With 30 years experience working in, and reporting on, the travel industry, Simon Calder has built a reputation that is second to none. You may know him as senior travel editor at the Independent, or the travel commentator often featured on the BBC, GMTV and CNN. He is also presenter of Simon Calder's Travel Clinic, broadcast each Sunday between 2 and 4pm on LBC 97.3: this is the show to ring, text or email if you want information or inspiration about where to set your compass. The show on Sunday 31 January 2010 will be broadcast from Adventure Travel Live, in the company of a live audience.
Simon says, "The organisers of Adventure Travel Live asked if I’d like my own travel theatre at the show. I have loved the challenge of creating a programme of talks, interviews and panel discussions on what I regard as the most interesting issues, countries, people and ideas in travel today. But for the theatre to work, to be inspirational, informative and entertaining, I had to call upon the very best people in the business, the individuals I rely on professionally for insights and expertise.And some of these travel experts, like Tony Wheeler, founder of Lonely Planet, have flown in from abroad specifically to be with us this weekend.
"Luckily, they said "yes".
"To mark the opening of Adventure Travel Live on Friday evening 29 January 2010, I am trying something which has not been done before: interviewing some very special guests about their intrepid travel experiences in front of an intimate audience. To join us, share a complimentary glass or two of wine and access the Adventure Travel Live show on the Saturday and Sunday, click here for tickets. It could be an exciting and energising way to start your weekend."
Friday 29 January 2010
Time : 19:00 till 20:30
Where : Theatre 1
You can be part of Simon Calder's conversation with:
Ben Fogle
A passionate presenter, writer and adventurer, Ben's achievements include racing 160 miles across the Sahara desert in the notorious six-day Marathon des Sables; rowing across the Atlantic Ocean in 49 days; and crossing Antarctica in a race on foot to the South Pole. This most recent expedition, undertaken with Olympic Gold medallist, James Cracknell, was made into a TV documentary called On Thin Ice and a book titled Race to the Pole.
Alain de Botton
When you type "brainiest man in Britain" into a search engine, you get 6,000 results, add "Alain de Botton" to your search line, and the number leaps to 1.25 million! A bestselling writer of extraordinary books, as well as a television presenter, Alain has written extensively about travel, most notably in his book The Art of Travel. In 2009 he was invited to be Heathrow airport's first 'writer-in-residence' and wrote a book on the experience titled A Week at the Airport. He is a founder member of The School of Life.
Sarah Miller
When Conde Nast Traveller magazine was launched in the UK in 1997, Sarah was the natural choice as the best young editor of her generation and an accomplished traveller. Since then she has travelled far and wide in her search for the world's best hotels, airlines, restaurants and travel stories from travel luminaries such as Michael Palin. Sarah has been awarded Editor of the Year four times by the British Society of Magazine Editors, and Conde Nast Traveller has twice been voted Consumer Lifestyle Magazine of the Year.
Will Whitehorn
Will joined the Virgin Group in 1987 and became President of Virgin Galactic, the world's first space line, in 2004. The inaugural sub-orbital flight should happen "within two years". Spaceflights will travel to the edge of space, around 70 miles from Earth, and passengers will be able to see 1,000 miles in all directions. The maximum speed of the spaceships will be around 2,500mph - three times the speed of sound. Set the controls for the next great travel experience.
Saturday 30 January 2010
Time : 10:30 till 11:30
Where : Theatre 1
The Middle East: The World's Most Maligned and Misunderstood Region? By Frances Linzee Gordon, Lonely Planet
A Lonely Planet author and photographer for over 10 years, Frances Linzee Gordon writes books on the Middle East, Africa and Europe. She also works as presenter, consultant/producer and guest on TV and radio travel shows, including BBC 2's recent documentary series The Frankincense Trail set in Arabia. She has travelled to more than 100 countries but has a particular passion for the Middle East and is a student of Arabic. In 2006, she became the first, official independent traveller to set foot in Saudi Arabia, and has since filmed there with the BBC. Her illustrated talk will recount her many adventures and experiences in the Middle East, challenge the stereotypes surrounding the region, and offer top tips for travel and survival.
