Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast

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.

For people living in the UK without a car, Christmas Day has long been a problem. No trains are running, and in most areas local buses remain in the depot too – leaving car-less people dependent on friends, family or taxis to get around. But this 25 December things are getting better, according to Graham Vidler, CEO of the Confederation of Passenger Transport.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.

Paul Griffiths, Chief Executive of Dubai Airports, used to run Gatwick airport. In the third and final part of our conversation, the boss of the world's busiest international airport offers advice on expansion at both Heathrow and Gatwick. "The boost that will give to the economy, the advantages it will drive for trade for the UK are all desperately needed. Make the decision, stick to it,"This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.

In the second part of my exclusive conversation with Paul Griffiths, Chief Executive of Dubai Airports, we gaze deep into the future of aviation. Not only does Dubai International expect to be the first airport in the world to handle 100 million international passengers – along the road, Dubai World Central airport is planned to outpace the DXB and the rest of the world.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.