Grand Egyptian Museum – the GEM – finally opens in full to the public today. It has immediately become a contender for world's greatest museum. Do you have a different nomination? www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

Eastern Airways: Passenger rights as it goes wrong for the UK regional carrier. www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

Eastern Airways has: Cancelled all flights. Stopped selling tickets. Returned aircraft to leasing companies. So sadly it appears the regional airline will close after 28 years, following BMI Regional and Flybe. I am now writing an explainer on passenger rights. www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

ICYMI: the latest episode of The We Society 🎙️ sees travel journalist @simoncalder.bsky.social join Will Hutton to discuss the joys of travel, how it has changed, and some of the threats that huge increases in tourism pose to popular destinations. Listen now: media.leverhulme.ac.uk/podcast/calder

Rail: taxpayer subsidy of £400 per second to keep UK trains running looks unsustainably high. Some fresh ideas from @freewheeling.info to entice new passengers and boost revenue. Reserved seats on any train. More first class. Simpler railcards to drive loyalty. www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

EU entry-exit system not going well at Prague airport: busiest arrival point where the EES is due to be happening 100% on day one. Queues of up to 90 minutes reported for arrivals from the UK and other non-Schengen nations. www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

EU entry-exit system explainer. Key points: No need to prepare anything in advance. On first contact, facial biometric and fingerprints (not for under-12s) are collected. After that, just the face. Initially it's an extra layer on top of existing manual checks. www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

340 Tui passengers from Montego Bay to Manchester are stuck in Nassau, Bahamas, for 2+ days. Original cause: an air-rage diversion. Aircraft then developed a technical fault. As Tui has no operation in Nassau, organising care is tricky. Passengers cheesed off. www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

EU entry-exit system: just 32 days until UK passport holders start giving fingerprints and facial biometrics when travelling to the Schengen area. Confusion and misinformation abounds. At 11am today I will host an Ask Me Anything on the new red tape we asked for www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

London Underground strike. Northern Line is now running end to end. Edgware and High Barnet <> Morden and Battersea Power Station via both Charing Cross and City branches. Gaps between trains of 10 minutes or so, and some stations in central area may be skipped. www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

Book an Interrail pass by next Tuesday, 9 September, and save 20%. Prices start at €226 (£197) for 4 days of travel within a month, 2nd class. 3-month continuous pass in 1st class costs €971 (£845). Under-28s: further discount of 25% 60-plus travellers save 10% www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

Air rage incidents rose 8% in 2024 compared with the previous year. Worldwide, there are now an average of 11 per hour. Many involve excessive drinking. Time to trial alcohol-free flights? www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

Just 40 days to the start of the EU's much-delayed entry-exit system. Roll-out across the Schengen area begins 12 October. Passports will be checked and stamped as normal, but you must also be prepared to provide fingerprints and a facial biometric if requested. www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

EU entry-exit system starts 12 October. Authorities are doing all they can to ensure a smooth roll-out of the new fingerprints'n'facial biometric regime. But if things start to unravel, says top aviation economist, Athens airport will see the greatest chaos. www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

Ryanair cabin baggage rules. CEO Michael O'Leary tells me 99.9% of passengers comply. To persuade the 1 in 1,000 who exceed the newly expanded 40x30x20cm limit for a free bag, he is raising the cash incentive paid to ground staff to identify offenders by €1. www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

7 weeks today, the EU entry-exit system begins. From 12 October 2025, some British travellers to/from the Schengen area will need to provide fingerprints and facial biometrics; by the end of the roll-out (9 April 2026) that will apply to all UK passport holders. www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

HS2: tens of billions shamefully squandered on a hopelessly botched rail project. Politicians top the list for culpability. But a fresh take from @freewheeling.info proposes better rail planning: starting by looking at the best future timetable you can afford. www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

easyJet CEO Kenton Jarvis tells me European Parliament proposals to allow all airline passengers to take 2 pieces of hand luggage are “unworkable and mad ... a bizarre initiative from someone who clearly doesn't fly very much. There isn't room in the aircraft.” www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

