The New Patagonian Express is a double-decker coach. Specifically, it is the 7am Bus Sur departure from Puerto Natales in deepest Chile. The destination: El Calafate in Argentina. This is the tourist heartland of southern South America, where mountains, lakes, glaciers and travellers converge under the summer sun. (Today in Patagonia equates to 13 August in the northern hemisphere.) The journey provides a reminder that South America does things differently. Like every form of transport I have sampled over the past week, the published schedule proves about as useful as deploying a Gabriel García Márquez novel as a guidebook to Colombia. Planes, boats and buses depart and arrive randomly. In the absence of concrete information from transport providers, the vacuum is filled by speculation and wild rumour from fellow passengers. Journey planning is reduced to a series of bets about what might possibly happen. More often than not, though, things work out fine in the South American casino of travel possibilities. When I touched down at São Paulo airport in Brazil at the start of my trip, I was invited to choose my own path through customs by pressing a button just ahead of the red/green channel split. Rather than you deciding whether you have anything to declare, a randomised machine makes the selection. Presumably the frontier experience is a game of Brazilian roulette: customs officers read the behaviour of arriving travellers and watch for body-language signals that indicate they should intervene. I hit green and walked through into a continent that arguably packs more wonders than any other – along with a vast and erratic bus network. My 100-mile trip (as the condor flies) yesterday turned out to take a surprising seven hours. Yet the rewards from the upper deck are priceless. Argentina's Highway 5 cuts through swathes of desert resembling the moon. Intermittently, the road surface takes a lunar-esque turn of its own. The end of the road comprises a corrugated horizon of Andean mountains blessed by glaciers. Bliss. Patagonian prize: Perito Moreno glacier |
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Are we nearly there yet? In Patagonia, the answer is invariably 'no' |
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| Our writer examines the ethics of travelling to the US during these turbulent times. Read more. |
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| The first empty-nester holiday is a rite of passage for any couple – here's how to make it truly special. Read more. |
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| As the much-anticipated version of the Brontë classic hits cinemas, these are the Yorkshire spots to visit. Read more. |
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| Georgia: Land of Myths & Mountains - £100 off |
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| Discover the mountaintop monasteries, ancient cave towns, family-run vineyards and delicious cuisine of Georgia on this 9-day tour. Independent readers save £100 per person with code INDY100. |
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| The top action cameras for every adventure |
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Essential listening: Independent travel podcasts |
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Airports across the world have had a dismal week. On Tuesday, St Helena airport, on which the distant South Atlantic island depends, shut down all passenger services because the fire engines failed to meet international safety standards. The St Helena government says medical evacuation flights and business jet operations can resume, but there is no indication of when tourists currently on the island will be able to leave. A cruise ship called on Wednesday – but, says the government: "The ship was operating at full capacity and so was unable to offer any berths to those waiting to leave the island." Also on Tuesday, El Paso airport on the Texas–Mexico border was suddenly shut down for 10 days by order of the US Federal Aviation Administration. Within hours, it reopened. Sean Duffy, the transportation secretary, posted on X: "The FAA and DOW [Department of War] acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion." Whether or not a Mexican drugs gang was actually responsible, some travellers will add the risk of a sudden shutdown at American airports to their growing list of reasons to avoid the US for now. Cuba, meanwhile, has found itself at the wrong end of attention from Washington DC for decades. But this week the pain on the Caribbean island intensified more than ever. The island has always found ways around the US economic blockade that began in the early 1960s. Until 1991, Moscow was the principal benefactor and supplier of oil to the only communist nation in the West. The financial vacuum created by the collapse of the USSR was swiftly filled by earnings from tourism – with British visitors touching down in their hundreds of thousands each year. Venezuela took over the role of filling station – which was fine until the US moved to extract the president, Nicolas Maduro, from Caracas. History shows that Cuba is better than any other nation at coping with extraordinary economic shocks. But Donald Trump has gone further than any previous American president in claiming that Cuba threatens "the safety, national security, and foreign policy of the United States". Any country that supplies Cuba runs the risk of ever-higher tariffs. What does this have to do with tourists? Well, so tight is the fuel blockade on the island that the Caribbean nation's aviation authority was put out a warning to airlines that I summarise as: "Sorry everyone, we've run out of fuel." Air Canada has cancelled all its flights to the island. Air France is refuelling in the Bahamas before flying back to Paris. And the White House has got the result it wanted, with the UK Foreign Office putting Cuba on the no-go list. A nation that has for decades provided British travellers with the warmest of welcomes and intense experiences is now on the edge of a tourism meltdown. Sometimes bullies win. |
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What is the best escape from the dreadful UK weather?
