Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast

Access to most areas of China is getting easier, with a new light-touch online visa and an extension of the valuable "transit without visa" option. With travel to Asia surging, I have been talking to top tour operator Wendy Wu. She says her firm, Wendy Wu Tours, can untangle the red tape.Also: why a visit to China right now will prove especially rewarding.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.

The “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” is arguably the strangest nation in the world (although Turkmenistan gives it a run for its money). It has been closed to Western tourists for five years, but could it be on the point of reopening? Simon Cockerell, Koryo Tours General Manager and frequent North Korea, says nothing is certain – and meanwhile his company can offer more accessible destinations.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.

January seems to have been going on forever, which has been dismal for many – but promising for travel agents. I’ve been talking to Ashley Quint, director of Hertfordshire agency Travel Time. There’s intense interest in exotic-but-safe Japan, though manage your expectations on the price.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly podcast. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced government backing for expansion at London Heathrow airport, I've been to Harmondsworth – the pretty village that will be half-demolished if the plan for a third runway goes ahead. I met Rob Barnstone, coordinator of the No 3rd Runway Coalition, and Justine Bayley of the Stop Heathrow Expansion group.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly podcast. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the day chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to back expansion at Heathrow, I'm talking to Paul Charles, chief executive of the PC Agency and former communications director for Virgin Atlantic. He spells out the problem of airport connectivity, and what he believes should be done.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly podcast. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s Travel Desk Tuesday, and today I’m talking to my excellent colleague Natalie Wilson about new aviation jargon creeping into the travel lexicon: lice, of the gate and aisle varieties; check-in chicken; and rawdogging, which, frankly, sounds dismal.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly podcast. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nicholas and Karen Wood run Political Tours, which aims to help you "see the world like a reporter does". On their travel agenda this year: Mexico (the country, not the Gulf), Trieste to Rome in Italy, Ireland, Cyprus, Taiwan, and South Africa. But not currently Israel/Palestine, Russia, or Iran. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's grim out there! Today I'm at London's Kings Cross station reporting on what might just be the worst weather-related travel chaos I've ever seen. There are cancellations and closures in the skies, on the railways and on the roads across the UK and Northern Ireland.If you're trying to travel today, this is essential listening!This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly podcast. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm still hearing views on Heathrow, today from John Strickland of JLS Consulting – who wonders if he will still be around when a third runway is built? As the Labour government inches nearer a decision, this political football that has been round and round may be reaching a conclusion. But we've said that before, haven't we?This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly podcast. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm back at Heathrow – where, as I discussed yesterday, reports suggest the third runway could be given the green light. Several developments since then: Environmentalist George Monbiot has revived calls for a frequent-flyer levy. easyJet chief executive Kenton Jarvis has said that his airline would only be interested in going in to Heathrow if it can do so at scale. And I speculate that "mixed mode" – landings and take-offs on both runways – could be brought in ahead of a third runway opening.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.