Simon Calder is the travel editor of the Independent and is considered Britain's leading travel commentator, but it wasn't always like that. His career in travel began at Gatwick airport, where he cleaned out planes for Sir Freddie Laker and later, frisked passengers (for a job, that is not a hobby). He then graduated in Mathematics from Warwick University, and began to write travel guidebooks.

At The Independent, he has the title The man who pays his way because he wont accept free transport or accommodation from the travel trade.

Today, he is a presenter for BBC1's Holiday programme and Heaven and Earth Show, and a regular contributor to radio and television news programmes. He continues to write travel books, ranging from guides to Amsterdam and Cuba to an analysis of no-frills aviation.