Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast

I am talking to Harald Henning, director of the German National Tourist Office in the UK, in a tiny Trabant car. Almost 35 years ago he bought one in Berlin for £25 and drove it to London as a competition prize. He recalls the unification of German – and talks about what makes the capital so special.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to have it delivered every Friday.

I'm in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, in the company of Roland Hunter – founder of The Mountain Company and an expert on trekking in the Himalayas.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to have it delivered every Friday.

I love a new niche guidebook and I'm particularly curious about Travel Guides For The Wine Curious. Today I'm interviewing Adam Lechmere, Publishing Director of Acadmy Du Vin, to find out more.

It's Monaco Grand Prix week and I'm interviewing out Global Travel Editor, Annabel Grossman, who has been there, about the travel and hotel experiences of the super rich in Monaco.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to have it delivered every Friday.

I'm interviewing Mark Tanzer the CEO of Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) to discuss the travel industry and the European entry-exit system. According to him the travel industry appears to be recovering steadily from the pandemic. Investors are looking to join the industry, people are continuing to prioritise experiences and travel agents could make a comeback.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to have it delivered every Friday.

Most airlines overbook their seats, in fact you and I have probably both flown on an overbooked flight. How do you feel about that? I don't mind at all, I think it's great that you can ask an airline for a last minute flight and they're more likely to give you a seat, worrying about the specifics later on. Here's how I benefit from overbooking.

I've been travelling on the Eurostar for nearly 30 years now since it's launch in November 1994. But recently, I've been finding that the eye-watering prices has meant I've rather fallen out of the habit. In this episode though I take a look at Eurostar Snap, which is a ticket scheme aimed at making the most of an opportunity for the right price.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to have it delivered every Friday.

Snap up a Eurostar bargain? I’m back at London St Pancras International, home of the Channel Tunnel rail firm, with an exploration of the new discount tickets for passengers prepared to book late and have no choice about the departure time on the day they choose to travel.This podcast is free, as is The Independent's weekly travel newsletter. Subscribe here to have it delivered every Friday.

It's Travel Desk Tuesday which means we're interviewing Annabel Grossman, Global Travel Editor for The Independent, who says that when asked about her favourite place to go in the world she keeps thinking of Pembrokeshire. From St Davids to Tenby to some of the most beautiful coasts in the world the county has a lot to offer.This podcast is free, as is The Independent's weekly travel newsletter. Subscribe here to have it delivered every Friday.