
Simon Calder
@simoncalder
Travel news/advice shared here, on TikTok @caldertravel and answering questions at weekends with my 5.30pm UK Instagram Live: instagram.com/simon_calder/
ID: 186470618
http://www.simoncalder.co.uk 03-09-2010 15:09:38
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Cabin baggage. European consumer groups say all passengers should be allowed two pieces of hand luggage. Budget airlines say that's not practical. But I predict levelling up on the one free item, with Ryanair and Wizz Air aligning with easyJet's 32 litres independent.co.uk/travel/news-an…

Heathrow Terminal 3: All safe after a suspicious item in a passenger's bag led to a partial evacuation of the terminal, which handles Virgin Atlantic, Emirates, Cathay Pacific and many others. Heathrow spokesperson: “The issue has now been safely resolved” independent.co.uk/travel/news-an…

European travel: summer strike summary. Key hotspots: Italy: dozens of mostly short-duration, localised transport walk-outs. France: rail strikes likely in early June. Scotland: “Glasgow and Edinburgh airport summer strike action looms,” says Unite union independent.co.uk/travel/news-an…

Denmark: lovely country. But bizarrely, frontier police are imposing their own passport validity rules in contravention of EU regulations. As a result you could be turned away from the airport even though you, and the airline, know your passport is valid. independent.co.uk/travel/news-an…

Stirling for fewer £s? Lumo, which runs budget trains from London King's Cross to Edinburgh, has announced a Stirling-London Euston link from spring 2026, including Carlisle, Preston and Crewe calls. Trains: initially ex-East Midlands Railway diesel stock. independent.co.uk/travel/news-an…


Fare dodging costs the country £1m per day. Some travel without the right ticket day after day. But many passengers inadvertently breach fare rules on occasional journeys, confused by the fares and railcard rules. Enforcement with some leniency is tricky. independent.co.uk/travel/news-an…

An underwhelming new dawn for our railways, an inadvertent phone error by an airport boss and the unveiling of our new "slow race across the globe". Hear all about it at anchor.fm/youshouldhaveb… With Simon Calder and Mick Webb


easyJet's 23-hour flight from Palma to Liverpool. Dismal for passengers – some spent all night at Bordeaux airport. One bit of good news is that the gentleman whose medical condition triggered the diversion was well enough to fly on the rescheduled flight. independent.co.uk/travel/news-an…

Passport e-gates. UK travellers will whizz through EU border controls this summer, this summer, say ministers – such as 'speeding up journeys for the 10 million British travellers who use Faro airport each year’. I have asked to see the government's maths. independent.co.uk/travel/news-an…


Cancer is brutal: robbing many victims of years of life and tearing families apart. Thankfully medical science has improved the odds of survival. Yet even if it has been beaten, cancer can limit opportunities to travel – due to the high cost of insurance. independent.co.uk/travel/news-an…

Holiday money. Paying by card or phone? Beware ‘Dynamic Currency Conversion’. When offered a choice between local currency or sterling, always choose local. Paying in pounds might sound tempting. But you're guaranteed to lose out, typically paying 10% more independent.co.uk/travel/news-an…