Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast

Since Brexit, the rules on passport validity for British visitors to the European Union have tightened. But the UK government tells travellers the regulations are worse than they actually are.After requests from The Independent, the Home Office has taken down its defective post-Brexit passport checker, which I'll explain to you what are now the rules in place and hopefully no more stories of ruined holidays.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.

Friday 12 August will be the busiest day of the year for the number of available airline seats, a leading analyst has predicted.John Grant, chief analyst at OAG, calculates that 16.1 million seats are on offer worldwide for that date at present. The exact number is likely to change as airlines adjust schedules, with an overall picture of 0.6 per cent of capacity removed every week. The busiest day for aviation before the coronavirus pandemic was also the second Friday in August: 9 August 2019, with the data analyst Cirium calculating 17 million passengers took off worldwide.The actual number of airline travellers on 12 August 2022 will be well down on that figure, because around one in five seats is likely to be empty – giving a figure of about 13 million passengers.In 2021, says Mr Grant, “the busiest day was a very unusual 17 December”. The last-but-one Friday before Christmas had 12.5 million seats on offer, with around nine million passengers.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's sermon: in praise of overbooking. Selling more tickets than there are seats on an aircraft can be a real benefit. When airlines do it right – and are generous in incentivising passengers to volunteer to be offloaded and travel on a later flight – then everyone's a winner.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.

Back to the future on the railways: for the first time since 1947, fares across Ireland on trains and buses have been cut by 20 per cent. It follows the astonishing 100 per cent cut in fares in Luxembourg in 2020 when all public transport was made free. Could it happen 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 Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two bits of good news has put a spring in my step into the weekend. Overnight Ryanair has aligned with the actual European rules on passport validity. And even better than that, the sale of the half-century is upon us: half-price Interrail passes for one, two or three months of travel on the trains of Europe. Tempted? Buy by 11.59pm on Tuesday 10 May. Seen you on board.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.

It's all about passport validity for Europe. The only subject, it seems, in town. Sometimes it feels that I'm on my own in wanting to make sure people aren't wrongly deprived of their holidays. Just a quick reminder of what the rules are for Brits going to the EU: passport issued less than 10 years ago on day of entry, expiry date at least three months away on day of exit.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 Elizabeth Line, or long known as Crossrail, finally has a live date for trains to commence carrying passengers from the 24th May. Initially the great east-west railway beneath central London will be run in three separate chunks – and not at all on Sundays. But within a few years I hope we will have forgotten the chaotic project management and instead celebrate an addition to the capital’s infrastructure.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 I'm coming to you from beautiful Carrapateira, a little village in the Algarve hills overlooking the southern coastline of Portugal. To get the most of my holiday budget, I'm embracing the backpacker lifestyle and staying in the Hostel Do Mar. No need to plan in advance – just turn up, enjoy the facilities from free books to yoga mats, and meet lots of interesting people. 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 love Lisbon, one of Europe’s most beautiful capital cities, and the locations on its western flanks – in particular Cascais, Estoril and Sintra. But until now I haven’t strayed south to the Setubal Peninsula: much less well known, but full of surprises. Do try O Barbas – an amazing seafood restaurant overlooking the Atlantic in Costa da Caparica; the wild, windy and atmospheric cape of Espichel; and Setubal itself, a sleepy, friendly city.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.

Good afternoon from Funchal, Madeira. Today I'll be speaking about how the travelling experience was from Gatwick to Portugal - and the joys to be found in the island's beautiful capital.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.