My guest today is Paul Goldstein: photographer, expedition guide, and campaigner for protecting wildlife. He’s also author of a book out this week called Nine Lives: One Photographer, Nine Persecuted Species.

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Uganda and northern Argentina are off the tourism mainstream, but high on Annabel's recommendations for the year ahead. Adventure travel in Africa and South America sounds a joy – can't wait to find out for myself.

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Avanti West Coast is providing a glorious workaround to the closure of the main rail line between Preston and Carlisle: a scenic train diversion along England’s most beautiful line, the Settle-Carlisle Railway. I went on a test run with Avanti West Coast managing director Andy Mellors, and talked to him when the train paused at Appleby.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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Paul Charles, chief executive of travel consultancy the PC Agency, is back to talk about travel in 2026.

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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.

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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.

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