Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast

If you are tracking a flight you have booked to see how well it is performing – and you don't like what you see – can you cancel and get a full refund? Sadly, perhaps, once you commit to a flight, past performance is inadmissable as grounds for getting your money back. But you can do some useful ground work. I take you through what tracking can be good for and what you can do to limit your loss if a flight is cancelled this summer.Of course, this podcast is free, much like my weekly newsletter, which you can find at http://www.independent.co.uk/newsletters

By-elections - always a good excuse for a protest vote at the best of times but the two that the Conservatives lost yesterday in Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton saw voters with plenty of grievances. How, exactly, does that fit into a travel podcast? Well, I think the results partially point to dissatisfaction with how the government is going about resolving the trains issue as the second of a three day strike by RMT union members passes. The message that this is the fault of Labour doesn't seem to be holding sway with voters and it could mean that the government's so far reluctance to give any concessions on the bargaining table might yet yield.Of course this podcast is free, as is my newsletter, which you'll find at https://www.independent.co.uk/newsletters

British Airways ground staff at London Heathrow vote to strike. No dates for industrial action yet. My take on what It could mean.Of course this podcast is free, much like my newsletter which you can get every Friday, just subscribe at https://www.independent.co.uk/newsletters

I've been looking to see what were the repercussions of yesterday's rail strike on the network and suffice to say it was an uneven picture. It seems major cities, where there are more people reliant on trains, had the worst of it but the action hasn't had any success in making everyone try to find a solution to the RMT issues with pay and compulsory redundancy, with a government unwilling to engage putting train operators in a difficult spot.And more is to come, as it's been confirmed Thursday's industrial action will go ahead - with perhaps even more than the original three days being planned.Of course, this podcast is free to subscribe to, as is my weekly newsletter which you can find at http://www.independent.co.uk/newsletters

The first day of three planned rail worker strikes by the RMT union has begun and despite the doom-mongering I was pleasantly surprised when visiting London Liverpool Street and Kings Cross on how many trains were still in operation. Of course, travel has been much reduced to mainline services but if you do need to travel, I'm here to tell you that it is still possible by train during the industrial action.However, speaking with representatives from the trade unions and others involved in the talks, I'm not as optimistic on saying this will be the last trade union action we'll be seeing on our transport network this summer.Of course this podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter that you can sign up for at: https://www.independent.co.uk/newsletters

Depending on who you speak with, Brexit is either the sole reason for our current air travel chaos as airlines and airports struggle to fill the gaps in employment numbers or, according to some government ministers, not an issue at all. I think it's somewhere in between - and here's my reasoning why. While air travel is struggling to cope with demand across the world as we've hurried back to international travel, it is also true that Britain is experiencing some more stresses than other countries in airports and with air fleets based here. So, although not all the problems can be squared on Brexit, the government's attempt to make it happen aren't helping matters.Of course, this podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter, which you can find at http://www.independent.co.uk/newsletters

Airline passengers booked to fly from Gatwick this summer could be contacted and told their flight has been cancelled.The Sussex airport, the second busiest in the UK after Heathrow, has announced plans to cap operations in July and August – with airlines instructed to cut some departures.Simon Calder is at Gatwick airport for us – with some reassurance.Of course, this podcast is free as is my weekly newsletter, which you can get every Friday: https://www.independent.co.uk/newsletters

With sterling plummeting on the foreign exchanges, it's more important than ever to manage your holiday money.Choose a payment method with no foreign transaction fee. Otherwise you could lose 3 per cent on credit card purchases and even more on debit cards. If your bank doesn’t offer one, then choose a card from another provider – I have one I use purely for overseas travel.And equally important – understand the local tipping culture, or you could either cause offence or spend more than you need.Of course, this podcast is free as is my weekly newsletter, which you can get every Friday: https://www.independent.co.uk/newsletters

During the plannednationwide rail strikes for three dates in late June, only limited passenger train services will run– most of them on key links to and from London.Members of theRMTrail union atNetwork Railand 13 train operators voted 8:1 in favour of strike action over jobs, pay and conditions, and will stage 24-hour walkouts on 21, 23 and 25 June.Here is the lowdown on all you need to know about the strikes.Of course, this podcast is free as is my weekly newsletter, which you can get every Friday: https://www.independent.co.uk/newsletters