i Newspaper
 
TheIPaper
The Independent around the web
Latest Simon Calder video diary

Simon Calder's Helpdesk: Other than Paris, any ideas for a city break where I can take my daughter?

Q. Simon, it's my daughter's 21st birthday in late August, I'd like to take her on a city break to somewhere not too expensive to get to but which will give her great memories. By the way, we've been to Paris.

Sarah Gee

Simon Calder's Helpdesk: Can I avoid immigration queues in the US?

Q. I have flight to New York JFK from Bristol via Dublin in July. You said on Saturday that JFK is among the worst in America for long immigration queues. Can I avoid them, and can you point to a web link to show what we do at Dublin?

Patrick Mason, Taunton

Simon Calder's Helpdesk: How much do I need to worry about the scary advice on Quito in Ecuador?

Q. We've booked to go to Quito in Ecuador, but the advice from the FCO is scary to say the least. Can you advise?

Mike Pennick, Hindhead, Surrey

In the bag: cabin luggage gets more complicated

Battle of the bulge on before-breakfast Berlin-bound jet

Simon Calder: The man who pays his way

Simon Calder's Holiday Helpdesk: What currency do I take to Macedonia?

Q. What currency do I take to Macedonia? The denar is not easily exchangeable, and the country is not yet in the EU. Please advise if taking euros or sterling would be the best option

Crispin Yeates

Simon Calder's Helpdesk: Should I buy a separate ticket for a side trip from Australia to New Zealand?

Q I am attending a conference in Melbourne in September, and have been able to secure an extra five days off at the end of it. I want to take a side trip to New Zealand. Should I book a separate ticket or get the flights to and from as part of my main ticket?

John Slater, Stafford

Simon Calder's Holiday Helpdesk: Can you advise about my Heathrow change-over to a connecting flight?

Q. I have just purchased a return flight on Virgin Atlantic to Los Angeles from Manchester, changing at Heathrow. (The extra cost was just £50 in total by the way, which I thought was superb.) I have just over 90 minutes between flights. I have never used a connecting flight before, so have looked up the process online, only to find a wealth of conflicting information. Can you advise?

Andy O'Dwyer, Ilkley, West Yorkshire

Simon Calder's Holiday Helpdesk: What's the best Indonesia travel guide?

Q. What, in your opinion is the best travel guide for Indonesia?

Suzanne Calder

Simon Calder's Holiday Helpdesk: What time of day is best for departures to JFK?

Q. I'm going to New York JFK in October. All the fares seem to be about the same, at about £450 return. So what time of day is it best to depart?

Peter Reynolds, Ealing

Ealing comedy: FGW passengers await rescue

Simon Calder: No happy ending to 'The Great Escape' from Paddington

The Man Who Pays His Way

Simon Calder's Holiday Helpdesk: Can you advise me on minimum-validity passport rules to the US?

Q. I am going to the USA in Oct 2013 and Feb 2014 and my full UK passport expires in Mar 2014, does the passport have to be valid under the six months clear rule or do I need to renew in September?

Peter Kendal

Simon Calder's Holiday Helpdesk: Can they force us to pay for allocated seats so we can check in online?

Q. Is it legal for Monarch Airlines to force us to pay for allocated seats so we can check in online?

David Keenan, Spain

Simon Calder's Holiday Helpdesk: BA or Virgin on Premium Economy to New York?

Q. I am planning a visit to New York, early November, and wonder is there anything to choose between British Airways and Virgin Atlantic using their Premium Economy rate? Having had a very uncomfortable BA flight to Singapore recently, in economy, I am not doing that again, ever. And Trailfinders are offering a very good deal at the moment from Heathrow to New York, for £900 return in Premium Economy.

M James, Esher, Surrey

Simon Calder's Holiday Helpdesk: Can you suggest a restaurant treat in Paris that caters for vegetarians?

Q. I'm travelling to Paris with my wife in May for our silver wedding anniversary. I'm a vegetarian but my wife is not. I want to find a reasonable restaurant that serves both veggie food (not just pizza, risotto, pasta, etc) and traditional French cuisine for my wife. Do you know of any options?

