Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast

Bram Houtenbos, a Dutch financial services executive and travel enthusiast, shares his thrilling experience racing across Europe via public transport. He covers the challenges of navigating unexpected delays and the importance of strategic planning in ensuring efficiency. Bram emphasizes the role of a support network and discusses the trials he faced on his journey from Kaunas to Tallinn. His insights on optimizing pre-booked arrangements reveal the balance between comfort and competition in this brutal challenge.

Booking.com chief executive Glenn Fogel believes so. He says a lottery arrangement could keep numbers down without disenfranchising less wealthy travellers. But could this cunning plan encounter problems?This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Many airports have state-of-the-art scanners now, but only some of them are able to drop the annoying 100ml limit for containers of liquids, aerosols and gels. And we still seem some way from the "checkpoint of the future" at airports, where you don't even notice you're being security screened. An update from Richard Thompson, Vice President Portfolios, Innovation & Digital at Smiths Detection.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After my Explora I cruise that I reported on yesterday, I have today talked to my excellent colleague, cruise writer Marc Shoffman. He has just returned from a trip on Star Clipper, a tall ship where climbing the mast is part of the appealThis podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I have just spent an expensive but excellent week aboard the cruise ship Explora I. I talked to Martyn Moss, who has 28 years experience in the business and much of interest to say.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

That's the title of the latest series from the great historian Bettany Hughes – being broadcast starting Saturday 2 August on Five at 6.30pm. I caught up with Bettany during her latest shoot, and she told me more ...This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thousands of airline passengers are waking up where they did not intend to be after the temporary shutdown of UK airspace on Wednesday. What are passengers' rights?This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm talk to executive producer Dan Adamson about the new BBC series.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Global travel editor Annabel Grossman tells me: the slightly posher seats and service are excellent, shame about the inflight food.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm overlooking the harbour in Mytilene on the Greek island of Lesbos. Even at 7.30pm, the heat is intense. Over the weekend we have seen more wildfires in Greece, as well as soaring temperatures in Turkey. What are travellers' risks, and options?This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.