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 [flickr-gallery mode="search" tag_mode="all" tags="Pismo Beach" sort="interestingness-desc"] 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!

On the Saturday, February 5th, 2011 edition of The Travel Guys… Today we're joined by friendly competitor and long-time travel friend Wayne Setness of Setness Tours.  Wayne has recently returned from escorting a trip to Dubai and has quite a few stories to share!  Speaking of international travel, have you ever wondered just what happens to all those tourists traveling abroad when a crisis breaks out like the one currently happening in Egypt?  As tour operators, we're faced with these situations all too often.  Today, we'll go behind-the-scenes to learn how modern travel companies help ensure your safety and get you home as quickly as possible when the unthinkable happens while on tour.  Finally, Daniel with sports-empire.com will be checking in from the Super Bowl in Dallas, TX.  The big game starts just a short time after our time on-air ends, so there's sure to be quite a bit going on.  Can't wait to hear about it! Traveling Through Dubai If you've never considered adding Dubai to your bucket list, we think it's about time you do.  Wayne Setness of Setness Tours joins us today to talk about a recent trip he took through this exotic destination with a group of travelers.  Wayne has assured us he has quite a few stories to share and more than a few tips for anyone interesting in making Dubai a part of their travel plans this year!  To view more amazing photos from their trip (like the one to your left), check out their Dubai Photo Gallery. www.setness.com Escaping Egypt If you've been watching the news at all lately, then you're very well aware of the current situation going on in Egypt.  You know about the political strife, you've seen the riots in the streets and you've probably figured out that it's not exactly the place to be if you're on vacation right now.  What you DON'T know is what to do if you already ARE currently in Egypt on vacation right now. Phil Otterson, of the Cragmont Baron Group, has made it his job to know exactly how these situations should be handled.  Phil has been helping businesses in the travel industry develop crisis prevention and management solutions for a long time.  He's seen just about every situation you can imagine.  Today, he'll be joining us in studio to talk about what goes on behind the scenes when you're out on tour and disaster strikes.  It's a fantastic interview and a real treat for anyone who's considering a visit to exotic destinations. Your Week in Sacramento Barb Hennelly (aka Tenacity Jane), of the Sizzling Siren's Burlesque Experience joins Michelle in-studio this week to introduce this week's list of things to do in Sacramento!  As always, you can learn more about anything and everything going on in Sacramento by visiting www.sacramento365.com! Dance: Romeo and Juliet Come see the Sacramento Ballet and their performance of "the world's greatest love story."  Enhance your enjoyment of the performance by joining Ron Cunningham 45 minutes prior to curtain for an informal and entertaining inside view of the show! Community Center Theater Feb 10-13, Thurs-Sat 7:30pm; Sun 2pm www.sacballet.org Festivals: Chinese New Year Celebration Come celebrate the Year of the Rabbit at the Chinese New year Celebration.  Enjoy Lion Dance and Martial Arts, music, singing and dance performances, vendor booths, children's games and ballroom dancing. Sacramento State University Union Saturday, Feb 12 noon-11pm www.cnyca.net Kids & Fam: I Heart the Sacramento Zoo Day Bring your valentine to this special day organized by the Sacramento Zoo teen volunteers.  There are valentine-themed animal enrichments, talks and activity tables.  Fun things include scented valentine cards for the lemurs and a special piñata celebrating Val-lynn-tine the giraffe's sweet 16th birthday. Sacramento Zoo Sunday, Feb 13 9am-4pm www.saczoo.org Nightlife: Art Mix: Love & Lust Celebrate all that's hot in February.  Write love letters and poems with the Sacramento Poetry Center, take the "couples in the collection" tour, hear from a panel of local artists about what "turns them on," enjoy all night beats from DJ Mike Colossal and take in a performance from the Sacramento Sizzling Sirens Burlesque Experience. Crocker Art Museum Thursday, Feb 10th 5pm-9pm FREE with museum admission www.crockerartmuseum.org The Rudest City in America In yet another one of those utterly suspect readers' polls that never fail to grab attention, Travel + Leisure magazine has anointed (drumroll, please) Los Angeles as America's Rudest City, beating out everybody's favorite in-your-face burg, New York. The dubious honor comes as part of the magazine's annual America's Favorite Cities survey, in which it asks readers to rate 35 cities on 54 mostly subjective qualities. (Last fall, the magazine enlightened its readers about where to find America's Most and Least Attractive Locals. Memphis got hit with the ugly stick. Charleston, S.C., ranked purtiest.) In the perceived rudeness realm, it's not surprising that congested cities in the nation's northeast corridor rank high on the list. New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Boston and Baltimore landed in the top seven. Following are the top 20 in descending order. Weigh in below on whether you think T+L readers got it right. 20. Anchorage 19. Houston 18. Providence 17. Santa Fe 16. Seattle 15. Chicago 14. San Francisco 13. Memphis 12. Phoenix/Scottsdale 11. Atlanta 10. Dallas/Fort Worth 9. Orlando 8. Las Vegas 7. Baltimore 6. Boston 5. Washington 4. Miami 3. Philadelphia 2. New York City 1. Los Angeles