Share
Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast
March 11th - Flying with confidence
•
Today's travel podcast shines a light on fear of flying. Commercial aviation has never been safer, with no fatal crashes involving scheduled passenger jets in 2023. But anyone anxious about flying need not look far to feed their aerophobia – I'm thinking of events such as the fire on board the Japan Airlines Airbus A350 approaching Tokyo, and the Alaska Airlines incident involving a door plug on a Boeing 737 Max.
Thankfully I don't but many people do have concerns, and so British Airways has a one-day course called Flying With Confidence that seeks to allay the fears of prospective passengers – culminating with a short flight. I've been hearing all about it from course director and presenter Captain Steve Allright, who has 33 years of flying experience.
This podcast is free, as is my weekly newsletter. Sign up for it here and have it delivered every Friday.
More episodes
View all episodes
Photo masterclass from the man with the sharpest eye in travel
06:14|In the first of a two part series, top cinematographer and photographer Douglas Bolton tells me how to take better stills – even if you are using your phone rather top of the range camera equipment. Just don't touch that digital zoom.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.What will the current crisis mean for travellers in future?
06:24|“People will think, maybe I’ll fly Singapore Airlines next time.” So says Lonely Planet co-founder Tony Wheeler, in the last episode of a travel trilogy about the impact of war in the US. But he predicts travellers will soon leave their fears behind.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.US and Israel didn’t think Iran would respond by hitting Dubai
05:22|The attack on Iran that began on 28 February closed the nation’s airspace, as well as that of neighbouring Iraq. But within hours, the whole Gulf region was out of bounds for civilian aircraft. In the second of a three-part series, Lonely Planet co-founder Tony Wheeler assesses the damage so far.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.How does the current disruption in the Gulf compare with previous crises?
06:54|Perspective is important in travel. There is one person who can put the current chaos arising from the US Israeli attack against Iran into context: legendary Lonely Planet co-founder Tony Wheeler. In the first of a three part series, Tony tells me how dramatic world events over the decades have impacted travellers – and the industry.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.Esther, Queen of the Desert
05:53|I am in Broken Hill, New South Wales: the Silver City. Besides being a classic Australian mining town, it has been the location for some cult movies – including Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. The central set for the music was the marvellous Palace Hotel, whose co-owner is today’s guest. Esther La Rovere has been telling me what makes Broken Hill so special.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.We've got to get out of this place!
05:59|I have been talking to stranded travellers in Sydney – probably the location with the highest number of people keen to get to the UK, but scuppered by the airspace closures in the Gulf. Today meet Keith Wood, who with his wife Jan is trying to get back to BelfastThis podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.Could you be tempted by a political tour?
05:17|My guest today is Nicholas Wood, founder and director of Political Tours: friend of the podcast, to whom I talked to last May. Since then a vast amount has happened politically and in the travel realm – most recently the Foreign Office putting Cuba on the no-go list. He's been telling me tours are selling out fast. But what sort of people travel with him?This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.Finland: In the far-from-bleak late winter
06:55|Travel desk Tuesday – and today's excellent colleague just back from a big trip is Global Travel Editor Annabel Grossman. She has returned from wintry Finland, where she adored the handsome capital Helsinki – and in particular its amazing library – as well as South Karelia, bordering Russia.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.Gulf crisis: my assessment of the aviation impact
06:14|Just before I boarded a flight to China, I set out the scale of the problem caused by the closure of the three biggest Middle East air hubs – And considered what might happen next.This podcast is free, as is Independent Travel's weekly newsletter. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox.