsey – who had just flown in from Heat...

Paul Goldstein, wildlife photographer and expedition leader, is just back from Baffin Island in Canada – where the temperature, with wind chill, dropped to minus 50C. He talks about the rewards of such a trip – and his new fundraising project. He will walk 500 miles, and he will walk 500 more, to campaign for endangered species. This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. S...

Richard Slater, Founder and Managing Director of Henbury Travel of Macclesfield,, tells me that traveller confidence took a knock when the US and Israel began their attack on Iran – but that people are now booking again in normal numbers. 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 mo...

Today's podcast is rather different from usual. For the first time, I am talking about driving tests but not any driving test. This one involves the Queen of Rock 'n' Roll – Suzi Quatro – who has been on the road, and on the roads for almost 60 years. This year, though she was told she must take a British driving test. Susie has also become a British national. And Tonight she is playing the London...

Eighteen years ago, Kosovo declared independence from Serbia after years of turmoil following the break-up of Yugoslavia. Serbia still regards Kosovo as part of its territory, but more than 100 countries recognise the nation. I flew into the capital, Pristina, which sprawls surprisingly far for a city of under a quarter-million people – but which has a compact and walkable centre. Among the highli...

In 2023 I covered the launch of the British Airways Speedbird Pilot Academy: recruiting young people to be the pilots of tomorrow. I am delighted to be back at Heathrow to meet newly qualified pilot Jasmine Campbell, one of the inaugural intake and now flying A320 family aircraft across the UK and Europe for BA. Recruitment for the next intake begins tomorrow, 14 April, and Senior First Officer Ge...

From today, the EU’s “entry-exit system” is expected to be running at all Schengen area frontiers – bringing to an end the stamping of passports. The digital borders scheme aims to keep a central database of British travellers – as well as many other nationalities. But several EU countries are far from ready, and officials in Brussels have conceded that passports will still be stamped. Here's the...

Could you be tempted by the prospect of an exclusive 44-seat aircraft? All-business-class carrier Beond is set to take passengers in some luxury to the Indian Ocean. Rhys Jones, aviation editor for Head for Points, has sampled the cabin. We also talk about Relax Row, the clever three-seat flat bed in economy that Air New Zealand conceived and United Airlines has now picked up. And will there ever...

My guest today is Charlene McCrossan of Martin McCrossan City Tours – which has been introducing tourists to this corner of the far northwest of Northern Ireland since the 1990s. She tells me that the Channel 4/Netflix series is bringing in visitors: "People all over the world are watching that show and loving it," she says. Charlene started a Derry Girls tour in 2020 – starting at the spectacular...

Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, is currently enjoying over 14 hours of daylight, a figure that is climbing swiftly towards midsummer. But how much fun is the Arctic territory? My excellent colleague, global travel editor, Annabel Grossman, says: "Tourism might be coming slowly, but that's part of the charm of it ... It's difficult to do on the cheap, but it feels very authentic." She recommends a...

You will probably have heard of the shocking case of a woman who was sexually assaulted in a Travelodge by an attacker who was handed a key to her room by a member of staff on the reception desk. Bob Quick spent 32 years with the Police, then moved on to GSA – Global Secure Accreditation Ltd – where he is Managing Director. He has strong views on the weaknesses in hotel security, and what needs to...

To round off the week, I'm talking to travel expert Rob Staines about queer travel around the world. He and his partner have just returned from India – a nation that, he reports, has become much more enlightened in recent years. “There's lots of places in the world that we can go and visit where we can feel safe and be free and actually enjoy who we are and celebrate who we are with wonderful peop...

That might look an odd question. In the past there have been links from these airports to London Heathrow, which were ditched because the slots could be used more profitably on other routes. But Rob Burgess, founder of the frequent flyer website Head for Points, says that not enough attention is paid to the value of creating loyalty through co-branded credit cards – allowing people who live in are...

The much-delayed digital borders scheme for the Schengen area is supposed to be up and running in full from 10 April – but Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of the Advantage Travel Partnership, is sceptical to say the least. She and I also talked about the prospect of surcharges on holidays this summer. This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it del...

Talking with my excellent colleague, senior travel writer Natalie, about a wide range of travel stories: the shocking business of hotel security, a new Center Parcs Scotland begins to blossom, buy a twist of the Eiffel Tower and new rail prospects across Europe and Central America. This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. H...

The 2,700 mile-long trail around the shore of England is the longest managed coastal walking route in the world. It gives unprecedented access to the shoreline, thanks to many years of painstaking work by today's guest – Neil Constable, who led the project for Natural England. We caught up on a breezy day... This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it...

Just when you thought London Gatwick couldn’t get any more competitive, Britain's biggest holiday company has launched at scale from the Sussex airport. Jet2 chief executive Steve Heapy has been telling me why there is room for his company at a location already chock-full of easyJet, British Airways, Wizz Air, Tui, Ryanair.  This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter....

That's the surprising view of an eminent commentator on travel, tourism and geopolitics: the formidable all-rounder, Ash Bhardwaj, who has served around the world as an infantry officer in the British Army Reserve. I hope you enjoy our wide-ranging conversation. 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...

Govia Thameslink Railway, which runs Gatwick Express, Southern, Great Northern as well as Thameslink – has brought out a new safety video which is designed to reduce the number of injuries – currently running at 16 a week – sustained by passengers at its stations. Writer and comedian Diane Morgan presents it. This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get i...

We talk about the effects of the Iran conflict on travel in the immediate and more distant future. Plus: how will it affect travellers' views on visiting America? 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.

Michael O'Leary, chief executive of Ryanair and Kenton Jarvis, CEO of easyJet tell me how the crisis has affected their airlines, while Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association (Iata), assuages concerns about flying.  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 aca...