Simon Calder

Simon Calder is Travel Editor at Large for The Independent, writing a weekly column, various articles and features as well as filming a weekly video diary. Every Sunday afternoon, Simon presents the UK's only radio travel phone-in programme called The LBC Travel Show with Simon Calder (97.3 FM). He is a regular guest on national TV, often seen on BBC Breakfast, Daybreak, ITV News and Sky News. He is often interviewed on BBC Radio, particularly for BBC Radio 4’s You & Yours programme and BBC Five Live.

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Simon Calder's Holiday Helpdesk: Is there any advantage with my San Francisco flights if I book with Lufthansa rather than United?

Q. I am in the process of booking a return flight from London to San Francisco. The direct flight I have selected is run by United but I can also book the same one through the Lufthansa site. Is there any advantage, under the EU rules, for this flight if I book the Lufthansa option?

Margaret Read, Stafford

Simon Calder's Holiday Helpdesk: Can I leave luggage at Marco Polo airport - and how is best to reach central Venice?

Q. Can I leave my baggage at Venice's Marco Polo airport for the day - and how can I get from the airport to the city itself? What is the best option: water bus, train, or local bus?

John French

Simon Calder's Holiday Helpdesk: Similar, but not the same - if you liked Nerja try Cadaques

Q.Last summer we went to Nerja in southern Spain and thoroughly enjoyed both the place and the surrounding area. This year it's just my wife and I. We are tempted to go back to Nerja, but are a little apprehensive about thinking "it's not as good as last year". Could you recommend a similar type of place?

Roy Crosby

Simon Calder: Sleep(er) your way around the world

The man who pays his way

Simon Calder's Holiday Helpdesk: Does it happen often that a transatlantic superdeal vanishes in the night?

Q. I have a daughter living in Canada and a son moving to San Francisco. I did all the usual price checks using many airlines. Then I happened on Lufthansa (member of Star Alliance) and decided to give it a try. Put in the details out Heathrow-Edmonton, Edmonton-San Francisco, San Francisco-Heathrow.

With thousands of British travellers still stranded after this week’s French airspace shut-down, and further airport strikes causing disruption today, Europe’s biggest airline has warned that passengers face a summer of discontent

Air passengers face summer of discontent warns Europe’s biggest airline

With thousands of British travellers still stranded after this week’s French airspace shut-down, and further airport strikes causing disruption today, Europe’s biggest airline has warned that passengers face a summer of discontent.

Simon Calder's Holiday Helpdesk: Is this a fair charge for changing my Corfu flights?

Q. I am going to Corfu in September. I changed both outgoing and incoming flights by a couple of days. The travel firm charged me £25 admin fees, and easyJet charged me €108. Is that a fair amount for easyJet to charge? I find it a bit excessive. Can you help?

Peter Jaram

The scene at Montpellier's airport, southern France

Tens of thousands of British travellers stranded after second day of French air-traffic controllers strike

Any flight that travels over the country affected

Simon Calder's Holiday Helpdesk: Do the immigration delays at O'Hare mean I risk missing my connecting flight?

Q. We are flying to San Diego via Chicago O'Hare with American Airlines, with a two-and-quarter-hour window between flights. Have you any idea about the current waiting time for immigration control at O'Hare airport?

Marion Blanchard

Simon Calder's Holiday Helpdesk: Should we cancel our holiday in Hammamet because of Tunisian warnings?

Q. Me and my boyfriend are travelling to Hammamet for 11 nights later this month. I have seen reports warning against travelling to Tunisia. What is the unrest over there at the moment? Shall we cancel our holiday?

Polly Buller, Kettering

 

Day In a Page

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First night: The Cripple of Inishmaan

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Steve Tongue

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British love of shows such as The Bridge, Borgen and The Killing shows no sign of fading
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Eat shoots and leaves: Mark Hix gets creative with fresh peas, mangetouts and sugar snaps

Mark Hix gets creative with English peas

English peas and their offsprings, such as mangetouts and sugar snaps, are great tossed into a salad, says our chef.
Ceviche with a smile: Chef Martin Morales has turned South America's elegant cuisine into one of London's hottest food trends

Chef Martin Morales: Ceviche with a smile

Morales has turned South America's elegant cuisine into one of London's hottest food trends