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Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast
August 11th - Is this the only defunct control tower tour in the world?
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Denver Stapleton Airport – then the fifth-busiest in the world – closed down in 1995. The last flight out was Continental 34 to London Gatwick. You would never know an airport was here – everything has been demolished, except for the control tower, which has somehow survived. Sean Henson started running Tower Tours this year, and I joined him last Friday.
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90 days until it goes dark during the day – with the 2026 total solar eclipse
08:11|Dr John Mason, eclipse chaser extraordinaire, has been studying the astronomical event on 12 August, when a total solar eclipse will sweep down from Greenland to the northern half of Spain.While Scoresby Sound in Greenland has a high chance of clear skies due to a micro-climate, Dr Mason will be outside Burgos in northern Spain. The eclipse will be followed by the peak of the Perseid meteor shower.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.Over from Dover: how is the EU entry-exit system working at the UK's main ferry port?
06:47|Chief executive of the Port of Dover, Doug Bannister, tells me about the investment made in preparing for the digital borders scheme in a location where frontier controls are "juxtaposed" – you check into France while still on British soil. And how is the half-term getaway looking?This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.UK visitors will get fast-track entry to Greece until better solution is found, minister tells me
05:46|After Greece decided unilaterally to scrap biometric border checks for British visitors, the tourism minister has said the “UK fast track” will continue until the EU entry-exit system (EES) is improved. Olga Kefalogianni tells me today: “We aim to actually make sure that this facilitation is not just valid for this year.” Her hope is that technology will come to the rescue to enable a friction-free border crossing.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.How to cope with long-haul flights
08:16|Top cinematographer Douglas Bolton shares his secrets of transatlantic travel – basically, stay awake to bedtime.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.Holidays are very important to people from a psychological and welfare point of view
07:53|With so much uncertainty and confusion among travellers, I am talking today to the man who has led Abta, the travel association, for 20 years: CEO Mark Tanzer. "I don't anticipate from where we are today that there'll be large scale disruption for people," he tells me. "With everything going on in the world, it's a good time to have a holiday."This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.Who would ever want to work in the travel industry in these difficult days?
06:09|Warnings of flight cancellations, a cruise with a killer virus on board, the EU entry-exit system ... Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of the Advantage Travel Partnership, tells me of her frustration about warnings on summer travel that look wide of the mark. But she also says this is the industry of human happiness.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.En suite bathrooms in First Class – bunk beds in Economy?
07:24|Travel Desk Tuesday, and I am talking to Senior Travel Writer Natalie Wilson about two fresh concepts in the longhaul aviation world: Emirates' plan for en suite bathrooms in First Class, with Air New Zealand offering bunk beds in Economy. Do we need either?This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.Hantavirus, flight cancellations, EU entry-exit system and Venezuela
06:55|It is an extremely busy weekend on the travel front, and I am rounding up the headline. There are alarming reports of a small expedition ship off the coast of Cape Verde with cases of hantavirus. Worried airline passengers are contacting me about flight cancellations this summer: my message is, don't panic. The EU entry-exit system is unravelling across Europe, so be prepared for anything.Finally, Venezuela is now connected with the US for the first time by an American carrier for seven years, with American Airlines going in from Miami to Caracas.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.Demand is displaced, not depleted – people still want to travel
07:25|Nine weeks ago, before the US-Israeli attack on Iran and subsequent reprisals, the intercontinental travel world looked very different. I’ve been talking to Laura Lindsay of Skyscanner – the platform where you can search for flights, hotels, car hire and package holidays.“People do still want to get away,” she says. But their destination choices are changing, with western Europe and Morocco benefiting from a drop in demand for Dubai.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.