The Schengen "border free" area is now tangled with internal frontiers. The expanding controls deployed by each country means anyone travelling widely within the zone this summer will face multiple checks crossing frontiers on trains, boats, planes and highways. www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

40 years old on Tuesday and more successful than ever. No, not me: Ryanair, which started flying from Waterford in southeast Ireland to Gatwick on 8 July 1985. What did CEO Michael O'Leary ever do for us? And if Ryanair did not exist, would we have to invent it? www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

The wrong train, bus, dish, drink ... when has your travel need been lost in translation? "We gotta get out of this place." Ever been stranded somewhere unexpected and had to improvise? And showers in strange lands. Share for the next You Should Have Been There podcast @youshouldhavebt.bsky.social

HS2: I read the official reports so you didn't have to. A vision of connectivity & levelling up is now a national embarrassment, wrecked by incompetence while squandering tens of billions of public cash. Like the project, the trains will be slower than promised. www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

Gibraltar: a superb Mediterranean destination with an intensity of history, scenery and cuisine that transcends its modest scale. At present all you need is a valid UK passport to stay as long as you wish. But Spain will soon take back control at the airport. www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

Which are the world’s greatest intermodal transportation hubs? The rules: At least three different forms of transport must converge at the same location. Two of those transportation methods must be through, not simply terminating, services. And at least one of them must be international. I'll start.

Air India 171. Heartbreak in Ahmedabad. All thoughts with the families and friends of those who have lost loved ones. Air safety professionals are working to understand the causes of the tragedy, and identify lessons for the future to make the skies safer. www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

Medical diversions to flights: they seem to be happening more often, due to: An older, less healthy demographic. A gradual increase in the size of aircraft (therefore more chance a passenger will fall ill). Longer flight times (more time for someone to fall ill) www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

Summer flight disruption. The boss of Britain's biggest budget airline, easyJet, reveals pre-emptive action: Sharper turns between arrival & departure. Spare parts and planes judiciously deployed. More slack in crew rosters in case of air-traffic control delays. www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

Brits abroad is the subject of Podcast 218. Discover Brexit escapees, travel racers and AvGeeks with Mick Webb and I. @youshouldhavebt.bsky.social

Edinburgh-London, Friday 20 June. Air fares range: Ryanair £17-£121. easyJet £19-£160. British Airways £91-£1,183. Yes, a ticket on the 10.25am BA flight is 70 times more than the lowest Ryanair fare. But BA doesn't actually expect anyone to pay that price. www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

Bring back free roaming across Europe? That was never going to happen. Before Brexit, UK travellers were the main beneficiaries of Roam Like at Home. But a document published by the Boris Johnson government made clear that roaming charges would rise after Brexit www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

The jewel in the crown of international rail travel? The CEO of start-up Gemini Trains claims it is Stratford International station in east London. Forget St Pancras; Gemini expresses for Paris and Brussels will start at Stratford and also stop at Ebbsfleet Intl www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

“Over half of Brits back banning shorthaul flights where high-speed rail links exist,” says trainmaker Hitachi. But if rail services are good enough, people will stop flying anyway. Focus on improvement, not prohibition (such as the ineffective "ban" in France). www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

Stansted airport chaos due to IT failure. Hours of queuing for first-wave flights. Jet2 and Tui delayed departures to wait for passengers to reach the gate. But Ryanair, the biggest airline, has been dispatching near-empty planes on time to avoid delays later. www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

Heathrow 21 March closure due to power failure. Review of the shutdown reveals electricity was restored to all airport terminals by 11am, 12 hours after the fire began. But arrivals did not resume for the following 7 hours. Departures started 3 hours after that. www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

The tragic India-Pakistan conflict is causing delays, diversions and cancellations for hundreds of flights. Many Europe-Asia links normally traverse both India and Pakistan. Now taking longer, southerly routes, impacting: Fuel. Crew hours. Passenger connections. www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

