Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast

In Orlando, British visitors begin to arrive in the US now the travel ban has been lifted. A conversation with some of the first arrivals from the UK and an update on the rules and regulations for getting here and travelling around the country. 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/...

The US travel ban has been lifted for fully vaccinated travellers six hundred days after Donald Trump closed off the US to British visitors. Crossing the Canada-US border at Niagara Falls at midnight, I was the first non-essential British visitor to the US for almost 20 months. Of course this podcast is completely free, as is my weekly travel email. You can sign up at  independent.co.uk/newsl...

I’m in Germany, where Covid rates are soaring – as they are across Continental Europe. Passport rules for Europe: what they are, and what you can do if your airline disagrees. And testing rules for America – yet more confusion courtesy of the Foreign Office. Of course this podcast is completely free, as is my weekly travel email. You can sign up at  independent.co.uk/newsletters . Hosted on A...

Booster jabs and what could possibly go wrong with your trip to Austria or Israel … and clearing up the mystery of testing for trips to the US. 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.

Aviation and the environment. Will we all be flying around in electric planes by 2030? And is a third runway at Heathrow airport now completely off the table? 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.

The first scheduled service from the UK to Australia for 20 months has taken off today. But what are the chances of Christmas down under? And Thailand, Israel and Japan are all easing their travel restrictions. After a fashion. 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...

I’m at World Travel Market in London, where I’ve been talking to industry leaders about the coming winter and summer 2022. And Ryanair is talking up its prospects for European domination. 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.

Rail chaos – why? Rail rights? Are trains getting less reliable? 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.

If you were caught up in the Stansted shutdown on Saturday afternoon, these are your rights.  The European Union now recognises the NHS app as equivalent to the EU digital Covid certificate. And as a result Luxembourg, the last EU nation to hold out against British visitors, has now opened up. Why you might want to visit. Of course this podcast is completely free, as is my weekly travel email...

The red list is scrapped as from Monday. Should it have stayed in place so long? My pick of the nations that are opening up in Latin America. And Crossrail – yet more condemnation of this hopelessly botched London line. 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 mo...

Domestic flights – who will be the winners of the Air Passenger Duty tax cut? Restored and new flights on Emirates from Gatwick and on United from Heathrow. And eastern options for people diving deeper into Turkey. 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 informa...

I’ve read the whole Budget so you don’t have to … to find out what it says about transport and travel. And as fares to the US soar ahead of the 8 November opening, you could try my cut-price plan. 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.

Today, at last the US has revealed most of the details for opening up to fully vaccinated British travellers from 8 November. I’ll bring you the latest. And I’m here at the UK’s busiest railway station, London Waterloo where, if you believe the BBC, passengers are doing the wrong thing by using public transport. Of course this podcast is completely free, as is my weekly travel email. You can sign...

Passenger services begin on the new Lumo trains between London and Edinburgh – I was at King's Cross station to wave the first departure off. Scotrail trains will be cancelled during the Cop26 summit due to a rail strike. And after a weekend of disruption at airports, why paper is the way forward. Of course this podcast is completely free, as is my weekly travel email. You can sign up at  ind...

Testing requirements for international travellers to England and Wales have been downgraded. Morocco – direct flights to the UK will continue for another week. And eighteen years after the final passenger flights of Concorde, what’s the future for supersonic travel? Of course this podcast is completely free, as is my weekly travel email. You can sign up at  independent.co.uk/newsletters . Hos...

Air Passenger Duty: aviation tax likely to go back to the future, with far-flung trips more heavily penalised. A reminder of what the tax on flying is; where it came from; and how it is likely to change in Wednesday’s budget. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today: Lateral flow replaces PCR tests for England, but confusion abounds. What the law says – and what to watch for when you are booking your test. “Stuck in Morocco”? No, on holiday there. Don’t always assume the worst. 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...

Today: I’m on a train south from Edinburgh at the end of a train-vs-plane race. Here’s what I’ve learnt today. And if you (or people you care about) are in Morocco, don’t panic about the flights ban. 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.

Morocco has suddenly banned flights from the UK? Will Britain’s soaring Covid rates lead to other travel bans? And Singapore Airlines is putting its biggest plane on one of its shortest routes. 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.

Why premium economy could be a waste of money right now. Heathrow charges are set to surge from New Year’s Day. And Scotland’s new Moroccan connection. 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.

I’m in Saudi Arabia, for the third time in under two years. How tricky is travel in a kingdom that until very recently was off-limits for tourism for decades? How rewarding is Saudi Arabia as a destination? And what are the ethics of being a tourist here? Of course this podcast is completely free, as is my weekly travel email. You can sign up at  independent.co.uk/newsletters . Hosted on...

Two weekends before the end of October – what’s happening to flight schedules, and why? 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.

Split-ticketing on the railways of Britain – what it is and what it could mean for you, and the country. 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.

Today: Alitalia is dead – long live the new Italian airline, ITA, which looks remarkably similar. 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.

I’m looking over the Gulf of Aqaba – why it should be on your list Four countries divided by three of the tougher borders in the world. 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.