Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast

On Sunday 2nd of March, rail fares across England and Wales will rise by 4.6 per cent. Alex Robertson, chief executive of the consumer watchdog Transport Focus, has been telling me that passengers need to feel that they are getting value for money – by increasing reliability of trains.Also a reminder to buy that railcard on 28 February or 1 March, before they increase by £5 to £35.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.

Despite the spread of contactless payments around the world, it's always useful to have some cash. And, more broadly, where are the locations where you might be wise to change some money now for a trip later in the year.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.

Heathrow has just announced record passenger numbers for 2024 – but it has a much bigger prize in its sights.I have been talking to Thomas Woldbye, the chief executive of the UK's busiest airport, about his plans for the future – and the natural environmental concerns about expansion.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.

I'm talking to Issam Kazim, responsible for Dubai Tourism, about the remarkable visitor numbers and "key performance indicators" (KPIs) – and, with Ramadan about to start, the prospects for a visit during that Islamic month of fasting.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.

It’s a busy week for airport announcements in the London area. On Wednesday Heathrow is likely to say more on its expansion plans for an added runway – and Gatwick is hoping to hear a decision from the transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, about its hopes to bring the standby runway into permanent use. I’ve been speaking to Stewart Wingate, chief executive of London Gatwick.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.

Today the second episode of a special two-part podcast with Barry Collins – a property developer from Eastbourne who decided to take up the SAS million-point challenge. He had to fly on 15 of the 17 SkyTeam airlines in the last few months of 2024 to learn 1,000,000 frequent flyer points. We last heard from him when, at Jakarta, a fellow frequent-flyer broke it to him that some of his flights didn't actually count ...This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.

On Thursday and Friday I am bringing you a special two-part podcast with Barry Collins – a property developer from Eastbourne who decided to take up the SAS million-point challenge. Fly 15 of the 17 SkyTeam airlines and you earn 1,000,000 frequent flyer points. All began well …This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.

As talk of a peace deal intensifies, Russia remains on the no-fly list for the UK and European Union. But many airlines from outside Europe are happy to fly to and from Moscow, St Petersburg and elsewhere – with the UAE better connected than ever, including flights on Air Arabia for only £80 one way between Abu Dhabi and Moscow. Access from the UK via Belgrade and Istanbul is easy. But be warned that the Foreign Office says Russia is a no-go zone.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.

“You won’t find cheaper tickets anywhere else”: that is the remarkable pledge from rail retailer Trainline.A poster campaign outside one of the UK’s busiest railway stations creates the impression that the market-leading ticketing firm is at least as cheap as other sources. But I have different recommendations to save money when you travel by train.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.