Share

cover art for July 15th - Where in Europe is cash still king?

Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast

July 15th - Where in Europe is cash still king?

Join Natalie Wilson, Annabel Grossman and Ben Parker from The Independent's travel team who discuss where in Europe (if anywhere) cash is still king.


This podcast is free, as is my newsletter. Get it delivered every Friday by signing up here.


More episodes

View all episodes

  • February 18th - Trainline isn’t the only answer

    05:10|
    “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.
  • February 17th - North Korea reopens to tourists this week

    08:11|
    An exclusive for you today. After five years of closure to tourists, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea will receive its first Western visitors this week. As Simon Cockerell, general manager of Koryo Tours has been telling me, only a small and remote region, Rason, will initially open.NB: The Foreign Office warns against visiting North Korea.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.
  • February 14th - Britain's busiest rail line to be hit by strikes this month and next

    05:00|
    Mind the gap – between what train drivers on London's Elizabeth line have been offered, and what they believe they deserve. The employers have offered a 4.5% raise which would take their annual salary above £75,000, but the members of the train drivers' union, Aslef, have voted overwhelmingly to strike on four days in February and March. Are they pushing their luck?This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.
  • February 13th - The King's Cross station sprint

    04:56|
    Network Rail wants passengers to stay safe at stations – not running for their trains – and to avoid delays to trains at London King's Cross, the hub for the East Coast main line. So it is trialling removing trains from the departures board three minutes before departure.In response, I have been trialling how long it takes to walk from the concourse to the mysterious platform 0.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.
  • February 12th - The things that can go wrong with flights

    04:28|
    After a trip involving six intercontinental flights, I have arrived back at Birmingham airport over an hour behind schedule. The sequence since leaving the UK two weeks ago goes: Cancelled, Late, Cancelled, Late, Late, Late.Don't put too much store by the airlines' schedules.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.
  • February 11th - Valentine destinations: Paris? Puglia? Prague?

    07:04|
    On Travel Desk Tuesday, I’m talking to Annabel Grossman, global travel editor for The Independent, about Lonely Planet’s selection of alternative romantic destinations for 14 February.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.
  • February 10th - Heathrow airlines and hotels deplore "vast overcharging and declining service"

    05:05|
    In an unprecedented and coordinated attack, the airlines that use Heathrow airport – as well a prominent hotelier – are demanding lower charges and higher standards. Virgin Atlantic, British Airways’ parent IAG, the Heathrow Airline Operators’ Committee (AOC) and the Arora hotel group say the current way that charges are set by the Civil Aviation Authority are not fit for purpose.Heathrow says it wants a better long-term arrangement, but that expansion – in the form of a third runway – must be paid for.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.
  • February 7th - We need to talk about upgrades

    05:57|
    When do airlines give upgrades, and who are the beneficiaries?Spoiler alert: it will help if you marry a captain. But I wonder if upgrades are actually worth a huge amount? My very limited experience of business class travel suggests they may be overrated.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.
  • February 6th - Ryanair Boss Michael O'Leary Puts The Aviation World To Rights

    05:30|
    Michael O’Leary has been chief executive of Ryanair since 1994, and over the past three decades he has taken the carrier from a small and unprofitable regional airline to the biggest in Europe in terms of passenger numbers.Today he’s talking about Heathrow’s third runway, Air Passenger Duty and his plans to base aircraft in Ukraine when the skies reopen to passenger flightsThis podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.