Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast

That's the perhaps surprising message from Paul Griffiths, chief executive of the world's leading international airport: Dubai, whose code is DXB. Paul also tells me about Dubai's remarkable growth trajectory – and how close DXB will come to the magic figure of 100 million passengers this year. This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to...

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 for the GeoHumanities. He tells me the key virtues of cities, and kindly takes part in a quickfire round in which he has less than a second to decide whether a city is great or not. You may be surprised by some of his answers ... This podcast is free,...

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 not drinking to excess; the joys of flying; and the most beautiful flightpaths. 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 informat...

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 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.

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 a travel concierge service that you can track down online at Sharon’s Solutions 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 infor...

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. But top Rome cultural guide James Hill is unimpressed. 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.

In the second part of my conversation with Buenos Aires local Stephen Melton, we discuss the highlights of Argentina beyond the capital. 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.

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 the Argentinian capital – what to see, and what to watch out 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.

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 by rail, bus and ferry rather than taking to the skies – ahead of an online event on Thursday 5 February that anyone can attend. https://www.tickettailor.com/events/flightfreeuk This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign...

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 trips behind the "Bamboo Curtain". He contrasts then with now, and offers advice for anyone seeking to take advantage of the new visa-free status of British holidaymakers. This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up her...

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 untangled in just a few days. 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.

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 Gatwick airport, its main base, to explain the issue – and what lies behind it – and hear from passenger Helen Baillie who never pays more than she needs. This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivere...

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 on the move, from his high-rise office in London’s Waterloo to the nearby station. The dollar is king, the euro is queen and the pound is still more a prince than a joker, is my conclusion. This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly new...

Travel desk Tuesday, and my excellent colleague Sophie Dickinson gives her thoughts on the highly popular airfare comparison site moving into the realm of Mediterranean package holidays. She and I discuss how useful this might be for your next family trip. 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....

For insights and advice I've been talking to top expert Lauren McLeod, who heads up the Australia product portfolio for Trailfinders – the largest independently-owned travel company in the UK. 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.

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 Lennon – about rivalry with Manchester, what sets the Merseyside airport apart and how important the inbound market is from Beatles fans and football supporters. This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it de...

In which the chief executive of Ryanair – Europe’s biggest budget airline – challenges the world's richest man to an arm-wrestling contest. 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.

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 Boom Supersonic – and a word from Cuveé founder, Larry Mueller, about whether there is demand for breaking the sound barrier. This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on A...

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. 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.

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 breaking the sound barrier. She recognises the achievement getting Concorde into the skies – but wants a different approach 50 years on from the first passenger flight. This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get...

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 assessment of the routes on which there could be demand for faster travel , I turned to Oliver Ranson – editor of Airline Revenue Economics. This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your i...

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 of his Overture 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.

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 pricing for his Overture aircraft – and who will be on board. First though, what was wrong about Concorde? 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...

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 supersonic passenger jet since Concorde was grounded in 2003. The Anglo-French supersonic aircraft was incredibly noisy and thirsty. Overture will be neither, he believes. This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to...

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 I’m talking about the prospects of a new supersonic plane taking to the skies – with Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic. I talked to him at HQ in Denver. This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here...