On the Sunday, March 6th, 2011 edition of The Travel Guys… On Sunday, March 6th, Mark and Tom play host to two noted consumer travel advocates. The first is travel expert Ed Perkins, who writes for SmarterTravel.com. You may also recognize Ed from the Consumer Reports Travel Letter, which he used to edit for many years. Also joining us this week is Ben Schlappig - Blogger and Airline Mile extraordinaire! Finally, we'll have Corey Marshall from Anderson Vacations on-air to talk about the recent earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand. Corey is currently traveling through the area and will be joining us to share some insights on the aftermath, recovery efforts and effect on future tourism. You won't want to miss this interview if you're planning on visiting New Zealand anytime soon! Wait, but what about the toothpicks? We've rustled up a man who creates amazing pieces of art out of toothpicks. Don't believe us? Just continue reading and tune into the show!
Ed Perkins
Ed Perkins currently writes for SmarterTravel.com and was the editor of the highly respected Consumer Reports Travel Letter for many years. Ed is retired in Ashland, Oregon, and still following travel from the consumer point of view. He offered tips, many from the view of a senior traveler - a group which Ed proudly admits belonging to. We hope Ed will join us on a regular basis!
What's the Latest on Travel Credit Cards? - Recently written by Ed for SmarterTravel.com
Check out more of Ed's recent travel articles here
An Update from New Zealand
Christchurch, New Zealand recently endured a horrific 6.3 magnitude earthquake. The destruction caused by the quake was unbelievable, and our thoughts go out to all those affected by this tragedy. Road Reporter Corey Marshall of Anderson Vacations is currently traveling in the area. He'll be calling in to report on the aftermath of the earthquake and some wisdom for anyone thinking of visiting New Zealand within the next few months. The Kiwis are in recovery mode and Corey shares that spirit.
For more information on the Christchurch earthquake, you can checkout some of the following: Christchurch Earthquake Photolog - Boston Globe photolog of the aftermath and rescue efforts New Zealand Red Cross Donations - Donate to help the Red Cross deal with the aftermath of the quake
Luck Has Nothing to Do With It
Ben Schlappig has been perfecting his method of getting something for nothing from the airlines for a long time now. As part of an ongoing series, he'll be joining us today to divulge just a few of his secrets and share some interesting travel stories. Ben, known as "lucky" in the airline blogging community, writes an awesome blog called One Mile at a Time. We highly recommend you check it out!
Learn about how Ben got started with "mileage running," his tactic for making the most of airline miles and getting free travel! Todays episode was brought to you by PackingLight.net. Travel is easy when you're packing light!
Now for the Toothpicks...
We promised you toothpicks, and man, do we know how to deliver. Well...we know how to find the people who deliver... Enter Stan Munro, a man who knows how to do incredible things with toothpicks and a whole lot of patience. Don't believe us? Just checkout the photos below! Why? How? How Long? Glad you asked; Stan does a fantastic job of answering all these questions and more (with a healthy dose of comedy, we may ad) on his FAQ page. Our current favorite: "How do you transport these things?!? - Very carefully. No, really. Tons of bubble wrap, tuck in your shirt and your shoelaces so you don‘t trip." Stan is a great guy with an amazing talent. Check out a few photos of his work below and head over to his site when you're done (www.toothpickcity.com). There's tons more photos and more info on what makes Stan tick.
On the Saturday, February 26th, 2011 edition of The Travel Guys… For the second straight year, The Travel Guys will broadcast from one of the largest travel shows in the country this Sunday, February 27th. Join Tom (in Sacramento) and Mark (in New York) for some terrific interviews from around the world. Mark promises visits to Turkey, the Czech Republic, Costa Rica and more. We'll even tell you how to get reliable cell phone service at a reasonable cost overseas and introduce you to a government program that can make it safer for you to travel to exotic destinations.
Mark will be rounding up all the guests he can get behind a microphone to share with you on an this radio “trip around the world.” Great fun! Plus the travel news; Michelle and Veronica with an update of next weekend’s premier cultural arts events around town and more, all on Sunday at 2pm on KFBK. (The Travel Guys also stream live at www.kfbk.com at 2pm PDT Sundays.)
