You should have been there

We match France with Argentina to discover which of these football greats is the better travel destination. It's a game of dodgy decisions and dirty tricks with a thrilling climax

Are they as bleak as the weather? Join Mick Webb and Simon Calder for a summary of the festive disruptions, a lively listener exchange about business flights and a look back at the original Christmas journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem- challenging, to put it mildly.  With thanks to Christian Bjoerklund for his electronic track, Hallon. 

We are joined by Cleo Paskal, journalist, academic researcher and a pioneering digital nomad. On the agenda: Cleo's own travels and her thoughts about the new wave of visa-assisted laptop-toting workers who are not universally welcomed in their constantly-changing homelands.  Find Cleo on Twitter @CleoPaskal ,   or online at      https://www.fdd.org/team/cleo-paskal/

Join host as they chat with Rob Burgess, founder of headforpoints.com, about the world of frequent flyer miles, exploring the perks of business class flights through loyalty points like Avios. Delve into environmental impacts of travel, benefits of premium economy vs. business class, and the evolution of airline upgrades towards more innovative experiences.

We are joined, from her narrowboat home, by Anna Hughes, the director of Flight Free UK.  On the agenda are ways of travelling more responsibly and sustainably and how to at least mitigate the effects on the planet of our constant need to move around it.  The websites mentioned by Anna are flightfree.co.uk; byway.travel; raileurope.co.uk

We discuss our favourite travel conundrums and their enduring fascination.  Whatever happened to.......?   How did they get here... ? Why on earth......  ?  Flight MH 370, Easter Island statues and the bewildering seat numbers in Portuguese trains all make it onto the agenda  

Our audio guide includes where to go to find free transport and and when you can visit the world's great museums without  putting your hand in your pocket. Plus, we evaluate listener's miracles-do they stand up to our rigorous testing?  

Taking our cue from the miracles sought by pilgrims to the French city of Lourdes, we try to track down some secular miracles for the modern traveller. 

We delight in a key feature of travel-the u turn.  Whether performed by hapless politicians,  lost walkers or confused pilots, they are generally screeching and usually embarrassing.  

The third and final part of our Pyrenean trek finds us on the homeward stretch, enjoying an off-grid mountain refuge, a convivial evening at a  'chambre d'hôtes' and a walk through the ever-surreal streets of Lourdes