You should have been there

Simon goes to Florida and returns with tales of manatees, space missions and roseate spoonbills. There's more to the sunshine state than theme parks, although he did sample (and survive) the terrifying velociocoaster. With many thanks to Simon Veness, Susan Veness, Jenna Pierce from the Imperial Bar and former astronaut, Bruce Melnick. 

We hear from listeners about Christmases past and make plans for Christmases future, Omicron variant permitting.  Plus, expedition of the week and travel rants from the town of Morpeth. Many thanks to Lizzie and Norma for taking part. 

SImon makes a pioneering trip across the Rainbow Bridge, which connects Canada with the the newly opened USA. Mick, meanwhile journeys to the hilly county of Dorset and scales its mightiest peak, risking family unity on the way. We compare notes and tensions.  With thanks to Steph, Silas and Aruja for taking part. The recording of pheasants comes courtesy of http://www.freesound.org/people/klankbeeld/

The World Travel Market has just taken place in London. It provides a cornucopia of new travel ideas and destinations, a riot of daft marketing slogans and no shortage of blah blah blah. We discover how much attention was paid to the climate concerns voiced at COP 26 and reveal why the Gulf States should be renamed the Golf States. 

We take a whistle stop tour of five Latin American countries that have been freed from the shackles of Grant Shapps' red list. On the agenda: the world's best coffee, its highest waterfall and the place where longevity is a fact of life. Not to mention some truly romantic islands.

Simon discovers more of Saudi Arabia's ancient wonders and gets an early peek at their grandiose plans for developing tourism. Meanwhile, at South London's Selhurst Park, the Saudi takeover of Newcastle United attracts criticism as well as visual creativity. Many thanks to Najla Drees and to Paul Oliver for taking part.   

Simon of Arabia discovers whether the Desert Kingdom and the home of the Geordies have anything in common, apart from the ownership of a well-known football club. We weigh the relative merits of camel tongues and saveloy dips and hear what the respective locals know about one another's countries.  Thanks to Christine, Fahad, Janet and Michael for taking part and being such good sports.

As James Bond returns to the big screen, we map his journeys around the world and speculate on his favourite destination based on the 1000 locations that he has appeared in. How many are authentic? How many are location doubles? Simon joins us from one of these stand-ins- the Broadgate Tower in Bishopsgate, London.  

Listeners share their experiences of travel con-tricks, old and new, in situ or online. Simon reports from Rotterdam's genre-bending art museum while Deirdre Swann tells us about a surprise encounter and an opportunity missed on her 64th birthday walk. Thanks to Deirdre, to Alan and to Ina Klaassen of The Depot.

From the old "three cup trick" to internet-age "fake villa" villainy, we reveal the many traps that lie in wait for the unwary tourist. Beware the "something-nasty-on your-bag-mate,"  the petrol pump counter you can't see and the "Thanksgiving Upgrade," which is just one of the  dodgy practices that bedevil the car rental business.