Stephen Clyde, Belfast

48 Hours In: Stockholm

Take a musical break in Sweden’s handsome capital, where a new museum devoted to its most famous foursome is about to open, says Simon Calder

Independent Dating
and  

By clicking 'Search' you
are agreeing to our
Terms of Use.

ES Rentals

    Day In a Page

    Independent Travel Shop See all offers »
    India and Shimla
    14 nights from only £1899pp Find out more
    Prague city break
    Three nights from £199pp Find out more
    4* Soreda hotel break, Malta
    Seven nights all-inclusive from £399pp Find out more
    California and the golden west
    14 nights from £1,499pp Find out more
    Venice city break
    Two nights from only £199pp - third night free on selected dates Find out more
    Blu St Lucia, St Lucia, Caribbean
    Up to 42% off
    OFFER ENDS 26 MAY Find out more
    Hotel Savoy, Rome, Italy
    Up to 61% off
    OFFER ENDS 26 MAY Find out more
    Spa day at Nutfield Priory Hotel, Redhill, Surrey
    Up to 30% off
    OFFER ENDS 26 MAY Find out more
    Watch out Watford: Here comes the secretive Bilderberg Group

    Watch out Watford: Here comes the secretive Bilderberg Group

    A meeting of global power brokers in a Hertfordshire hotel is exciting conspiracy theorists, but what are they really about?
    'The ultimate all-in-one home entertainment system': Microsoft finally unveils its Xbox ONE console

    'The ultimate all-in-one home entertainment system'

    Microsoft finally unveils its Xbox ONE console
    Plenty of Fish dating site founder pulls 'Intimate Encounters' option to ward off sleazy men

    Plenty of sleaze

    Dating website pulls intimate 'hook-up' section to curb harassment
    Inferno author Dan Brown 'honoured' to be invited to join the Freemasons

    The Freemasons’ Code

    Dan Brown reveals the message that told him door to the lodge is open
    Not secure any more: G4S boss heads for exit at last

    Not secure any more: G4S boss heads for exit at last

    Nick Buckles survived the Olympics débâcle and a £5bn bid fiasco but a profit warning finally triggered his downfall
    How to say ‘I’m a sellout’: Tumblr’s David Karp’s message of reassurance to his staff sounded very familiar

    How to say ‘I’m a sellout’

    Tumblr’s David Karp’s message of reassurance to his staff sounded very familiar
    Why clubs are keen to take a stand

    Why clubs are keen to take a stand

    There's a real desire around the grounds for safe standing. But will the authorities listen?
    In the end the fans decided Tony Pulis had made a pig's ear of the job at Stoke City

    In the end the fans decided Tony Pulis had made a pig's ear of the job at Stoke City

    Disillusion with a siege mentality and negative playing style made change inevitable
    James Lawton: The James Hunt I knew is the subject of a new F1 movie

    James Lawton: The James Hunt I knew is the subject of a new F1 movie

    British driver was fascinating man whose epic duel with Niki Lauda in 1976 was typical of an era of glamour and glory – but also the ever-present threat of death
    Stuart Hogg: Ready to climb his own Everest

    Stuart Hogg: Ready to climb his own Everest

    Lions' cub, 20, joins long line of players from Scottish borders club Hawick given opportunity to make his mark at highest level
    Carl Froch handed rare chance of revenge with dream rematch

    Steve Bunce on Boxing

    Carl Froch handed rare chance of revenge with dream rematch against Mikel Kessler
    'There is a battle going on inside us that is never discussed'

    Masculinity in crisis?

    'There is a battle going on inside us that is never discussed'
    Have US shock jocks gone too far?

    Have US shock jocks gone too far?

    An incendiary remark from Rush Limbaugh may be the beginning of the end for outspoken right-wing US broadcasters
    The ‘Beverly Hills’ of Surrey pays more income tax than big cities of the North

    The ‘Beverly Hills’ of Surrey

    Elmbridge pays more income tax than big cities of the North
    Heavenly Bodies

    Heavenly Bodies

    Michael Landy's artistic marriage made in heaven... and hell