On the Sunday, January 19th, 2020 edition of The Travel Guys… In The Travel News, Harrah's Reno, the original downtown club (started as a bingo parlor in 1937) was sold by Caesar's for $50 million dollars. Jet Blue has raised the price of baggage fees by $5 to $35 bucks for your first bag. Now it's probably just a matter of a few days until the other carriers join them at that level. In our Smarter Traveler segment, we read back a "Love Letter to Spirit Airlines" from one of their flyers. OK, so it might not be a TOTAL love story. The Last Ship, starring Sting, will arrive in San Francisco in just a few weeks. We have Sting''s co-star, Oliver Savile, with us to talk about the show. When people need help from a consumer advocate with a travel problem or issue, do they always tell a truthful story. Or do they fudge just a little bit sometimes. We ask Chris Elliott the question and his answer probably won't surprise you.
On the Sunday, January 12th, 2020 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, the Ahwahnee Hotel’s latest problem in Yosemite Park is food-related, Leonardo DeCaprio plays a hand in saving a man overboard from a cruise ship and Alaska Airlines announces the last of their Sacramento – Hawaii service will end in June. Tom interviews Steve Gordon, Director of the California DMV, and he has an encouraging update on the Real ID situation. Mark answers your questions from the Travel Mailbag, including queries regarding travel companies and their trash, whether or not travel to Australia is safe, and a question about a Global Scavenger Hunt found on the internet.
On the Sunday, January 5th, 2020 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, Delta employees say their new Lands End uniforms are making them sick, a study of facial recognition sends up some alarms (Asian and African American travelers are misidentified far more often) and the organizers of Burning Man are suing the government for jacking up their permit prices for the annual event in the desert. In our Smarter Traveler segment, we address the issue, "Can you get a refund for your ticket if your airline goes out of business? What if your flight is canceled? Does the airline HAVE to give you your money back, or can they give you a voucher for a future flight?" The answers are yes, if your airline is out of business; and yes again, you can insist on cash if your flight is canceled. Gwen Duncan of Cordially Yours Travel, Clayton Whitehead of Sports Leisure Vacations, and Ed Perkins, longtime travel journalist; all join us for Travel Roundtable. Our topics are how travel changed in the last decade, and what changes might be awaiting us in the next ten years. Uber and Lyft and selfies and Instagram and Facebook all came of age with travelers in the last decade. Plus, discounted long distance airlines came and went, we now pay for our chosen seats on planes and a whole lot more.
On the Sunday, December 29th, 2019 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, one of Washington, DC's coolest museums says goodbye, and Uber is back in the news. The subject is once again rider safety. In light of another helicopter crash in Hawaii, we once again renew the fixed wing vs. helicopter debate. In our Smarter Traveler segment, with Clayton Whitehead sitting in for Tom, we talk about attire on cruise ships - is the "formal night" officially gone; whether or not airline clubs are worth their not-so-cheap membership fees, and the importance of having the right expectations when you travel, about everything from security to seating on the plane and local customs. The ride service, GoGoGrandparent was first featured on the show over a year ago. It's Uber/Lyft for mature folks and can be summoned with a phone call. We get an update on their services. Between them, Clayton and Mark have over 60 years of Tour Directing experience. They share a list of Tour Director secrets and add a few of their own.