Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast

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 more information.

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. You can sign up at independent.co.uk/newsletters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 more information.

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 information.

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

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

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.