Simon Calder, Travel Expert, returns
The Travel Diaries
Holly Rubenstein
4.6 • 758 Ratings
🗓️ 15 July 2025
⏱️ 45 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Today I’m joined once again by one of the UK’s most trusted and best-loved travel experts - Simon Calder. You’ll know him as the Independent’s travel correspondent, a familiar face on TV and radio, and the go-to voice when travel chaos strikes - whether it's air traffic control meltdowns or passport expiry panics. But beyond the headlines, Simon is also a true adventurer, with an insatiable curiosity for the world and a lifelong love of the open road, rails and skies.
It’s been a five years since Simon last joined me on the podcast, and in that time, so much has changed - not just in the world of travel, but in the way we think about where we go, how we get there, and why we travel in the first place. So today’s episode is something of a global catch-up. From discovering the ancient cities of Algeria and the wild islands of the Antarctic, to cycling the Danube and family holidays on the beaches of Poland, Simon shares his latest discoveries, surprising favourites, and some underrated gems that might just change your next holiday plans.
We’ll talk about the rise of slow travel and destinations that deserve the spotlight. Plus, he’ll be offering his signature no-nonsense travel tips, and sharing the far-flung destinations still lingering on his bucket list.
Destination Recap:
- Borneo
- Antarctica
- South Georgia
- Algeria
- Constantine, Algeria
- The Azores
- Lebanon
- Socotra, Yemen
- Cape Verde
- Tbilisi, Georgia
- Ghana
- Sierra Leone
- Sopot, Poland
- Gdansk, Poland
- Cycling the Danube River, Regensburg, Germany to Vienna, Austria
- Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland
- Co. Donegal, Ireland
- Nepal
- Madagascar
- Ukraine
- Le Marche, Italy
Simon discusses his top tips for summer holidays after new research from Tesco Travel Money found 2 in 5 travellers are being caught short of cash abroad. You can find out more about Tesco Travel Money by visiting https://www.tescotravelmoney.com/
With thanks to Airbnb for their support of today's episode.
Thanks so much for listening today. If you want to be the first to find out who is joining me on next week’s episode come and follow me on Instagram I’m @hollyrubenstein, and you’ll also find me on TikTok - I’d love to hear from you. And if you can't wait until then, remember there’s the first 14 seasons to catch up on, that's over 155 episodes to keep you busy.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Today's episode is sponsored by Ingram's Walking, where you walk the Inam's Way on a stay-and-walk holiday in Europe. |
| 0:06.9 | If you love to explore on foot but still want all the comforts of a relaxing holiday, |
| 0:12.5 | Ingham's Walking Holidays are the perfect combination. |
| 0:15.1 | They offer carefully curated stay-and-walk holidays, so no moving hotels every night or lugging bags from one stop to the next. |
| 0:22.9 | Just settle into one beautiful base and discover the surrounding landscapes at your own pace. |
| 0:28.4 | Whether it's hiking through the dramatic scenery of the Swiss Alps, |
| 0:32.3 | strolling through the flower-filled meadows of Austria, or walking around lakeside trails in sunny Italy, there are over 75 |
| 0:39.4 | hand-picked resorts across eight countries to choose from, including Norway, which is brand new for 2025. |
| 0:46.7 | And it's entirely up to you how much or how little you want to walk. |
| 0:49.9 | Go self-guided with expert tips from Ingham's destination experts or join one of their guided walks |
| 0:55.3 | offered in selected resorts, all included in the price. With travel, accommodation and transfers |
| 1:00.2 | all taking care of, this is walking with none of the faf, just beautiful views, local culture |
| 1:06.6 | and the freedom to do things your way. Find out more at ingams.com. |
| 1:11.1 | UK forward slash walking. |
| 1:13.3 | Thank you to Ingrams Walking. |
| 1:19.2 | Hello and welcome to the Travel Diaries podcast. |
| 1:25.8 | I'm your host Holly Rubenstein and here each week I'll be speaking |
| 1:30.1 | to a very special guest about the seven chapters in their life's travel diaries. From their |
| 1:37.3 | all-time favorite destination and their hidden gem to their worst travel experience and what's |
| 1:43.9 | at the top of their travel bucket list. |
| 1:45.9 | We'll be uncovering their adventures around the world and the travel experiences and destinations |
| 1:51.9 | that have shaped their lives. Well, today on the Travel Diaries, I am joined by one of the UK's |
... |
Transcript will be available on the free plan in 24 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Holly Rubenstein, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Holly Rubenstein and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.