Claim OwnershipSimon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast
Subscribed: 276Played: 41,292
Subscribe
© The Independent
Description
Simon Calder is the Independent’s travel correspondent, the UK’s leading travel journalist. From news updates to discussions with experts, Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast will bring you all you need to know from the world of travel.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
986 Episodes
Reverse
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.
Over the past few years, rail strikes have become as synonymous with Christmas as Mariah Carey and Wham! The incoming Labour government vowed to “move fast and fix things” in transport; ministers and officials quickly settled the train drivers’ dispute with a 15 per cent pay award covering three years. But stoppages are back for Christmas 2024 on the intercity network linking London Euston with the West Midlands, northwest England, North Wales and southern Scotland. Train managers belonging to the RMT union and working for Avanti West Coast will walk out on some of the busiest days of the year: Sunday 22, Monday 23 and Sunday 29 December. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A recent survey has revealed that the UK has the most expensive domestic trains in Europe. It does not compute for me.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.
Today I'm looking back at the damage from Storm Darragh and Storm Burt to travel plans, and wondering if aviation and rail could be more resilient.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.
I am at London Paddington station, hub for the Great Western Railway serving the West of England and South Wales. There's disruption to many trains here and elsewhere in the country due to the earlier failure of the Network Rail communications system, known as GSM-R.This is an embarrassment for the government in a week in which ministers have assured the public that train delays can only get better.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.
I'm at the junction of Andrew Young International Boulevard and Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, which is a complete surprise to me because I'm supposed to be in London, England. Unfortunately Delta Airlines had different ideas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
I'm trying to make sense of the government's announcement of the first three train operators to be brought back into public ownership.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.
I'm talking with Marion Geoffroy, Managing Director of Wizz Air UK, about the airline's operation at London Gatwick airport. The disruption on 22 November caused by a security scare was a headache for airlines and their passengers; Marion tells me about how the airline handled it. March 2025 will see the deployment of a new mid-to-long-haul aircraft for Wizz Air at Gatwick, which initially will serve Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.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.
Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition when they travel on holiday to our favourite foreign destination, but from today, the government in Madrid is expecting to collect a lot more data from travellers.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.
Untangling the red tape of global travel with Samantha McKnight, vice-president of Client Solutions for CIBTvisas in London.Subscribe to The Independent Travel newsletter. It arrives in your inbox every Friday, so make sure you're on the list here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Today I have been covering two big railway stories: the roll-out of a new £1bn fleet of trains, known as Arterio, at London Waterloo; and, the remarkable news that the taxpayer is currently subsidising the railways to the tune of £12.5bn a year. That is a difficult figure to conceive, so I have calculated a less-cumbersome figure: £400 of public money per second. To his credit, Stuart Meek – interim managing director of South Western Railway – explains why the railways deserve support. He also believes his new suburban trains are as good as any in Europe, and will delight tourists heading for attractions such as Hampton Court. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
I am talking to the present – and future – bosses of Britain's biggest budget airline, easyJet, about the latest financial figures and the year ahead. Current CEO Johan Lundgren is leaving at the end of the year, and current CFO Kenton Jarvis is taking over at the top. Apologies for the less-than-perfect audio quality, as I explain, the interviews were done on the hop.For a more crystal clear picture, do subscribe to The Independent Travel newsletter. Arriving in your inbox every Friday, you can make sure you're on the list here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ant Stone, Director of Marketing EMEA for G Adventures, tells me about how Pakistan and Tibet are opening up – and that he's a backpacker at heart.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.
Holiday prices and air fares surge during school holidays compared with term times – two, three or four times as much. Always has been the case, always will be. Or will it?I'm talking to aviation expert Jonathan Hinkles, who is hoping to persuade the government that action short of legislation is the answer.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.
Today's travel podcast guest is Paul Goldstein, wildlife guide and photographer who is just back from leading a tour in the Pantanal of Brazil – where he reports dozens of jaguar sightings.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.
Comments
Top Podcasts
The Best New Comedy Podcast Right Now – June 2024The Best News Podcast Right Now – June 2024The Best New Business Podcast Right Now – June 2024The Best New Sports Podcast Right Now – June 2024The Best New True Crime Podcast Right Now – June 2024The Best New Joe Rogan Experience Podcast Right Now – June 20The Best New Dan Bongino Show Podcast Right Now – June 20The Best New Mark Levin Podcast – June 2024
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States