On the Sunday, April 19th, 2015 edition of The Travel Guys… This week's edition of The Travel Guys features a visit from consumer reporter and advocate Ed Perkins. Ed writes for Smartertravel.com and is one of our favorite guests. Ed recently wrote a column about hidden travel costs and he talks about "travel overhead." It's a fascinating way of looking at your time when you are traveling. Time is definitely money. A great interview and you can find Ed's column here.
In the Saved The Best for Last segment, we make up for the story we left out last week by giving you TWO unique stories this week. Did you hear the one about the lady who got kicked off the plane for stabbing a snoring fellow flier with her pen? Or the United flight that was held so a man could have a final visit with his mother before she passed?
Gwen Duncan is along with info on a new product from the Disney Travel folks. It is Disney's version of the popular European river cruises. Gwen gives us her take. You can find more information here.
Posted Sunday, April 12th, 2015 We are live from Maui this week, from the Royal Lahaina Hotel, on the shores of the Pacific. We'll share a little about this classic, moderately priced resort on the Kaanapali coast.
On the program two weeks ago, Mark had a news item about Frontier Airlines leaving passengers stranded for 18 hours in St. Louis. Without providing even meal vouchers (their printer was broken was the lame excuse). Mark and Tom commented at the time that when you choose an airline like Frontier, Spirit or Allegiant, you are choosing a "bare bones" carrier and you shouldn't be surprised when the service matches the price you paid. Mark also commented that at the end of the day, once you've paid for all the add on charges, those airlines fares are frequently not the lowest.
We were contacted by a representative from Spirit Airlines who said we had our story wrong. We invited the Spirit spokesman on the show this week, and a VERY lively conversation ensues. Mark stands by his comments and takes the Spirit spokesman to task.
Christopher Elliott, travel columnist for USA Today and the Sacramento Bee, talks about hotel websites that pump up the diamond ratings of the hotels they are selling to you. This interview will definitely make you a smarter traveler
In the "we saved the best for last" segment, the guys have a heartwarming story that results in some kudos for...are you ready...AN AIRLINE!
On the Sunday, April 5th, 2015 edition of The Travel Guys… This week's edition of The Travel Guys features a great segment on the question of the need for a travel agent. You can book everything online these days, or most everything, so why would you want to pay someone to accomplish that? Gwen Duncan, of Cordially Yours Travel, is our guest and offers five reasons having someone on your side who will advocate for service for you is pretty important. It's a discussion that's bound to make you a smarter traveler.
The travel news features quick stories about the reappearance of Skymall in the air, the cost of taxis vs. Uber and how the Indian Army is sending troops to clean up the garbage on Mount Everest.
Mark shares stories of ghosts from his recent tour to Nevada Ghost towns; and later tells us about how Southwest airlines threw a surprise wedding shower for one of its passengers in the, Saved The Best for Last segment at the end of the show.
On the Sunday, March 29th, 2015 edition of The Travel Guys… This week, Mark relives his time last week as a citizen lobbyist in Washington, DC, and shares a host of tips on hotels, taxis, flights and more, to make you a smarter traveler on your next trip to our nation's capital.
Gwen Duncan stops by to tell us about a unique castle in the Bay Area we're betting you're never heard of. She'll tell you how you can get an exclusive tour, or follow this link.
In the show's "save the best for last" segment, we tell you about a unique piece of Disneyland memorabilia for sale, and share a story about the Alaska airline employee who stepped in and bought a ticket for a Delta passenger, when Delta wouldn't get her home. A pretty cool way of paying it forward.
Finally, we replay an interview with Chris Hart, a man of many trains. Chris' interview was interrupted by a power outage when it first ran a few weeks ago. From the famous "Skunk Train" to a dinner train right in our own backyard, Chris has the rundown.