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
On the Sunday, July 18th, 2010 edition of The Travel Guys… Mystery Spot Contest
Two Ways to Win: Be the first person to submit a correct answer using the form below One person will be selected at random from all guesses received on line.
This week’s Mystery Spot Contest is going to work a little differently. We won’t be taking any calls live on the show, so you’ll need to submit your answers via the form below. The first person to guess correctly (according to the time the email is received) is the winner! Tune in Sunday at 12:00PM PDT for the clues and your chance to win! Special thanks to everyone who sent in a guess! We have now selected both our winners for the day. Be sure to friend us on facebook to stay up to date with all our future contests!
Mackinac Island
“Henry Ford’s influence was not felt here…” were the words we used to kick off our second Mystery Spot Contest just a short while ago. Some of you, particularly Sports Leisure travelers, we noticed, immediately thought of Mackinac Island, in Michigan. This Saturday we’ll be giving this fantastic destination the time it deserves as we take you all the way to Michigan and back with an interview from road reporter Clayton Whitehead and special guest Chris Shepler from Shepler’s Mackinac Ferries.
Who better to talk about Mackinac Island than our very own road reporter Clayton Whitehead! Clayton has been escorting Mackinac Island trips for Sports Leisure Vacations since before we can remember. He's sure to have quite a few exciting stories and interesting Mackinac tidbits to share! Also joining us on this episode is Chris Shepler from Shepler's Mackinac Island Ferries!
Recent Photos of Mackinac Island from other people on Flickr Click on a photo to view a larger version.[flickr-gallery mode="search" tags="Mackinac Island" safe-search="1" license="4" sort="interestingness-desc"]
Mackinac Island Links: Mackinac Island Tourism Information Shepler’s Mackinac Ferry
On the Sunday, July 4th, 2010 edition of The Travel Guys… Join us during our special Fourth of July episode of The Travel Guys as we explore America’s first trans-continental “good” road. Mark recently finished a trip along the Lincoln Highway’s middle section with a group of 25 Sports Leisure travelers, where he met several of today’s guests!
Click here to view the map full size
Brian Butko Brian Butko joins us to talk about his favorite stops along The Lincoln Highway. You can checkout his books, including one on the highway at www.brianbutko.com!
Lincoln Highway Links Lincoln Highway Association James Lin’s Lincoln Highway Page – This is a great resource for information on the old road! Lincoln Highway Through Nebraska
If you're interested in more off-the-beaten track adventures, check out some of our trips leaving later this year!
On the Sunday, June 20th, 2010 edition of The Travel Guys… This coming Sunday, The Travel Guys meet The Travel Girl. Today’s guests include Stephanie Oswald of Travel Girl Magazine and road reporter Clayton Whitehead. Mark has something to say about lousy airport service and you’ll have your fourth of five opportunities to guess the Mystery Spot and win a vacation in New York or Hawaii! All this and more on this week’s episode of The Travel Guys.
Stephanie Oswald Former CNN reporter and travel expert Stephanie Oswald, who has recently returned from the Florida Gulf Coast. With a residence in New Orleans, she has a personal connection as well as a professional interest in how the oil spill affects the area. Stephanie is the Editor-in-Chief of Travel Girl Magazine, a national publication, and host of the Fine Living Network’s All Girl Getaways (as well as a former Weather Channel correspondent). Over the past few weeks she has been reporting on and closely monitoring the situation on the Gulf Coast. Are the beaches safe? Stephanie has the first hand information and will share it with us.
Stephanie’s Links: Beachesofsouthwalton.com sandestin.com/beachcam travelgirlinc.com
Clayton Whitehead
Road Reporter Clayton Whitehead updates us on the 125th Anniversary Season of the Boston Pops Orchestra - he was recently in Boston for a concert and has plenty of exciting news to share!
Clayton’s Links: bostonpops.org
Exclusive web clues for the new Mystery Spot are listed below: Many people pass through me. Some would say I'm not natural.
More clues will be given during the broadcast on Sunday, from 12-1pm PDT. Listen to Tom and Mark for your chance to call in or guess on line and qualify for the big vacation.
Last week's Mystery Spot was: The Vatican. Previous Mystery Spots: Lewis & Clark National Park (Astoria, Oregon), Mackinac Island (MI).
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