Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast

Commuting can be no fun if you happen to use the morning rush-hour trains from Bedford to London. Here's the top 10 most crowded trains in England and Wales, just published. But the most concerning point of the new Department for Transport (DfT) figures is the degree of undercrowding, with barely half of seats filled on the average peak-hour service. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most UK airports now charge for drop-offs and pick-ups at the terminal. They enforce the rule by imposing heavy penalties on motorists who breach the rules. But the leading consumer lawyer, Gary Rycroft, believes many of the "fines" imposed by airports – or the firms to which they have outsourced – may not have followed the correct procedure and may not be enforcible.This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered every Friday to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Wizz Air says it will fly the narrow-bodied Airbus A321XLR from London Gatwick to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. What's the future for "long, thin" routes flown by, well, long, thin aircraft? I've been talking to long, thin Rhys Jones from the frequent-flyer website Head for Points.This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered every Friday to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest is Hazel McGuire of Intrepid Travel, who has just unveiled the Not Hot List 2025 – countries off the beaten tourist track.This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered every Friday to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can you really enjoy life without a car? I'm talking to the transport guru Thomas Ableman, who also happens to be co-author – with his wife, Helen – of the Carefree Car-free blog. Helen has a unique claim to fame: she passed her driving test first time aged 17, and has not driven since then. Thomas has never learnt, and tells me he's very happy like that.This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered every Friday to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The new ETA for visitors to the UK could cost Northern Ireland tourism £250m a year. I've been hearing why from Dr Joanne Stuart, chief executive of the Northern Ireland Tourism Alliance.This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered every Friday to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Heathrow, Manchester, and Stansted airports announce record passenger numbers, I'm talking to Anna Hughes – director of Flight Free UK, who has a different perspective on travel.This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered every Friday to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm in Durres, Albania, the most historic city in the nation – finding out about life under communism with former student revolutionary, now tour guide, Arjana Isaku. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's travel podcast is from the top of the 148 bus in west London. Four years after Boris Johnson promised to “level up across the country” with “beautiful, British-built buses that are cleaner, greener, quieter, safer and more frequent”, the new transport secretary, Louise Haigh, has vowed to start a "bus revolution". But will it work?This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered every Friday to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm in Hyères in southern France, at my usual breakfast spot, the Café Regence, but picking up news of dozens of flight cancellations on British Airways to and from London Heathrow. Is there a chronic problem with BA at the UK's busiest airport? Do passengers have any hope of compensation? And will events like this lead people to book on more resilient airlines?This podcast is free, like the Independent Travel newsletter. Get it delivered every Friday to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.