You should have been there

The World Travel Market has just taken place in London. It provides a cornucopia of new travel ideas and destinations, a riot of daft marketing slogans and no shortage of blah blah blah. We discover how much attention was paid to the climate concerns voiced at COP 26 and reveal why the Gulf States should be renamed the Golf States. 

We take a whistle stop tour of five Latin American countries that have been freed from the shackles of Grant Shapps' red list. On the agenda: the world's best coffee, its highest waterfall and the place where longevity is a fact of life. Not to mention some truly romantic islands.

Simon discovers more of Saudi Arabia's ancient wonders and gets an early peek at their grandiose plans for developing tourism. Meanwhile, at South London's Selhurst Park, the Saudi takeover of Newcastle United attracts criticism as well as visual creativity. Many thanks to Najla Drees and to Paul Oliver for taking part.   

Simon of Arabia discovers whether the Desert Kingdom and the home of the Geordies have anything in common, apart from the ownership of a well-known football club. We weigh the relative merits of camel tongues and saveloy dips and hear what the respective locals know about one another's countries.  Thanks to Christine, Fahad, Janet and Michael for taking part and being such good sports.

As James Bond returns to the big screen, we map his journeys around the world and speculate on his favourite destination based on the 1000 locations that he has appeared in. How many are authentic? How many are location doubles? Simon joins us from one of these stand-ins- the Broadgate Tower in Bishopsgate, London.  

Listeners share their experiences of travel con-tricks, old and new, in situ or online. Simon reports from Rotterdam's genre-bending art museum while Deirdre Swann tells us about a surprise encounter and an opportunity missed on her 64th birthday walk. Thanks to Deirdre, to Alan and to Ina Klaassen of The Depot.

From the old "three cup trick" to internet-age "fake villa" villainy, we reveal the many traps that lie in wait for the unwary tourist. Beware the "something-nasty-on your-bag-mate,"  the petrol pump counter you can't see and the "Thanksgiving Upgrade," which is just one of the  dodgy practices that bedevil the car rental business.

The latest head-to head in our travel Olympics involves two mighty destinations from the Far East.  Which will prevail in events that feature capital cities, walls, snow monkeys, toilets and Simon's culinary take on the travel bug?  Many thanks to Dr Emily Thomas and Rebecca for their contributions and to the Terracotta Warriors for their unwitting participation.  

We embark on a magical mystery tour of places associated with the Fab Four, or named in their songs. As well as Penny Lane and Abbey Road, expect Blue Jays, paper bags and the windmill in East Sussex where Sir Paul has a recording studio.  

We debate the pros and cons of visiting countries with dodgy regimes. Is it ever justifiable? And if so, under what circumstances? Fortunately, we are guided through the minefield of ethical dilemmas by the philosopher and traveller, Dr Emily Thomas, of Durham University. Thanks also to Luis Cuellar from Freeimages for the photo