Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast

Could you be tempted by the prospect of an exclusive 44-seat aircraft?All-business-class carrier Beond is set to take passengers in some luxury to the Indian Ocean. Rhys Jones, aviation editor for Head for Points, has sampled the cabin. We also talk about Relax Row, the clever three-seat flat bed in economy that Air New Zealand conceived and United Airlines has now picked up.And will there ever be a proper flat bed experience in economy or premium economy?This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.

My guest today is Charlene McCrossan of Martin McCrossan City Tours – which has been introducing tourists to this corner of the far northwest of Northern Ireland since the 1990s. She tells me that the Channel 4/Netflix series is bringing in visitors: "People all over the world are watching that show and loving it," she says.Charlene started a Derry Girls tour in 2020 – starting at the spectacular Guildhall, and incorporating the Derry Girls mural and the mighty walls that wrap around the city.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.

Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, is currently enjoying over 14 hours of daylight, a figure that is climbing swiftly towards midsummer. But how much fun is the Arctic territory? My excellent colleague, global travel editor, Annabel Grossman, says: "Tourism might be coming slowly, but that's part of the charm of it ... It's difficult to do on the cheap, but it feels very authentic." She recommends a combo of Reykjavik in Iceland and Nuuk, the Greenlandic capital – with added exploration.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.

You will probably have heard of the shocking case of a woman who was sexually assaulted in a Travelodge by an attacker who was handed a key to her room by a member of staff on the reception desk. Bob Quick spent 32 years with the Police, then moved on to GSA – Global Secure Accreditation Ltd – where he is Managing Director.He has strong views on the weaknesses in hotel security, and what needs to be done.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.

To round off the week, I'm talking to travel expert Rob Staines about queer travel around the world. He and his partner have just returned from India – a nation that, he reports, has become much more enlightened in recent years. “There's lots of places in the world that we can go and visit where we can feel safe and be free and actually enjoy who we are and celebrate who we are with wonderful people,” he tells me.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.

That might look an odd question. In the past there have been links from these airports to London Heathrow, which were ditched because the slots could be used more profitably on other routes. But Rob Burgess, founder of the frequent flyer website Head for Points, says that not enough attention is paid to the value of creating loyalty through co-branded credit cards – allowing people who live in areas currently not served by BA to “get a kickback from their spending”.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.

The much-delayed digital borders scheme for the Schengen area is supposed to be up and running in full from 10 April – but Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of the Advantage Travel Partnership, is sceptical to say the least. She and I also talked about the prospect of surcharges on holidays this summer.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.

Talking with my excellent colleague, senior travel writer Natalie, about a wide range of travel stories: the shocking business of hotel security, a new Center Parcs Scotland begins to blossom, buy a twist of the Eiffel Tower and new rail prospects across Europe and Central America.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.

The 2,700 mile-long trail around the shore of England is the longest managed coastal walking route in the world. It gives unprecedented access to the shoreline, thanks to many years of painstaking work by today's guest – Neil Constable, who led the project for Natural England. We caught up on a breezy day...This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.