Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast

I'm at my favourite airport hotel anywhere: the Thistle Terminal 5, which is not quite at London Heathrow Terminal 5 but has a priceless terrace overlooking the northern runway. I list the reasons why you'd enjoy stopping here before flying out of Heathrow Airport - as well as asking a plane spotter what he's taking a look at.This podcast is free, much like The Independent Travel newsletter. Subscribe here and get it delivered every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas doesn't like Eurostar. Last year, a sudden strike by Eurotunnel staff thwarted thousands of passengers. And today the first London-Paris train broke down in the Channel Tunnel. Elsewhere, issues with some services from London Euston but train services on a whole are looking ok for what was scheduled to be running today.This podcast is free, as is the weekly Independent Travel newsletter. Get that here and have it posted to your inbox every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Boxing Day – and many people are on the move around Britain. But how easily will they be able to travel? I’m at London St Pancras International, the UK’s best connected rail station – at least in normal times. In this episode, I run through what the train timetables look like as Network Rail runs engineering works across the network but if you're looking to catch the Boxing Day races in Liverpool, you're in luck.This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Sign up here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A round-up of all the festive travel disruption!This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to have it delivered every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While travel unravels across the UK, I have escaped to Vienna – where I caught up with Helena Steinhart of the Vienna Tourist Board. She tells me about Christmas celebrations, why January to March is a good time to be in the city and how Vienna differs from central European rivals Budapest and Prague. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A week before Christmas, loads of people are going to be travelling by train. I'm at London Blackfriars talking to Samantha Facey, Health, Safety and Security Director at the UK's biggest train operator, GTR, about staying safe.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to have it delivered every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thousands of Christmas travellers hoping to cross the Irish Sea by ferry face disruption due to Storm Darragh damage. The port of Holyhead – which provides the main ferry connection between Great Britain and Ireland – has been closed since last weekend, with no sailings to or from Dublin. Normally Stena Line and Irish Ferries have four daily ferries each way between the Anglesey and the Irish capital. Hundreds of motorists and foot passengers use the link each day, with “Rail & Sail” fares offered from stations in Wales, England and Scotland to Dublin. Holyhead-Dublin is also the main freight connection between Great Britain and the Republic. The port was damaged during “two separate berthing incidents” during Storm Darragh – the wild weather that swept across Wales on 6 and 7 December. No injuries were reported. Stena Line and Irish Ferries have cancelled all sailings between Dublin and Holyhead until Friday 20 December at the earliest. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm joined by National Express chief executive Alex Jensen.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to have it delivered every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lucky for some, in particular passengers on Avanti West Coast who have just been told the train managers' strike for 22, 23 and 29 December has been called off because an improved offer has been made. Plenty of problems remain, however. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's travel podcast is all about Frantic Friday, Slow Saturday and Messy Monday, the unholy trinity of busy days on the motorways of Britain in the build-up to Christmas.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to have it delivered every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.