Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast

My guest today is Paul Goldstein: photographer, expedition guide, and campaigner for protecting wildlife. He’s also author of a book out this week called Nine Lives: One Photographer, Nine Persecuted Species.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.

Uganda and northern Argentina are off the tourism mainstream, but high on Annabel's recommendations for the year ahead. Adventure travel in Africa and South America sounds a joy – can't wait to find out for myself.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.

Avanti West Coast is providing a glorious workaround to the closure of the main rail line between Preston and Carlisle: a scenic train diversion along England’s most beautiful line, the Settle-Carlisle Railway. I went on a test run with Avanti West Coast managing director Andy Mellors, and talked to him when the train paused at Appleby.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.

Right at the end of 2025, tens of thousands of passengers had their New Year plans wrecked when a problem in the Channel Tunnel. 30 trains linking London St Pancras International with Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam. Paul Charles, chief executive of the PC Agency, used to be director of communications for Eurostar – and gives me his no-holds-barred view of how events unfolded.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.

To start 2026, I'm talking to Mark Tanzer, well respected chief executive of Abta, the travel association – about reasons to be cheerful, challenges from the EU entry-exit system and the environmental impact of tourism. As well as: What's the point of Abta?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 Mike Vincent, General Manager of the Langdale Chase Hotel overlooking Windermere in Cumbria – who has been working through the festive season along with his staff. "We're nice people looking after nice people," he says.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.

I've been talking to Chris Woodroffe, managing director of Manchester airport, about plans for the future in terms of passenger numbers – and also public transport connectivity to MAN. With a brief mention of the thorny subject of drop-off charges.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.

Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy the PC Agency, is back to talk about travel in 2026.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.

Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy the PC Agency, flies more than anyone else I know. So in the first half of a two-part interview, I’m talking to him about the best and worst of aviation in 2025.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.