Simon Calder

Passport validity for European Union. A UK passport must meet two conditions: On day of entry to the EU, issued less than 10 years ago. On intended day of exit from EU, at least 3 months left before expiry date. (Also Switz/Iceland/Norway but not Ireland.) independent.co.uk/travel/europe/…

Waterloo Sunset, now

@barrchristopher @Ryanair @easyJet @jet2tweets Really sorry to hear about this, hope the rest of your journey was smoother. Can you kindly email more details to s@hols.tv? Thanks SC

Believe the news. This is Faro airport just now. This is after baggage check in and security. This is passport control to enter international departure terminal. I came 3 hours before, and it’s still tight for time. @SimonCalder @Ryanair @easyJet @jet2tweets

Heathrow airport UPDATE: trains back on. Now running on both Elizabeth line & Heathrow Express to all terminals. Tube remains suspended until start of service on Monday morning. Then strikes will close Piccadilly line on Tuesday and Thursday.

Heathrow airport cut off by rail. Elizabeth line & Heathrow Express currently closed: "Flooding caused by a burst water main near Heathrow Airport closing all lines running to/from Heathrow Terminals" No Tube option available on Piccadilly line trains due to planned engineering.

‘Do I get to keep the taxi?’ Tales of extortionate rides around the world. Italy features: €114 Uber for a one-mile trip from Milan Malpensa to the Tribe hotel. But the winner is: €3,500, plus €600 tip, from Norway to Paris during volcanic ash shutdown. independent.co.uk/travel/news-an…

Unsure if cruising is for you? Try it out aboard a proper cruise ship on a supershort voyage. Next month, try 13 hours from Newcastle to Rosyth in Fife. Or in 2028 (!) Portsmouth-Newcastle in 39 hours, £109. Other cruises available not involving Newcastle. independent.co.uk/travel/news-an…

@Linda_Bell @CitoyenBrexile “We were never in Schengen so we would need to go through all this rigmarole anyway”. No, at all Schengen area frontiers, EU citizens get a quick check, often using eGates, just to verify the document is valid and that it belongs to the holder.

Entry-exit system and Etias: what would you like to know? It is seven weeks since the EES was due to be 100% complete in every Schengen area nation. Not everything is going according to plan. So from 1 to 2pm today I will tackle your EU red tape questions. independent.co.uk/travel/news-an…

Ask Me Anything on entry-exit system/Etias starting in 10 minutes. EU red tape brainbox @sTeamTraen may be lurking to help with the finer details.

EU red tape. Got to grips with the entry-exit system? Yet more border bureaucracy en route in the shape of Etias: the European Travel Information and Authorisation System. But don't fret: the earliest you will need one is April 2027. All you need is here🔽 independent.co.uk/travel/news-an…

EU entry-exit system. Top Euro red tape expert, Dr Nick Brown, tells me: Hyper-efficient Palma airport shows how the biometric bother can be handled smoothly. In time, new eGates will make everything easier. Etias "euro-visa" will arrive by the end of 2026 independent.co.uk/travel/news-an…

Flying in or out of Heathrow airport? From today until Sunday there are no Piccadilly line Tube trains. Next week, Tube drivers plan to strike on Tuesday and Thursday, 2 and 4 June. Elizabeth line is the best alternative.

Planning a trip to India? It is a glorious destination of immense beauty, diversity and culture, with 1.5 billion great people. But please don't book any travel until you have untangled the maddeningly tricky and uncertain red tape, and safely have a visa. independent.co.uk/travel/news-an…

Aided and abetted by listeners we present a brief guide to a short stay in Paris. anchor.fm/youshouldhaveb… Podcast 242 with @simoncalder and Mick Webb

Wifi on trains. Government promises better connectivity using Elon Musk's Starlink system. Also, "Project Reach" is tackling "notspots" including tunnels and deep cuttings. Which train operator has the best wifi? I've found Greater Anglia. Which the worst? independent.co.uk/travel/news-an…

@immi_croissant @FlyLoganair Please ignore the scam account that has answered, pretending to be Loganair. These criminals proliferate on X, and aim to defraud you by pretending they are on your side. I will respond by email. Meanwhile, a comprehensive guide to air passengers' rights🔽 independent.co.uk/travel/news-an…

Hi @SimonCalder, I’ve emailed too. Could you advise on @FlyLoganair? My LM0622 LHR–Kirkwall flight (22 May) had a technical fault and after ~9 hours with no clear rerouting I paid £450 via Glasgow + £200 hotel to save my weekend. Loganair won’t reimburse.

Glasgow airport has just reopened after a 72-minute closure this afternoon following a landing incident involving a light aircraft. Nine diversions to Edinburgh. One cancellation so far (Lufthansa Glasgow-Frankfurt). Long delays for thousands of passengers independent.co.uk/travel/news-an…

Hyper-longhaul flying. Direct London-Sydney route means four hours overflying Russia. Not currently an option for Qantas. Some flights could cross North Pole and Japan instead. Optimum London-Sydney route for minimum fuel burn: refill in Almaty and Manila. independent.co.uk/travel/news-an…

Qantas "Project Sunrise". The plan for London-Sydney nonstop flights has been delayed again, this time due to Airbus supply chain issues. Earliest possible date is late 2027 – though Qantas may decide to make Sydney-New York its first hyper-longhaul route. independent.co.uk/travel/news-an…

Travelling to/through Continental Europe by train is far more complicated and expensive than it should be. Airlines must be constantly amazed by the lacklustre competition from rail. But @seatsixtyone is optimistic about new European rail passenger rights. independent.co.uk/travel/news-an…

@therealmissjo Ouch. While the Bristol airport-City Centre bus fares are wildly expensive, I've always seen excellent competition from the airport to Devon on Falcon/FlixBus/National Express.

@SimonCalder Just paid £230 from Bristol Airport to a small town just outside Plymouth.

Most expensive taxi ride you've ever (a) taken? (b) been quoted? My excellent colleague Natalie Wilson was quoted €1,000 for a 2h trip in rural Tuscany; she found a public transport workaround instead. My highest, €200 Bergerac airport to Castelnaud (1h) shows.acast.com/green-list-tra…