Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast

Very glad to be the bearer of two pieces of good tidings for airline passengers. The Gatwick ground handlers' strikes are off this weekend and almost certainly next weekend too. And Wizz Air has been told to revisit claims for recompense from passengers who were turned down.This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get the latest travel news every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Unusually today, I am playing the part of the Foreign Office – to justify the wise decision not to warn against travel to Rhodes and other parts of the Mediterranean despite the wildfires that are blazing. To do so would allow people booked to travel to cancel without penalty – but it would also mean holidaymakers who are enjoying trips would need to be flown home (and would cost the travel industry a fortune). During the Covid pandemic, the Foreign Office consular advice became a laughing stock, and it has to repair the damage. Making sweeping announcements to avoid certain destinations would be another step in the wrong direction.This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. You can get it delivered to your inbox every Friday by signing up here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Calls are growing for the fire-hit Greek island of Rhodes to be placed on the Foreign Office "no go" list. That would compel travel firms to cancel all holidays for an indeterminate length of time – allowing families having second thoughts about going to a destination hit by such a calamity to get a full refund. But it's not as simple as that...This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter - sign up here for it to be delivered weekly to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the peak of the summer season, wildfires have raged in Rhodes – triggering the chaotic evacuation of thousands of holidaymakers amid distressing circumstances. What lessons will be learnt and what (limited) options are available for people who have yet to travel?This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Sign up here to receive every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Many might remember the third Friday in July last year when the queues at Dover were huge for a range of reasons including Brexit. This morning I checked and the port of Dover said the queue for passport control was just twenty minutes long. However tomorrow morning travellers are predicted to be stuck waiting at the port for two and a half hours. So I'll keep my eyes on what happens next with the port as well as how the trains and airports are doing this weekend during the great getaway.This podcast is free, just like my newsletter. Subscribe here to have it delivered to your inbox every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With extreme heat across much of southern Europe, travellers are looking for alternatives. I’ve been in western Germany’s Ruhr region, talking to Charles Wilson – travel industry veteran and outgoing Sales Manager UK & Ireland for the German National Tourist Office.This podcast is free, just like my newsletter. Subscribe here to have it delivered to your inbox every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm back with the pickets at London Euston station on the first day of the latest round of rail strikes. More than half of trains in England have been wiped out as up to 20,000 members of the RMT union walk out in the long and bitter dispute over pay, jobs and conditions. How and when will it end? I wish I knew.This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Subscribe now to get it delivered every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

 As the busiest summer getaway since 2019 begins, travellers to southern Europe are experiencing extreme heat. An area of high pressure appears to have settled over the Med with little sign of abating. What are your rights if this looks too hot to handle – and will it change our travel habits?This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Subscribe here to receive every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Could the package holiday be under threat? That's the claim from Paul Charles, travel industry veteran and chief executive of the PC Agency. He tells me travellers are worried about committing to package holidays with the cost-of-living crisis.This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Get it delivered to your inbox every Friday by subscribing here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rail industrial action resumes this week in England and here I am explaining what's happening. Monday-Saturday: The overtime ban by train drivers belonging to Aslef will have an impact on London commuter routes (inc Gatwick Express). While on Thursday, Saturday: RMT national strikes, with thousands of trains cancellations.This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter, which you can get by subscribing here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.