On the Sunday, April 30th, 2023 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, a woman got arrested in Sydney, after arriving on a flight from LA with a 24-carat gold-plated gun in her luggage. Yosemite National Park is closed after warm temperatures brought the much dreaded spring melt flooding. Mark relates two situations which occurred on a flight he was on Saturday night, as examples of games people play with flight attendants. Hiding over-the-limit carry-ons and not following rules regarding pets on board are two examples he witnessed. Conceding it's possible for a flight attendant to have a bad day, one has to keep in mind they can have you removed from the aircraft, or worse. Mark suggest picking your battles carefully, or maybe just not playing stupid little games. Do you really think you are the first person ever to use a coat to conceal an extra carry-on? Be a smarter traveler and give the flight attendants a break. Is inflation having a bearing on the travel decisions you make for this summer? Or just ridiculously high prices. The guys talk about why this might be the year to pick a less-popular destination. Finally, Mark shares some of his experience from the second half of his journey with 29 travelers down the Chicago-Oklahoma City portion of fabled Route 66. He highlights some of the classic attractions, hotels and restaurants along the old highway and talks about why you might consider a short journey if you can't make an extended trip.
On the Sunday, April 23rd, 2023 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, we tell you about an uninhabited island in Scotland that's for sale, and if you are headed to Maui, you will need advance reservations to visit one of the island's most popular natural attractions. As travel demand starts to level off a bit, and Covid is mostly behind us, many hotels in popular destinations are changing their refund policies to be a lot less friendly than in recent times. Mark warns travelers to beware in our Smarter Traveler segment. Each year, the travel industry holds a lobbying event on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Mark attended and shares why lobbying for travel is generally more accepted on "The Hill." Since Thursday, Mark has been traveling Route 66 with a group of Sports Leisure Travelers. He offers some observations on places to see on the first part of the route, and tries to explain why this old highway is still so popular 97 years after its beginning.
On the Sunday, April 16th, 2023 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, animal rides are being phased out as tourist attractions in many countries and we explore why, and the FAA says 250 people have been referred to the FBI over their behavior on airplanes. For many of these folks, a bad day is about to turn into a life-altering event. Is it a customer service crisis, or just a generational shift in the way business is done? Mark and Tom discussed declining customer service in the travel industry and suggest a couple of work-arounds. Google has announced they are enhancing features which let you explore national parks; and airlines are asking, can one pilot be as good as two? - We tackle those two stories at the bottom of the hour. We dip into the Mailbag to answer your questions about summer airfares and the cost of parking at hotels.
On the Sunday, April 9th, 2023 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, many National Parks are now requiring reservations to enter (see the link to the list on this page); and airfares are falling...and rising...at the same time. Why is that? Tipping. It's a hot topic not only with travelers, but with non-travelers. Every time we turn around, a screen is asking you if you would like to tip someone. Where do we draw the line? Tipping is the subject of our Smarter Traveler segment. Richard Lewis has been heading up Sacramento theater for many years. The Music Circus is an icon in our community, along with Broadway Sacramento. Richard tells the stories of how his father started the Music Circus, how he used to help put up the tent every summer, and his progression to CEO. Now, it's time for him to start backing away, and so it's time to hear Richard's story. It's better than the story line for many a Broadway show, the story of a kid who grew up with the Music Circus. It's one of our favorite interviews ever.