Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast

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 independent.co.uk/newsletters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 there. I take you through what the new government announcement means for your travel plans, and the best way to avoid any mishaps.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.

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 a visual sense of the problems facing our rail industry right now. In this episode, I discuss the plans and give my views on whether we're drowning in service announcements or being directed to a problem many of us don't really think of as being one.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.

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 Lithuanian border. According to an unverified transcript from the Belarusian transport ministry, air traffic controllers told the pilot at 09:30 GMT "you have [a] bomb on board and it can be activated over Vilnius". Even though the plane was closer to Vilnius than Minsk, the pilot was told to divert to the Belarusian capital. At 09:47 the pilot declared an emergency. As the plane landed witnesses said Roman Protasevich, an opposition Belarusian journalist, was "super scared", and one quoted him as saying "I'll get the death penalty here". He had been charged in absentia with inciting mass protests, but Belarus's KGB security agency also placed him on a list of "individuals involved in terrorist activity". When the plane's 126 passengers disembarked, police arrested Mr Protasevich and Sofia Sapega, a Russian citizen studying in Lithuania. Three other passengers were listed as remaining in Minsk. The other passengers were allowed on to the plane, which flew on to Vilnius around seven hours later. And even now, aviation advisors and safety boards are not fully sure what happened.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 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 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.

With the airlines jostling for your hard-earned holiday plans, I've got to thinking about which city in central Europe is best for a city break this year. I put the question to my Twitter followers, with a choice of four cities: Vienna, Prague, Bratislava or Budapest. Which city did my followers go for and did I think they made the right choice?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.

In today's podcast I begin with some apologies. I got the location of the Sky Garden in London wrong and wasn't quite right about Britain's number two holiday destination. I must also make an apology for once again talking about France! In this episode, I'm reflecting on the costs of travel to and from Britain to Paris, as my Eurostar quote had me scrambling for alternative methods. 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.

As UK travelers are allowed to return to France, caution remains with strict rules on masks.In Paris, it is still very possible to enjoy the delights of the French capital. Due to the very recent lifting of restrictions it is still largely free of tourists, which may mean it's a good time to visit.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.

France has lifted the travel restrictions for UK travellers as Omicron waves come and go. Hurrah! I hear you shout. But before you dash off to the Eurostar terminal there's still plenty to consider in regards to what you need to have to be able to travel without hassle.PCRs, LFTs and points of entry will all be discussed as I find my way to France when the travel ban is lifted, which is some time on Friday 14th January (they've not actually said when yet.)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.

All you need to know about the travel restrictions in France and when UK travellers might be able to return.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.