Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast

I'm at London St Pancras International station, to celebrate a useful and straightforward online promotion on Eurostar summer fares: until midnight next Wednesday, 26 April, you can save 10 per cent on Standard and Standard Premier return tickets between 6 June and 23 August. Use the discount code EARTH23 at checkout. On a test booking for a London-Paris trip, outbound on 1 August and back a week later, the lowest return fare falls from £88 to £79.20.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.

Heathrow airport is set for “May mayhem” as security staff walk out again, according to the Unite union. The eight days of strikes are timed to coincide with busy family travel dates as well as the peak days around the Coronation. Here's everything you need to know.Of course this podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I’m on the rails in Germany – where the trains have much to recommend them, but punctuality can be a problem. Seamless connections can all too easily fall apart – don’t set your heart on arriving exactly when the Zeitplan says you will.Of course this podcast, is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

British travellers and other “third country nationals” entering the EU will not be required to have their fingerprints and facial biometrics taken until 2024 at the earliest.Europe’s much-delayed entry/exit system (EES) was expected to take effect in 2021. It is currently due to commence in November 2023. But I understand that the electronic border scheme will not now go ahead this year because the database on which it depends will not be ready in time.Of course, this podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Sign up to receive every Friday here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After leaving the European Union, the UK demanded British passport holders should be subject to strict passport checks and - soon - fingerprinting and facial biometrics on journeys to the EU.The time taken to administer these new procedures has led the British leg of the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express to be cancelled. Today's travel podcast tells you all you need to know about the history of this celebrated train.This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Could the long and bitter dispute that has caused chaos since last June finally be approaching an end game?This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rail disarray once again, as most lines into Britain's busiest railway station are closed from the start of the morning rush hour. Why – and what's being done about it?This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Passports all over again. For travel with a British passport to the European Union, there are two – and only two – conditions:On the day of departure to the EU, less than 10 years since the issue date (all kids’ passports meet this test)On the intended day of return from the EU, at least 3 months until the expiry date.That’s all. Can everyone stop putting out misinformation, please?This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter, which you can subscribe to here and have delivered every Friday to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rail services are getting back to normal in England, Wales and Scotland after widespread closures for engineering work over the four-day Easter weekend.But rail passengers in some parts of Britain face continuing problems as some lines will remain closed until June.Of course this podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The adventurer and photographer Paul Goldstein is leading a trip to Baffin Island in Arctic Canada – seeking the perfect combination of Northern Lights and polar bears and extreme wilderness. I caught up with him before he went, safe in the warm embrace of his kitchen in Wimbledon.This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Sign up for it here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.