Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast

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/privacy for more information.

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 more information.

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 more information.

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

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.