Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast

For my final podcast for The Independent, I am talking to film director Ido Fluk about his new movie – which transported me back to 1970s Germany. a war-weary land where much was changing. Koln 75 tells the story of the best-selling jazz piano album by Keith Jarrett – who was cajoled to Cologne and onto the stage by a teenager named Vera Brandes. A great story, told with great care of time and place.

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Get up to speed with the help of data sleuth Dr Nick Brown, who believes that in time the EES will work well – but adds a warning or two about Etias.

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My guest today is Simon Woodroffe – the entrepreneur behind household names including YO! Sushi and Yotel, and also one of the original Dragons on BBC’s Dragons’ Den.

He has been telling me about the travel aspects of his career: founding Yotel, sailing the South Pacific and creating an eco-resort in Thailand. His autobiography, YO! Man, is published on 4 June 2026 by Whitefox Publishing.

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Senior travel writer Natalie Wilson has just returned from her first trip to Tuscany and Umbria. She tells of being quoted €1,000 for a cab ride in Italy, and reports on her experiences of the EU entry-exit system.

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The European President has set out her vision for more integrated rail travel across Europe. Mark Smith, the international rail guru known as The Man in Seat 61, explains how ticketing appears to have gone backwards over the decades – but holds out some hope that rail travellers could be as protected in the event of disruption as airline passengers.

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Global travel editor Annabel Grossman has just returned from the Deep South of the US, exploring the state of Mississippi. She tells me about the music heritage, the tragedy of the human rights struggle and the joys of a road trip from Alabama through Mississippi to Tennessee.

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Today I am assessing the picture on aviation fuel, after easyJet boss Kenton Jarvis added to the airline leaders vowing to fly the full schedule this summer. No shortages of jet fuel visible, he says. But ahead of the Bank Holiday weekend, many people are concerned about queues for the EU entry-exit system. And if you are staying in the UK and relying on rail, be warned of engineering works on several key lines.

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Today I'm talking to Matthew Valentine, Global Head of Sales for Havila Voyages – the enterprise that is serving the Norwegian shoreline from Bergen to Kirkenes on the Russian border in competition with incumbent Hurtigruten. Whether you go for the Northern Lights or the Midnight Sun, this is a magical trip – handily subsidised by the government of Norway.

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“In both Finland and Poland I somehow found myself as close as it is possible to be to Russia without actually crossing the border”. Global travel editor Annabel Grossman is frustrated that she cannot visit the world’s biggest country. Russia is waging an illegal war against Ukraine, and on the Foreign Office no-go list, but one day we will be able to return. I have prescribed some locations for exploring the vast expanses of the great outdoors.

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Direct flights from London Luton to the Armenian capital, Yerevan, begin on 8 June, and I am getting a preview of this fascinating nation. Today I have joined the outstanding tour guide Gevorg Rashoyan for a tour of Soviet Yerevan: Armenia was part of the USSR until 1991. Gevorg told me much more.

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.