On the Sunday, September 12th, 2010 edition of The Travel Guys… Just a short while ago, there was a huge victory in the travel industry that really didn’t receive all that much attention in the media. Congresswoman Doris Matsui, representing California’s Fifth District, joins us to discuss her Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act. This recently-passed legislation helps make cruise lines fully responsible for their passenger’s safety for the first time. Also joining us this hour is Laurie Dishman, a constituent of Matsui’s, who helped bring this issue to light after she was sexually assaulted on a cruise ship and asked Matsui for help. Finally, Mark discusses just a few tricks he uses when trying to get your way with airlines. Congresswoman Doris Matsui Rep. Doris Matsui joins us for a discussion on what the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act means for both the cruise lines and passengers. We’ll talk about the new safety measures that will be taking place on-board your next cruise and the new standards that cruise ships are being held to. In addition to this, Matsui discusses the forces that came together to make this legislation possible.

On the Sunday, August 29th, 2010 edition of The Travel Guys… John from 101 Cafe joins us to talk about their upcoming Annual Woody Drive, Theresa Crieg talks Carolina Opry with Road Reporter Clayton Whitehead and Kacie Smith joins us from SYTA. Fresh off the heels of our Mystery Spot Contest, we'll be offering 2 free tickets to see Willie Nelson in concert at Iron Stone Vineyards. Theresa Crieg from the Carolina Opry Theresa Crieg from Calvin Gilmore Productions, producers of the fantastic Carolina Opry are joining us on-air today to talk about their show. Clayton frequents the show as part of Sports Leisure's Colorful Carolina Coast vacation. Check out the Carolina Opry Here! Sports Leisure Vacations Tour Preview Day We’ll be having our annual Tour Preview Day on September 11th, with three showtimes available. The event features entertainment, light refreshments and the announcement of our upcoming travel schedule! Click here for more information and the chance to reserve your spot online. These usually sell out fast, so reserve your spot ASAP! Students Galore, courtesy of SYTA Every year, Sacramento plays host to thousands of students from across the country as part of their annual SYTA travel convention. Kacie Smith joins us to talk about why they're here, what to expect, and why it's a really awesome opportunity for Sacramento. Learn more about SYTA here Happy Birthday Mira Loma High! A very special happy 50th birthday to Marks old stomping grounds, Mira Loma Highschool. Learn more about their birthday bash here. Check This Out! From time to time, we happen across content that we find interesting, but just don’t have enough time to mention on-air. Check out some of the links below to articles/stories/whatever else that we found interesting this week! Seat 2b talks about the best airport dining options across the country Our friends over at 101 Cafe have been featured in a beautiful painting by Scott Prior What Are America's Top 10 Aviation Attractions? The online travel site that specializes in user generated content, TripAdvisor®, has announced its list of the top ten aviation attractions in the U.S., based on traveler ratings and TripAdvisor flights experts. The list, with each selection prefaced by TripAdvisor’s tagline, follows: Cruising in the Capitol: National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C. Wings on the Water: Intrepid Sea, Air, & Space Museum, New York, New York Back to the Beginning: Wright Brothers National Memorial, Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina Travelers Take Flight: National Naval Aviation Museum, Pensacola, Florida Piloting the Prez: Museum of Flight, Seattle, Washington Planes, Planes, Everywhere: Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson, Arizona If You Build It, They Will Come: Boeing Aircraft Factory Tour, Everett, Washington Historic Hangars: Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, Hawaii Just Look Up: Gravelly Point Park, Arlington, Virginia (Located just north of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport) Wooden Wonder: Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, McMinnville, Oregon Profile of US Family Travelers: 90% have Facebook page. The newly-released Ypartnership/Harrison Group2010 Portrait of American Travelers provides a fresh look at the changing travel habits and preferences of family travelers. More specifically, the survey examines the travel behavior of Americans with an annual household income of more than $50,000. “Family travel” is defined as any form of leisure travel that includes children. Fully 44 percent of all leisure travelers took at least one “family vacation” last year. The incidence of family travel is significantly higher than the incidence of households with children (roughly one-third). This difference may be attributed to the growth in multi-generational travel as a result of the aging population. Click here to view a quick profile of American travelers from YPartnership.

On the Sunday, August 1st, 2010 edition of The Travel Guys… Join us this Sunday as we discuss the ins and outs of airports.  Together with Road Reporter Clayton Whitehead, we have about a bajillion hours logged in airports across the country, so rest assured you’re in for a lively discussion and probably a few “insider secrets.”  Also joining us this week is Lisa Simon, President of the National Tour Association to report on the current state of the tourism industry including an update on traveling to Cuba and the Gulf Coast.  Finally, we’ll be getting another update on “The Big Build” from Karen Doron.  All this and more on this weeks edition of The Travel Guys! Karen Doron Karen will be giving us another update on the status of "The Big Build," Sacramento's latest airport expansion project.  We've been following the project closely for several months now, and we're anxious to hear how things are progressing! Lisa Simon For more than two decades Lisa Simon has been involved in the travel industry. Simon currently serves as the president of the National Tour Association. Simon began her tenure with NTA in 1985 and served as its senior vice president from 1998 to 2004. Simon has managed NTA’s education, certification and marketing activities, as well as served as the director of the National Tourism Foundation and vice president of Marketing. Simon’s expertise is in organizational change and strategic planning. With more than 20 years’ experience in association marketing and management, her facilitation skills and analytical abilities have proven effective in leadership development, strategic planning, organizational structure and managing change. She is a member of the American Society of Association Executives, and she serves on the boards of the US Travel Association and Tourism Cares. She also has received the Certified Tour Professional designation from NTA. NTA has a global membership of tourism professionals involved in the growth and development of the packaged travel industry. It has a membership of nearly 3,000 members including 700 operator companies and the destinations and suppliers that partner with them. NTA tour operators package group and independent travel to, from and within North America. The association is committed to providing business results and information to its members, while offering a collaborative, caring environment in which to build relationships. What Are the Worst Hotels in the US? California, Florida and Virginia Beach, VA dominate the list of the Worst Hotels in the USA, according to TripAdvisor. NAJ News looked up the rates for each property online for the evening of July 29, 2010. In no particular order, the dubious distinction goes to the following properties. Heritage Marina Hotel, San Francisco, California: Rate: $58.70/night Days Inn Eureka, Eureka, Missouri: $59.99/night Tropicana Resort Hotel, Virginia Beach, Virginia: $128.88/night Super 8 Virginia Beach/At the Ocean, Virginia Beach, Virginia: $56.09/night Quality Inn, Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania: $79.55/night New York Inn, New York City, New York: $119/night Parisian Hotel & Suites, Miami Beach, Florida: $69/night Capistrano Seaside Inn, Capistrano Beach, California: $89/night Desert Lodge, Palm Springs, California: $40/night Continental Oceanfront Hotel South Beach, Miami Beach, Florida: $79/night Lincoln Highway AND Route 66 John and Joyce Jackson of Delaware, Ohio set out to cross the country using the Lincoln Highway not too long ago.  Now that they've completed that, they're on their way back home using Route 66!  These are our kind of people!  Take a look at their blog, we'll be trying to get them on-air for our special Route 66 episode on August 29th. http://blog.jacksonlhtour.com/ Today's Links Congresswoman Doris Matsui