India-Pakistan conflict affecting intercontinental aviation, with many delays, diversions and cancellations. Malaysia Airlines' overnight arrival at Heathrow from Kuala Lumpur stopped en route at Doha to refuel because it could not fly direct over Pakistan. www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

25 years ago I offered British Airways advice on the future. Some of it happened. Ditch Concorde. Start a dedicated "BA Gatwick". But I missed loads, such as: Turning into "London Airways". Moving at scale into London City. Retreat from Australia and New Zealand www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

Can you travel in May? Some implausible bargains. Corfu with Tui for £156 on Friday 16 May. Includes flights from Gatwick with baggage, transfers and a room with breakfast. One week later the price increases almost five-fold to £747 due to the late May half-term www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

Travel dangers. Humans are brilliant at travelling but rubbish at assessing risks. Biggest dangers by far: Road accidents – choose a safer form of transport when you can. Accidents in water – understand rip currents. Plus, in tropical zones, beware the mosquito. www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

Just before your Sunday lunch: what's your weirdest, most stomach-boggling meal or drink abroad? Insects in Mexico or China? Fermented mare’s milk in Kyrgystan? Deep-fried Mars bar in Glasgow? And do you have a top tip on how to explain to hospitable hosts you can’t consume their local speciality?

Bank holiday travel. London Euston station is closed on Sunday and Monday; disruption elsewhere on the West Coast main line, at London Victoria and Cambridge. Roads busiest 10am-3pm on Sunday, 11am-6pm Monday. A week of rail strikes begins in France on Monday. www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

How much is a beer'n'burger at 25 cafes around the world? My inaugural Hard Rock Index compares relative travel costs. 1 Dubai £31.50 2 Copenhagen £31 3= London, Dubrovnik, Reykjavik, Venice £26 : 25 La Paz, Bolivia £10.50; one third of Dubai's drink'n'dine cost www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

easyJet staff are still inventing their own conditions for UK passport holders to the EU: wrongly turning away passengers and wrecking trips like the Woodhouse family's birthday break in Amsterdam. As is customary, easyJet promises to "look into the incident". www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

What's the connection between this cafe and an internationally recognised tourist attraction? The answer's in podcast 215 at anchor.fm/youshouldhavebeenthere with Mick Webb and @simoncalder.bsky.social

At lunchtime on Easter Sunday, P&O Cruises told passengers booked on a voyage departing Easter Monday: the sailing is cancelled. Upsetting for many people. Full refunds, of course. For compensation, the offer is 20% of the amount paid as "future cruise credit". www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

Dubrovnik‘s magnificent wall wraps around the most beautiful city in the Adriatic. This season admission has risen 14% to €40: a price that's in theme park territory for an 80-min experience. So: which cities have impressive city walls you can access for free? I’ll start: York and Derry/Londonderry.

Sorry seems to be the hardest word for Norwegian border police. They got the passport rules wrong for a British visitor with a valid document. Then they detained, frisked, fingerprinted and deported her back to the UK. They now say: "A procedural error was made" www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

Top destinations from UK airports over Easter weekend 6 Dubai 5 Palma 4 Malaga 3 Alicante 2 Amsterdam 1 Dublin The Irish capital has more British arrivals than Paris, Madrid and Rome combined. Lower down: first we take Manhattan (12th) then we take Berlin (26th) www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

Easter: despite likely flight disruption this weekend, at least we can travel from 17-20 April 2025 – unlike the same dates in 2010 (Icelandic volcano closure of the skies) and 2020 (Covid, with the-then transport secretary urging people not to book summer hols) www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

Your Easter travel update. Road and rail extremely busy today. Shaky start for Maundy Thursday, one of the peak days for rail travel of the entire year. Not one but two broken-down trains on the West Coast main line. Good Friday will be busiest at the airports. www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...