Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast

Strict travel restrictions are having a huge impact on the number of tourists in Australia, and local businesses are feeling the hit. But I find myself experiencing Sydney harbour in a way that no one has done in the modern era, almost entirely to myself. Of course this podcast is completely free, as is my weekly travel email. You can sign up at  independent.co.uk/newsletters . Hosted on...

Coming to you from Sydney Harbour, tourists seem to be far and few between. But it is more straightforward than you might think to travel to this lovely part of the world, so here are the latest entry requirements for travelling to Australia from the UK. Of course this podcast is completely free, as is my weekly travel email. You can sign up at independent.co.uk/newsletters. Hosted on Acast. See a...

From commutes to holidays, Storm Eunice has caused devastation to millions of people's travel plans. Is severe weather becoming more of a frequent occurrence, and if so, how can we be better prepared next time? I explore the ways this can be achieved, from giving customers more notice about train cancellations and grounded planes, to being more efficient in organising compensation arrangements. Tw...

Storm Eunice will create mayhem for travellers on the roads, railways and seas throughout the Southern half of the UK from around dawn on Friday 18th February. Most train operators are encouraging passengers to travel either today or after the storm has passed, warning of delays and fewer trains. A 50mph speed limit will also be imposed on rail services in affected areas due to safety concerns abo...

I explain how the rise in fuel prices is affecting your plane tickets. Of course this podcast is completely free, as is my weekly travel email. You can sign up at independent.co.uk/newsletters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Railway companies are having to adapt to a myriad of changes in our travel patterns due to the coronavirus pandemic, from how we spend our holidays to our daily commute. I explain how railway companies have been impacted and how they are trying to recover. Of course this podcast is completely free, as is my weekly travel email. You can sign up at independent.co.uk/newsletters. Hosted on Acast. See...

The coronavirus pandemic has left car rental companies with a shortage of cars, meaning car rental prices are three times higher than usual. But never fear! Here are some useful tips to save you money on your travel plans this Valentine's Day. Of course this podcast is completely free, as is my weekly travel email. You can sign up at independent.co.uk/newsletters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pr...

Today I'm taking the Eurostar, which has survived the Covid crisis despite being hit harder than any other transport undertaking. Join me as I explain the current rules around international travel and why Spain is winning my award for worst performance by any tourist-dependent country. Of course this podcast is completely free, as is my weekly travel email. You can sign up at independent.co.uk/new...

Covid tests for travellers returning to the UK have been scrapped at long last, which Grant Shapps has described as a "landmark moment for international travel". Join me in Northern Burgundy where I can tell you all you need to know about the latest updates on Covid-19 testing. Of course this podcast is completely free, as is my weekly travel email. You can sign up at independent.co.uk/newsletters...

Paris is back on the tourist map as restrictions ease across Europe but on my first visit back to the French capital, I'm reminded of the complexity of getting round Charles De Gaulle airport. In this episode join me as I navigate my way through the Parisian airport and give you the lowdown on the best way to deal with it. Of course this podcast is completely free, as is my weekly travel email.&nb...

Much fanfare was made this week by transport secretary Grant Schapps about a competition to find a city to house the headquarters of The Great British Railways company. But what exactly is it? I take you through what the remit of the body is and what they'll be looking to do to help return Britain's rail industry to past glory. There's also an exciting exclusive about who the finalists will be for...

Australia has announced the reopening of its borders to vaccinated tourists and other visa holders for the first time in almost two years. The reopening on February 21st does however have some things to be aware of - I talk you through what you need and what you need to be aware of as you make your way down under. Of course this podcast is completely free, as is my weekly travel email. You can sig...

Motorists might have to pay by the mile in future, a cross-party Commons select committee has proposed as they see no "viable alternative" as a tax shortfall arises from the shift to electric vehicles that could be as big as £35bn. The committee has warned without urgent reform to taxation, the UK could face an under-resourced and congested future, with sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles set...

Transport for London has announced in their latest financial update that the black hole in London's transport network has ballooned to £1.5 billion, mainly due to the pandemic. Just as London's network begins to show the strain of this, bosses are in a battle to get more money from the central government and are looking at a lot of different ways to claw back some of the money. Plans to introduce...

Ryanair has failed in its attempt to overturn a court ruling that it must pay compensation to passengers affected by industrial action that dates back from an industrial dispute in 2018. Thousands of the airline's customers lost out when flights were cancelled in due to a series of walkouts in 2018 and today a court ruling has sided with the Civil Aviation Authority and say Ryanair must pay the co...

Today, the EU is altering its travel restrictions in two big ways. Firstly, it is recommending a change in how member states manage travel restrictions, and altering the focus to the individual, away from the region of departure. Secondly, all member states are shortening the validity of Covid-19 vaccination certificates to 270 days (nine months) across the bloc. Up to now, the EU has been recomme...

Britain will soon have a new eco-tourism attraction, following news that the charity behind the Eden Project in Cornwall have been given planning permission by Lancaster City Council for the £125m Eden Project North. The charity hope to re-imagine Morecambe as "a seaside resort for the 21st century" with three shell-shaped pavilions on the seafront showcasing the natural world and everything that...

Grant Shapps has made a number of transport announcements. These have fallen during the ongoing controversy surrounding alleged parties held at 10 Downing Street, leading many to refer to these announcement as convenient 'dead cat' distractions. I go through each of them and what they mean for travellers. From less announcements on trains to updates on testing before travel. Of course this podcast...

Foreign secretary  Liz Truss  flew by private jet to Australia at a cost of over half-a-million pounds to the taxpayer, rather than using scheduled flights that would have been faster and far cheaper. Instead of travelling from London to Sydney on one of the daily Qantas departures, Ms Truss flew the 22,000 miles to, from and within Australia aboard the private government Airbu...

Ghost flights, in which a plane completes a journey with no passengers on board, have always taken place. I take a look at the reasons why and how Covid has affected ghost flights. Of course this podcast is completely free, as is my weekly travel email. You can sign up at  independent.co.uk/newsletters . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For a long time London Heathrow airport has sat on top off the list of best airport's in Europe. Due to a number of factors but chiefly the fallout from the UK's travel restrictions during Covid, as well as Brexit, Heathrow has lost its top spot. Airports in Istanbul and Moscow now dominate. Of course this podcast is completely free, as is my weekly travel email. You can sign up at  independe...

All Covid testing requirements for vaccinated travellers arriving into England are to be scrapped, the government has confirmed. The “day two” lateral flow test that double-jabbed arrivals must currently take after arrival will no longer be necessary from 4am on 11 February. But they're not quite done yet, with other countries still continuing restrictions and some other terms and conditions out t...

Train journeys could become a lot quieter if plans recently announced are anything to go by. Yes, train companies and the government are looking to reduce the number of announcements onboard to give us all a better rail experience. But is that where focus should be right now? As I speak to you on this train, I counted a whopping 11 people on a service that could service several hundred, giving us...

British and Irish airlines are some of the safest in the world but the case of Ryanair flight 4798 shows that it's not just crashes that airlines need to remain vigilant over when looking at safety. Ryanair flight FR4978 was travelling from the Greek capital, Athens, to Vilnius in Lithuania on Sunday 23 May when it made an abrupt change of course over Belarus, some 10km (six miles) from the Lithua...

The UK government has declared Covid restrictions will not be renewed at the end of January, as the worst of the Omicron wave looks to have passed. But does that mean you should jump for that holiday booking right away? I take a look at the good and the bad of booking now and what an extra thrill a last minute booking when you're more aware of the travel restrictions, can be. Of course this podcas...