Simon Calder's Travel Week newsletter: Sign up for holiday inspiration, advice, deals and more
Travel is evolving faster than ever – and making the most of your time, money and experiences has never been more important.
That's why I'm delighted to bring you Travel Week, my exclusive twice-weekly newsletter for The Independent, packed with insight, inspiration and trusted advice to help you explore better.
During 31 years of writing about travel for The Independent, I've seen how tourism can be a force for good, when it's done thoughtfully. Travel Week is your guide to planning smarter journeys: from finding the best low-impact ways to get around to choosing destinations that benefit local communities.
Each Friday and Sunday, you'll receive a curated digest of the biggest developments in travel, along with unbeatable deals, destination ideas, and my expert tips on where, when and how to go.
Whether it's a sleeper train to the Scottish Highlands, a sun-soaked week on a European beach, or advice on navigating strikes and delays, I'll help you make the most of every trip.
And as ever, I'll continue holding companies to account when they mistreat travellers – and offering you honest, independent advice to cut through the noise.
Travel Week is your ticket to a smarter, more rewarding way to see the world. I hope you'll join me.
Once there, all you need to do is press the '+' button and enter your email address to sign up.
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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Warning airport staff strike could ‘ground planes and passengers'
Over 800 workers across five companies at Glasgow Airport may strike due to pay disputes, potentially disrupting summer travel. Unite the union will ballot staff at Glasgow Airport Ltd, ICTS Central Search, Swissport, Menzies Aviation, and Falck for industrial action if disputes aren't resolved in two weeks. Swissport workers are in dispute over rotas and work-life balance, while ICTS Central Search workers are protesting under-staffing, working conditions, and pay. Workers employed by Glasgow Airport Limited and Falck firefighters rejected a 3.6% pay increase, and Menzies Aviation workers turned down a 4.25% uplift. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham stated the companies can afford better pay and conditions, accusing them of prioritising profits over fair wages. Holidaymakers warned that airport strikes could disrupt summer getaways
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE He wrestles crocs on TV but being a Dad to young kids is what scares Steve Backshall most
On television he's the fearless adventurer who has wrestled with some of the world's deadliest predators, from 15ft crocodiles to killer sharks, and venomous snakes to ferocious polar bears. But for wildlife expert and naturalist Steve Backshall, whose BAFTA-award winning CBBC series Deadly 60, continues to inspire and educate children, it's at home where he faces his toughest challenge. In an exclusive interview with The Mail on Sunday, the much-loved and renewed explorer admits that having three children under six in his 50s, is physically challenging. While he absolutely loves what he does, and never expected to still be a huge children's television star at his age, there's no escaping the emotional struggle of spending long periods of time away from his family filming all over the world. Steve is married to two-time Olympic champion rower Helen Glover, 38, and the couple have son Logan, six, and five-year-old twins, Willow and Kit. He describes his wife as a 'mega-mum' and is incredibly proud of the fact that she was the first British female rower to go to an Olympic games after having children. Explaining what it's like being an older dad, Steve said: 'I do wish I had the energy that I had when I was in my 20s and 30s, to have the ability to sprint around playing football and rugby all day long with my kids, and for me to still be popping and buzzing with energy at the end of the day. 'But obviously I haven't and it's really tough to keep going when you're 52 and you've got three kids under six. But I've got knowledge and experience and a whole array of different things that I can teach them about, help them with, and also I've got no choice! These are the cards that I was dealt with and I've got to make it work.' While Steve's three young children are all proud of their 'cool dad' and love hearing about his dangerous expeditions, having to go away for weeks at a time is something that they struggle with. So much so that he reckons they'd all much prefer it if he had a normal 9-5 office job because it would mean he'd be at home with them a lot more. Steve said: 'I think they are very excited by it and very proud but also the fact I go away a lot, they don't like at all. 'They really, really struggle with it and it's been hard ever since they could understand what it was doing and actually, they would take me doing an office job and see me every day over me having this incredibly exciting job but always kind of leaving, and being away for long periods of time. 