Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast

New green list possibilities? British Airways signals a return to Australia seven months from now – with a faster journey but smaller plane. And could Ryanair be leaving Northern Ireland? Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Action at last against the “cowboy” firms on the government’s register of travel testing providers – but it is too little too late.  And let’s talk about tipping – which many travellers find a nightmare, but it shouldn’t be. Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See aca...

This week there’s another traffic light review. I don’t know exactly what changes will be made, but I can guide you through the practicalities. Travel in the former East Germany 32 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall. And while foreign secretary Dominic Raab is in trouble after his holiday in Crete – if you don’t have any pressing matters of state, it’s a great island to explore. Sign up to Si...

I’ve just touched down in Berlin, location for probably the world’s least successful new airport project. 75 weeks into the coronavirus pandemic, a snapshot of the international travel experience – at least between the UK and Germany. And what’s happening with autumn cancellations and expansion to southern Europe? Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all t...

News of a seat sale on LNER Likely moves in the next traffic light announcement. And another reminder: you need no test to leave the UK Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Please stop worrying about Spain going on the red list everybody. Booking “insurance” flights – how to do it. And on the final full day of my trip to Shetland, my top five from the islands.  Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informatio...

A leading analyst gives a damning verdict on the UK’s travel rules. More holiday cancellations coming in for late summer and autumn. Why? And my recommendations for the Mediterranean in September. Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informati...

Being pinged following flights with infected people – what has changed? The Corona Testing Centre continues to make strange claims And how travel in Shetland remains defiantly analogue in a digital age. Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inf...

What’s happening in Australia in terms of Covid and travel? Dodgy testing companies giving misleading “advice” on testing to leave the UK. And the Scottish travel experience right now. Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Could airlines be forced to tell you the environmental impact of your flight? How to spend those Avios. And a reminder about passport validity. Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The health secretary, Sajid Javid, says he’s taking action on Covid testing charges. Will it do any good? What happens if you test positive while you’re away on holiday? And Ryanair’s amazing Winter expansion from the UK. Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/p...

The £6 million mound. Gatwick loses £1000 per minute and says relax the testing rules. And a new new way to fly to Nice from Heathrow. Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New kid in town at London Heathrow: jetBlue has landed from New York JFK. The UK is lagging behind the rest of Europe in holiday terms. And legal action against the government for its red list policies.  Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mo...

Emirates is back and ambitious. Virgin Atlantic returns to Edinburgh with a Caribbean connection. And Avanti West Coast is adding more trains to link London with Birmingham and Manchester. Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How long will America be off-limits to British travellers? Hotels in Europe are looking empty, but the US and China are filling up fast. And what happens when your expected rental car simply isn’t available? Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mor...

Today: the health secretary weighs in on testing when you return from abroad to the UK. Repeat after me. You don’t need a test to leave the UK – unless your destination asks for one. And gaze into the Cosmos later this week – and hopefully see the Perseid meteor shower. Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at in...

I’m at St Pancras where the Eurostar link to Paris is coming back to life. Hotel quarantine and how to avoid it. And correcting more official nonsense about testing to travel to the UK. Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why I don’t think any major holiday location will be going red. Pings on planes: what are the rules and how will they change? And why it’s the Yorkshire Riviera for me! Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Mexican wave of escaping Brits. Nine out of ten returning holidaymakers take PCR tests. Really? And French bookings go through le toit – the roof. Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

France gets a reprieve after the Réunion affair. Mexico goes red, but India and the UAE turn amber. And the green list expands. A bit. Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stretch out to Paris and Amsterdam in business class comfort. Beware of engineering works over the August bank holiday weekend. And a look ahead to tomorrow’s traffic light announcement. Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All change for the Amber Watchlist The view from Canada on the UK’s border rules. And British Airways is back between Belfast and Glasgow. Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amber watch list: what is it, and should you be worried? International cruising restarts. Or does it? And what’s heading down the track in terms of rail fares? Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Could changing planes in “red list” countries become quarantine free? Stay away a day longer – if you’re coming in from an amber nation, fully vaccinated. And New York to Boston by seaplane, starting on Tuesday. Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hrs a day at independent.co.uk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for...

The Covid numbers from Europe and what they could mean in the week ahead. With double-jabbed Europeans and Americans coming in to the UK from Monday, what are the rules on timing to avoid quarantine. And could a side-trip take you out of self-isolation? I’m waiting to find out. Sign up to Simon's free weekly newsletter at independent.co.uk/newsletters and all the very latest is available 24hr...