July has begun: good luck, travellers everywhere

Simon Calder’s Travel Week [View in browser]( [The Independent]( July 01, 2022 [The Independent]( The second half of the year has begun, and with it school holidays for hundreds of thousands of families in Scotland and Northern Ireland. [ Michelle (left) and Rosanna (right)]( Flying visit? Heathrow looks set for a strange summer Along with millions more in England and Wales, who break up in a few weeks, they deserve to savour the delicious anticipation of an escape abroad – for many, the first for three years. Instead, though, apprehension is the most prevalent emotion for July and August: peak season for international travel. Looking at the UK’s chief exit, London Heathrow, you can understand a [certain anxiety](. [Yesterday, upwards of 5,000 passengers learnt at short notice that their flights were cancelled](. By order of the airport management, schedules had to be slimmed “to keep everyone safe”. Summer 2022 at Heathrow is proving strange all round. There was [the luggage mountain](, which some mistook for an early Turner Prize exhibit, that popped up following a baggage system failure at Terminal 2 on 17 June. And British Airways is about to play musical gates. In the reduced Heathrow of summer 2022, [BA is largely moving out of Terminal 3](. With the exception of a dozen short-haul destinations, from 12 July everything else will start and end at Terminal 5. The timing of the move is enormously convenient for a carrier facing a strike by its “front of house” staff at Heathrow: [700 passenger service agents engaged in a pay dispute have voted overwhelmingly to walk out](. Their unions have not yet named a date for industrial action to begin, but even if notice were given today the earliest would be 15 July. In the event of a stoppage, BA will be able to focus almost all its contingency resources on a single location. The more the aviation industry unravels, the clearer it becomes that the only way to address overstretch and understaffing is to pay people more. This week [the Unite union secured a double-digit pay deal for a small group of Heathrow-based cabin crew](. I think it may set the course for the future. Passengers must be prepared to pay a bit more to ensure professionals earn decent wages. The reward: resilience and a return to delicious anticipation. [Get inspired...](   Foodie Valencia]( Spain's third city has a drool-worthy culinary scene that far outstrips its love affair with paella [I'm an image]( [In the green]( Say hello to El Hierro – the little-known Canary island powered by renewable energy [I'm an image]( //link.e.independent.co.uk/click/28236952.10421/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuaW5kZXBlbmRlbnQuY28udWsvdHJhdmVsL2hvdGVscy9iZXN0LWhvdGVscy1teWtvbm9zLWdyZWVrLWlzbGFuZHMtYjIwOTE5NDQuaHRtbA/583d2887487ccd777a8b7489B904befee/email[Welcome to Bollywood]( How to spend a day in Mumbai’s magical Bandra West neighbourhood Tip of the week: Flights for larger passengers   On intercontinental flights, passengers who need an extra roomy seat – and have a sufficiently robust credit card to pay for it – can opt for premium economy, business or even first class. Increasingly, though, on short-haul flights the airline industry seems to think one size fits all. Among the airlines that still offer business class within Europe, the trend is to use exactly the same economy-grade seats throughout the aircraft. There are rare exceptions: the evening flight from London Heathrow to Madrid on Iberia is operated by a long-haul, wide-bodied Airbus A350 with seats up to 23 inches wide. But for other destinations, consider Ryanair’s straightforward solution. Make a booking for two tickets. Use the actual passenger's name for the first seat; for the second, enter the first name as “Extra“ and the second as “Comfort Seat”. Pre-pay for two seats together, then check in as normal and get two boarding passes, including one carrying the name “Extra Comfort Seat”. Silly name, sensible policy. But note your imaginary friend does not get a cabin baggage allowance of its own. [Read about the Air New Zealand's plan for inflight bunk beds]( Deal of the week: Roaming around East Anglia   Britain has plenty of rail rover tickets, offering a day of unlimited travel in specific areas – and one of the best covers East Anglia. For £25 (or just £16.50 for railcard holders), you can explore from Cambridge to Great Yarmouth, and from Ipswich to Sheringham on the north Norfolk coast, with the Suffolk coast railway and the Wherry lines from Norwich to the seaside. Accompanying children travel for just £2 each. Buy on the day. [Read about an app-assisted hike along the north Norfolk coast]( Travel voucher of the week [Save £150 on holidays over £800 with this TUI voucher code]( Question of the week: Unreliable flights   Q We have a flight booked on Sunday 24 July from London Gatwick to Venice. Since all the news stories at half term with on-the-day cancellations, we have been checking – and it’s not good! The route appears to be frequently cancelled or badly delayed. Can we cancel and get a refund? A Once you commit to a flight, past performance is inadmissible as grounds for cancelling your ticket for a refund. Instead, do a bit more research and prepare the ground just in case that infuriating text arrives as you are on the way to Gatwick or even in the departure lounge. Bear in mind your options will be far easier if you are carrying cabin baggage only, rather than having to retrieve your luggage. See if the airline has any further departures from one of the London airports to Venice on that day, and be prepared to go online and switch your booking. In case the airline that cancels cannot help, ensure you know the options from nearby airports – including on rival carriers. The third layer of protection is a departure to a nearby airport, of which Verona and Bologna are the top choices: they have good rail connections to Venice. [Check out our guide on visiting Venice responsibly as a first-timer]( Stat of the week 21 The average September temperature, in Celsius, of the Pacific Ocean at Santa Monica on the Californian coast. This month [the resort is twinning with Brighton]( (where the corresponding figure is 17), to celebrate their historic piers and prevailing air of hedonism What you might have missed   - Test-free travel: [The destinations that have ditched Covid entry rules]( - On the right track: [Man travels to every train station in Britain]( - World Cup survival kit: [Everything you need to know about Qatar 2022]( Simon’s diary   Every day from Monday to Friday I tackle a top travel story, or explore a topic in more detail than usual in ‘Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast’ – available free on [Spotify](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Pocket Casts]( or [Acast](. I find the easiest way to rush out stories is to tweet them. It’s also an easy way to contact me. My DMs are open and I read all direct messages, though regrettably I can’t respond to every one. Let me know your thoughts [@SimonCalder]( Each Saturday and Sunday I take questions live at 3.30pm British time on Instagram Live – from wherever I happen to be in the world – so please do come and say hello. Follow me on [@Simon_Calder]( Or you can find me on TikTok. Come and have a look at what I have been up to as I bring you top travel topics and report on the latest changes in a minute or less via [@caldertravel](   INDYBEST / [TRAVEL BEST BUY](   The best car camping gear to bring on the road with you, from mattresses to fire pits As an affordable solution that doesn’t involve booking a campsite or pitching a [tent](, car camping allows you to explore more, park up almost anywhere. [Click here to find out what gear to take](     Essential reading What’s the ‘dopamine travel’ trend and could it really perk up burnt-out travellers?]( Articles available exclusively to subscribers [Welcome to the summer of ‘travxiety’, where heading off on holiday feels far from relaxing](   Other newsletters you might like [US Morning Headlines] US Morning Headlines Weekdays, 12pm (UK time) Written by Andrew Naughtie [Sign up]( [Climate Warrior] Climate Warrior Every Wednesday, 8am (UK time) Written by climate activists [Sign up](   If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. [The Independent]( Join the conversation or follow us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's Travel newsletter. Add us to your safe list of senders. If you do not want to receive The Independent's Travel newsletter, please [unsubscribe](list_name=IND_Travel_Newsletter_CDP). 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