'Especially at the age they're at. Right now for this one little precious period of time in their lives all they want is to be with Mummy and Daddy.' When he is at home Steve loves nothing more than getting outdoors and exploring nature with his children, something which they all love. He said: 'From the moment they could crawl they were pond dipping, they were out in the canoes, they were climbing trees, doing all the kind of things that I did as a kid that I really wanted them to embrace and enjoy. 'They've kind of had no choice when it comes to that sort of thing but you can see how switched on they are. They are never more alive, more enthused, sparkle in the eyes than when they're out doing something active, physical, in nature. 'It's the same with animals too, whether it's domestic animals or wild animals, they just love it. I've got something that I can give to them that I know can make them happy and enthused.' Steve admits that he's quite an old fashioned dad, he said: 'I do think that discipline and rules and structure are important for kids, and I do think the things we've been doing for generations are timeless and they work for a reason. I think I'm quite an old fashioned dad.' Family time is also really important, and he's conscious of how quickly the years are going by. He said: 'It feels like an absolute heartbeat since they were crawling around and now all three of them are at school and all three of them have got quite grown up personalities, they're all very different from each other. Everything that everyone says about being a parent is so true.' While Steve's passion for nature has inspired generations of youngsters to appreciate and protect wildlife, there is one cheeky clip that will always follow him around. Back in 2013, while demonstrating the hydrodynamics of tuna for Deadly 60, he lost his swimming trunks while clinging onto a rope attached to the back of a speeding boat. He laughed: 'That will be there for the rest of my career no matter what I do! I could be winning endless awards and be knighted by the King, but that will still be out there, imagery of me being dragged around as naked as the day I was born. 'There's no getting away from it. I've been doing this a long time now and there are an awful lot of those "It'll be alright on the night" out takes of me being pooed on, having animals doing inappropriate things in the back ground behinds me, it's just one of those things, you've got to embrace it. 'I do quite a lot of big shows and talks, I've got a big one coming up in October, an arena tour which is rather exciting, I always play bloopers in those shows because people just love them, they find them hilarious.' So what do the school mums think of having a hunky explorer in the playground? Steve said: 'The mums in the playground are all much more adoring of Helen. There's no getting around it, she is mega-mum and she is this incredibly inspiring, iconic figure, so they're all like... 'Oh yeah, the old git who likes bothering bugs or the four-time Olympian who basically went to her third Olympic games when she had three kids under two? 'Who you going to be more admiring of? She's been to four Olympics, she's got two gold medals and one silver medal. She did her third Olympic games post-pandemic, she'd just had the twins, trained herself at home, with no coach, no special diet or routine and became the first British female rower to go to the Olympic games after having kids.' Steve recently filmed a special expedition in the Arctic, which saw him walk the same path that King Charles did 50 years ago to see how the area has changed over time. He's just launched his new podcast That's Just Wild, which went straight to the top of the science podcast chart, and is preparing for his first big arena tour this October. He said: 'The podcast is so exciting. We've just launched. It's with my two good friends Lizzie Daly and Sarah Roberts, and we basically sit around and talk nonsense about nature, the both of them have real academic backgrounds, so there's some really eye-popping science in there as well, it is very funny, sometimes very serious, full of a lot of amazing stuff that people would not have heard before about animals. 'We had a really exciting launch and went straight to the top of the science podcasts which was just fantastic. Then arena tour that I've got coming up in October is something that I've wanted to do for a very long time. 'I've been doing stage shows since about 2008, and I've been developing them over time to make them more and more spectacular, the idea of doing a one man show, in a 20,000 seater arena is both the most exciting and intimidating thing I've ever had on my plate. 'That's the big thing I'm wanting to tick off. It's incredibly exciting and very very frightening. If it goes well, it's going to be epic.' And although he appeared on BBC's smash hit Saturday night show Strictly Come Dancing back in 2014, Steve's response to any other big celebrity shows has been a blanket 'no' because he is just too busy doing what he loves. He said: 'Strictly was an incredible experience with the best people. But I have a fairly blanket 'no' I'm up to my eyeballs in the stuff that I love and that is dear to me. 'An awful lot of people in my position do not have all that work, so I do feel that breath down the back of my neck, and I do need to keep doing the stuff that I am good at, and while the opportunities are there I need to take it because they might not be there in a couple of years time. 