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Tenerife and Cyprus are both lovely island breaks and are similar distances from the UK. But which would you choose to escape Britain's dismal weather, which has been relentless so far in 2026? Vote using the buttons above. When I asked last week if Valentine's Day was the most romantic time to travel, you weren't feeling the love. A huge 95 per cent of you said no and would prefer to avoid the half-term crowds. |
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The Tanzania-Zambia express is back |
Express passenger trains have resumed between Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and Kapiri Mposhi in central Zambia – along what is arguably Africa's greatest railway. The 1,863-mile line links the Tanzanian coast with the copper belt in Zambia. Westbound express trains depart from Dar on Friday afternoon and arrive on Sunday morning. The Zambian terminus is about 100 miles north by road from the capital, Lusaka. Eastbound, the departure from Zambia is on Tuesday afternoon with arrival at lunchtime on Thursday. The rail firm is Tazara – the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority – which says: "Passengers have the rare treat of viewing a variety of game along the way. When passing though the tunnels, crossing rivers and gorges, passengers have a chance to appreciate the awesome and inspirational engineering works of the Chinese, who constructed the rail line between 1970 and 1975."
According to the international rail website Seat61.com, a one-way ticket in first-class sleeper for the whole journey costs 110,200 Tanzanian shillings – about £31. Consult the site for the complex arrangements for buying tickets. Slower "ordinary" trains are free, but Tazara warns: "The ordinary train stops at every serviceable railway station in the respective regions of Tanzania and Zambia." |
44 hours of intercity rail travel for £44, so long as you start in Germany |
Deutsche Bahn has a tempting deal for the next six weeks for anyone aged under 27: the chance to travel far and wide on high-speed ICE trains for a flat rate of €44 for 44 hours. The aim is to fill empty seats between 6pm on a Friday and 2pm on a Sunday. "Valid for any number of long-distance journeys within Germany," the rail firm says. "No need to book in advance. Simply get on board." The offer runs to 29 March. German trains are currently something of a shambles, with widespread delays and cancellations. But it is good to see some innovation. Meanwhile, for travellers of any age who aren't in too much of a hurry, the Deutschland Ticket remains the best public transport deal in Europe – outside Luxembourg, where tickets are so last century. |
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Your views on travelling alone? |
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Solo travel has many advantages. I am an ardent practitioner of exploring on my own. Making a journey alone gives you a deeper immersion in the local culture. You have more independence and can take advantage of serendipity or whim to change plans. Even dining alone is a pleasure: the solo traveller can relish every morsel of a meal without distraction, except for some quiet eavesdropping on other diners' conversations. There are practical advantages, too. You won't be held up with a companion who hasn't remembered the airport security regime or who insists on checking in a suitcase containing an extravagant wardrobe. Occasionally I grab the last seat on a plane or bus by dint of being alone.
Going solo has drawbacks, too. Many travellers love to share their experiences with a partner, friends or family, and the internet is a poor substitute for being there. Safety can be a worry: I have been the target of robbers while alone in Krakow, Lisbon and San José, Costa Rica. For single women there is the extra concern of sexual violence. And from a practical perspective, the mainstream travel industry is annoyingly designed for couples. For a standard room in a city hotel, a package to the Med or a cabin on a cruise, a solo traveller typically pays up to twice as much as the per-person cost for two.
When travelling alone, I try to dodge single supplements by seeking out smaller, family-run hotels where there is often a single room; this is easier in Europe than North America. Elsewhere, hostels are a good bet. There is one advantage that most single travellers possess that allows them to keep costs down: unless you work in education and are tied to school or college holidays, you can travel off peak and save a fortune. |
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| Take to the seas with up to £600 off staterooms with Princess Cruises in their "V.I.P. sale". Explore a range of destinations while enjoying delicious food, top-notch facilities and more. Offer valid on new bookings made by 2 March. Learn more. |
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| Save up to 50% on your next UK escape with rail and hotel packages from Great Little Breaks. Explore Brighton's coastal charm or take a historic steam train ride through Snowdonia's stunning scenery. Various packages available. Learn more. |
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| Enjoy a getaway to Lake Garda for less with these tempting Tui deals. Explore picturesque villages, marvel at dramatic mountain scenery and take a dreamy boat ride across the lake. Various dates, durations and departure available. Learn more. |
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| Heading to Europe? Stay powered up with this UK to European plug adapter, now only £7 at Amazon. |
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| Keep your feet comfy and stylish on every adventure – with big savings in the Myrqvist Sale. |
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| Follow me on Instagram @Simon_Calder. Join me here live every weekend at 5.30pm British time as I answer your travel questions. |
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