Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast

I’m on a plane to Sweden – flying Ryanair from Stansted to Vasteras, an approximation to Stockholm. I know some people will have paid less than me, and some will have paid more: that is the nature of pricing planes, trains and ships. How do companies set prices, and when exactly should you book? If I knew that …This podcast is free, like my weekly newsletter. Subscribe to that here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Would you tolerate standing on the scales at the airport?At present, airlines use “assumed mass” – typically 88kg per passenger. Air New Zealand is seeking 10,000 volunteers to ensure that these averages are still accurate. Yet if airlines knew exactly how much each passenger weighs, the captain could load fuel more accurately: reducing fuel burn, and the damage to the planet. Which major airline will be first to introduce the idea?This podcast is free, like my weekly newsletter. Subscribe to that here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I’m in Szczecin in northwest Poland – previously known as Stettin, when in German hands.It’s a fascinating city, as I have been hearing from Szymon Maksymiuk at the city’s tourist office – who explained that Szczecin has the newest “old town” in Europe – dating from the 1990s and still not finished.This podcast is free, like my weekly newsletter. Subscribe to that here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new transatlantic start-up airline, Global Airlines, says it has acquired its first Airbus A380 SuperJumbo and will fly four of them between London and New York/Los Angeles from next Spring. I'm not marking that in my diary just yet. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/airbus-a380-london-new-york-norse-los-angeles-b2347479.htmlOf course, this podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Subscribe here to have it delivered every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When airport eGates work, they're wonderful! Step in, scan your passport and... whiz, you're through!But that didn't quite happen on Friday night and Saturday when there were failings nationwide causing chaos for passengers trying to enter the country. So, how do these robotic border force agents work? And what happens when they go wrong?Of course, this podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Subscribe here to have it delivered every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My flight at Heathrow, to Prague, has just been cancelled – along with almost 200 other departures since the latest British Airways IT meltdown began. From the airport, here's my take on what's been happening and your (and, on this occasion, my) rights.Of course, this podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Subscribe here to have it delivered every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm in County Mayo, Ireland, getting a real night and day experience in Ireland's glorious west. In this episode, I visit Wild Nephin National Park and Blacksod Lighthouse on the Mullet Peninsula, meeting Georgia MacMillan, who tells me a little about the the dark sky park and Mark Ruddy, who explains what there is to explore on the peninsula.Of course, this podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Subscribe here to have it delivered every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“France has banned domestic short-haul flights where train alternatives exist, in a bid to cut carbon emissions,” I read. The report says routes where trains can make the journey in under two-and-a-half hours have been banned – ruling out air travel between Paris and cities including Nantes, Lyon and Bordeaux. Except that those cities have five, six and seven flights a day, each way, to and from Paris CDG. Here’s my take on trains replacing planes on shorter journeys.his podcast is free, much like my weekly newsletter - subscribe here to get it in your inbox every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today’s travel podcast comes from Glencolmcille Folk Village on the raw northwest shores of Ireland, where I hear from manager Margaret Rose Cunningham about keeping tradition alive – and how the Wild Atlantic Way has brought new eyes to the beautiful land- and seascapes of County Donegal.Of course this podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter, which you can subscribe to here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I’ve been enjoying the sunshine in Glenveagh National Park in County Donegal, in the far northwest of Ireland, with Head Of Education & Learning Clare Bromley and Ranger Lee McDaid of Ireland’s National Parks and Wildlife Service.This podcast is free, much like my weekly newsletter - subscribe here to get it in your inbox every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.