'So yes occasionally, there will be mentions of things but I'm not really interested. Anything physical like Strictly, Dancing on Ice, you have to give it six months of your life and not do anything else, and right now I've too many other things that I want to do. 'And as for I'm A Celebrity, I can't imagine for a minute, why would they take me to the jungle? I spend my life in the jungle. 'This may sound big headed but I spend more time in the jungle than the people that they would have as their advisors so why would they take me? I would be the worst person to take. It sounds so pretentious, but we're in June and I've had five weeks in the jungle already this year.' Readers can listen to Steve's new podcast, That's Just Wild, podcast here and tickets for his huge arena tour this October are available via Tickemaster.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Almost half of all pet owners have CANCELLED a holiday to stay with their animals
Almost half of all pet owners have cancelled a holiday to stay with their animals, new figures have shown. Four out of ten have declined the chance to take a trip away, purely due to the fear of leaving their pets at home, according to a study by Virgin Media O2 (VMO2). Meanwhile, a whopping 63 per cent of pet owners confessed they do not like to leave furry friends behind to make a foreign getaway, the merged mobile and broadband company showed. For Brits who do choose to take some time out, pets are what they miss most while away - more than even family, as per the research commissioned from Censuswide. And the yearning for their furry friends from afar sees nearly half (48 per cent) of pet owners video call their pets while on holiday, with a fifth checking an animal cam. In fact, almost a third of Brits spend as much as half an hour to an hour per day on the phone to their pets back home, using up valuable time away. For pet owners who find absence makes the heart grow fonder, dog trainer Rob Alleyne offered some advice - and it was not to call so often, or perhaps even at all. The founder of Canine Instructor Academy explained: 'Although it may make you feel better to call five times a day, for some dogs, it feels like you abandon them again every time you end the call, so they can become unsettled. 'Check your indoor camera and see how your dog is coping after each call. 'If they're being left with someone who is holding the phone, they can, of course, let you know how the dog reacts post-call.' It may even be better to put aside your yearning entirely - and not call at all: 'Some dogs may find it confusing to hear their owner's voice but not be able to find them... 'If they seem a bit out of sorts [after the call], perhaps video calling is not for them.' Pet owners explained the reasons why they call their animals while abroad - from easing their own homesickness, to believing their pets recognise their voice. But they should be aware it is not just our four-legged friends who might find themselves feeling bad after a call from a place in the sun. With as many as a third of us being served unexpected roaming charges after a trip abroad, costing on average more than £90 per trip, needy pet owners could be in financial hot water. They may be running up massive phone bills - perhaps just to keep in touch with their pooch. Gen Z pet parents should watch out for this the most - they are the neediest of all animal owners, with 70 per cent of them admitting to calling their pets while away. An enormous 61 per cent of Gen Z animal owners also confessed speaking to their pets while on holiday helps them feel less homesick. For those who do choose to FaceTime their pets, Mr Alleyne said like anything, preparation is key to managing any adverse reactions from your furry friend. He said: 'Familiarise your pet with a particular piece of music or a favourite song for a few weeks before you leave them for longer periods, particularly playing it at times when the dog is relaxed, chewing or resting. 'Have it playing in the background when you call. This can help to manage your dog's excitement or confusion levels during your call.' Mr Alleyne also had some suggestions as to how to make the most out of any time spent on the phone to our four-legged friends. He reminded animal lovers as much as we like to think our pets understand everything we say, it is sadly not the truth. Tone of voice and a couple of meaningful words or phrases are more important: 'Excitable, high-pitched voices will arouse the dog, increasing the likelihood of them becoming anxious and frustrated when you hang up. 'Instead, adopt a calm, soothing tone to help keep your pet calm. 'Spend some time creating words and phrases that will mean something to your pet when they hear them.' An O2 spokesperson said: 'We know how important it is to keep connected whilst on holiday, which is why O2 is the only major UK network to offer inclusive EU roaming as standard to 49 European destinations. 'Our new research shows that it's not just friends and family that we want to stay in touch with, but our pets too. 'With more reasons to call home than ever before, it's even more important that your mobile provider has your back while you're abroad and that you check your tariff before travelling.'