Saturday 30 January 2010
Time : 12:00 till 13:00
Where : Theatre 1
Travellers' Question Time Chaired by Simon Calder
If you're imagining a travel version of BBC Radio 4's Gardeners' Question Time? Think again. Never have so many people who know so much about travel been brought together in the same room at the same time. Panellists include: Dr Ben MacFarlane, a repatriation doctor and author of Holiday SOS: Sun, Sea & Surgery; Lyn Hughes, founder and editor of Wanderlust Magazine; Neil Taylor, guidebook author, travel lecturer and tour leader, specialising in the Baltic States, Russia and China; Haydn Wrath and Paul Goldstein, a travel expert with over 20 years experience of guiding in Africa, the Arctic and Antarctica. To send in your travel queries ahead of time, click here and quote TQT in the Subject Line.
Saturday 30 January 2010
Time : 13:30 till 14:30
Where : Theatre 1
Adventurous Journeys: Trains; Planes & Automobiles Chaired by Simon Calder
Much of travel is about transport and no-one knows more about getting from A to B in the cheapest and most adventurous ways possible than our panellists. Mark Smith, world train travel expert, is founder of The Man in Seat 61 website (www.seat61.com), winner of the recent Guardian & Observer Best Travel Website Award; Nikki Davies has the low-down on new routes, fares, cheap deals and RTW tickets; Duncan Milligan has driven overland trucks and led tours through South America, Africa, India, China and Central Asia and now runs Tour De Force, an adventure logistics company which was heavily involved in the Channel 4 documentary, Flying Car Over the Sahara, broadcast in October 2009.
Saturday 30 January 2010
Time : 15:00 till 16:00
Where : Theatre 1
Back in the USSR: Adventures in the former Soviet Union With Neil McGowan, the Russia Experience, and Dan Richardson of Rough Guides Interviewed by Simon Calder
The former Soviet Union is an adventure playground made up of the most remote, extreme and little-visited places on earth; the Mongolian Gobi, the Siberian Steppe, the Taklamakan Desert. It is home to the Trans-Siberian Railway and the exciting cities of Moscow and St Petersburg. Neil McGowan lives in Russia; he set up and runs The Russia Experience. Dan Richardson has written the Rough Guide to St Petersburg and the Rough Guide to Moscow.
Saturday 30 January 2010
Time : 16:30 till 17:30
Where : Theatre 1
Hostile Environment Training By Charlie McGrath, Objective Travel Safety.
What do you do in an earthquake? How would you survive if kidnapped? Could you negotiate your way across a guerrilla road block? Charlie McGrath spent 15 years as an Army officer in Northern Ireland, Central America and Southern Africa. His company, Objective, provides safety training for travellers, journalists and NGOs operating in hostile environments. He provided training for Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman prior to their Long Way Round and Long Way Down motorbike adventure.
Sunday 31 January 2010
Time : 11:00 till 12:00
Where : Theatre 1
Bad Lands - A Tourist on the Axis of Evil by Tony Wheeler, co-founder of Lonely Planet
Tony says, "this presentation is a tourist account of my time in Afghanistan, Albania, Burma, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, and Saudi Arabia. It is certainly not Most Dangerous Places; I'm careful, cautious and have a low tolerance for pain. I had an extraordinarily interesting time visiting my nine Bad Lands. Only in Afghanistan and Iraq was I ever concerned for my safety and I always ate well, slept comfortably, stayed healthy and, as a bonus, made some good friends. After this journey, I wrote a book called Bad Lands; I am now working on Bad Lands II...
Sunday 31 January 2010
Time : 12:30 till 13:30
Where : Theatre 1
The Air Travel Masterclass: fares; routes & safety Chaired by Simon Calder
Why did I pay £300 for this flight and the person next to me paid £20? If flying is so safe, why has 2009 been one of the worst years for plane crashes in the past decade? How can I get the best tickets at the best price? This is the definitive Q&A session on air travel with a panel of aviation insiders including: Tony Wheeler, co-founder Lonely Planet, Tim Jeans, managing director of Monarch Airlines; Andy Patterson, an ex-military pilot now flying for NetJets; Dan Cook, a long-haul cabin crew member with 20 years' experience; and Arran Sutherland. Get your question in first by clicking here and quoting ATM in the Subject Line.
Sunday 31 January 2010
Time : 14:00 till 16:00
Where : Theatre 1
Simon Calder's Travel Clinic on LBC 97.3 Presented by Simon Calder with Adventure Travel Live experts
There's nothing else like it: a phone-in radio programme where all your travel questions and queries are answered - mostly by Simon but, if not, one of the show's many informed listeners. This special edition of Simon Calder's Travel Clinic will come live from the Royal Horticultural Halls. Simon will interview travel experts at the show, answer some questions live from the floor as well as taking calls, emails and texts from LBC listeners across London and the world. To get your question in early, email Simon on simon@lbc.co.uk.
