Hello everyone and welcome to today's independent travel podcast with me Simon Calder.

Of course, we are all feeling sad today, having learnt yesterday evening of the loss of the Queen.

And I've been reflecting on what an extraordinary career she had in terms of travel.

Bear in mind that when she ascended to the throne in February 1952, the jet age had yet to begin. There had been no opportunity for people to fly as a passenger on a jet

aircraft. Now that would change within weeks of her becoming Elizabeth II with a flight on the

Comet with the British Airways predecessor, B-O-A-C,

from London to Johannesburg.

On the railways, third class still existed, though that would be scrapped four years later.

And the idea in 1952 that really any significant proportion of her subjects would ever go abroad on holiday seemed simply preposterous.

Yes, about 18 months earlier, there had been the first

all-inclusive package holidays launched to the Medish-Ranian. That was a one-week trip from

Gatwick to Calvi on the beautiful island of Corsica. But the price of of that 32 pounds 50 at the time that was equivalent to over

a thousand pounds today so simply out of reach of many people and by the end of Queen

Elizabeth's reign British citizens enjoyed enormous mobility.

And it's heartening that her final act of many in launching transport innovations

was opening the Elizabeth line beneath central London, which she did in May 2022.

She, of course, was an extraordinary traveller herself.

Queen of the Skies, I will call her.

She flew and sailed far further than any other head of state in history. I believe she visited 117 countries.

Her favourite, at least in terms of the number of visits, seems to have been France, which she went to

six times, and she spoke fluent French.

The way that she travelled was interesting too.

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