Guests and Websites from today's episode We'd like to extend a special thanks to each and every guest who was able to join us on-air today. Thanks!Luis Jara from Costa Rica - www.visitcostarica.com Alex Filippov from One Sim Card - www.onesimcard.com Pavel Kosar from Czech Tourism - www.czechtourism.com Waynette Kwon from the Big Island of Hawaii - www.bigisland.org - www.hawaiiislandretreat.com Ebru Ejder, Director of Turkish Tourism - www.tourismturkey.org John Echard from the US Department of State, talking about the new Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) - travel.state.gov/step
Check it out for yourself... All photos are courtesy of the New York Times
On the Saturday, February 19th, 2011 edition of The Travel Guys… It's no secret, we love to travel. But it would be a real shame to spend all our time uncovering the best that far-off destinations have to offer while overlooking some of the amazing attractions we have right here in California. Two such attractions that don't get near the attention they deserve are the Ramona Pageant and the "Taste of Pismo" at Pismo Beach. Both are a real treat, and we can't wait to share them with you! Speaking of local attractions, we have 3 sets of tickets to give away to local shows and events in the area. Tickets will be given out on-air, so be sure to listen in for your chance to win! The Ramona Pageant
This is a play like none you've seen before. The play takes place outdoors in the historic Ramona Bowl, allowing you to become fully immersed in the story as events unfold in all directions. Horses charge in from the left, gun fights to the right, dancing in front; it's really quite remarkable. Check out the 2011 Ramona Bowl official trailer over on their facebook page or learn more about the pageant at ramonabowl.com. Interested in the show but not the hassle? You can also join Sports Leisure Vacations on their annual trip to the Ramona Bowl at the end of April. A Taste of Pismo Beach
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It's almost time for the 6th Annual "Taste of Pismo" celebration at Pismo Beach. If you're not already familiar with Pismo Beach, just think warm, sandy beaches, excellent food and a whole lotta fun. The celebration takes place on April 25 and brings all these things together with live entertainment, food tasting and wine samplings (lots of wine samplings!) It's a fun time each and every year, and we HIGHLY recommend you check it out! You can learn more about the Taste of Pismo at www.tasteofpismo.com or learn about how you can experience the Taste of Pismo celebration with Sports Leisure Vacations! Carnaval in Sacramento!
Arguably one of the biggest dance parties in the world, Carnaval is coming to Sacramento for the first time ever! The event takes place this Saturday, Feb 26th, starting at 8pm and features live entertainment, dance crews, Brazilian food and drinks. Tickets are $20.00 at the door, but save $5.00 by purchasing in advance.
On the Sunday, February 13th, 2011 edition of The Travel Guys… Ever wonder why some people seem to rack up tons of free flights and points galore while you're still stuck just below the domestic flight mark? Us too. So we found someone who "gets it" to help us through the ins and outs of airline point systems. Next, road reporter Chris Galloway tunes in with an exclusive inside scoop of Sacramento's newest airport construction project, the Big Build. It's been a while since our last Big Build update, and my how things have progressed. Finally, we'll be flexing the "entertainment" side of The Travel Guys a bit with an in-studio appearance by the cast of "It's a Grand Night for Singing," now playing at our very own Cosmopolitan Cabaret. Oh yeah, did we mention the mice? Yeah, today's episode also has mice. All this and more on this week's The Travel Guys! Beating the Sytem with Ben Schlappig
Every now and then we stumble across someone who just seems to "get it" with regard to airline points. Free flights, free upgrades, hotel rooms, cars and more; all without breaking a sweat. As an avid benefits junky himself, Mark has quite a bit of respect for people willing to roll up their sleeves and figure it all out. One such person, Ben Schlappig joins us today to talk about a few of his recent tango's with the airlines. Ben writes a fantastic blog called One Mile at a Time over at Boardingarea.com about travel, airlines and how to make the most of benefit programs.
www.seatguru.com The Big Build
Today's episode of the Travel Guys brings us back to Sacramento's Big Build. Sacramento Airport's terminal renovation project has come a long way since we last checked in, and road reporter Chris Galloway was invited to an exclusive food tasting and terminal tour this past week. He'll be tuning in to let us know what to expect from Sacramento's newest terminal. For more information, head on over to the projects official site at www.bigbuild.org.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=327818&id=122725405860 It's a Grand Night for Singing...in the Travel Guys Studio!
Man, is this a treat! The cast of "It's a Grand Night for Singing," now playing at the Cosmopolitan Cabaret in Sacramento, stopped by our studio recently to give an exclusive performance for all our listeners! As if that weren't enough, they also brought tickets! We'll be giving out tickets to this Wednesday night's performance at the end of the show, but we highly recommend you check them out regardless. They put on a great show! Have we mentioned the Mice?
They may not be the stars of this week's show, but they sure do deserve an honorable mention! A company in Israel has begun testing what can only be described as the cutest future addition to TSA yet. But they're not just for show, these little mice will be capable of detecting bombs using their innate sense of smell and high level training (anybody else see a disney movie in the works?). Learn more about the little critters here!