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, March 12th, 2023 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, Amtrak is expanding and looking to expand service, plus Frontier Airlines is in the news regarding gate-checked bags. Frontier charges a hefty fee to check bags at the gate and a recent customer dispute went viral. The airline says the customer was in the wrong, but there are a variety of interesting sidebars to this story, such as Frontier paying a commission to contracted gate agents who nail you for an oversize bag. Even though the airline may be in the right this time, the online reaction to to the retelling of similar situations has been brutal for Frontier. Mark is in Arizona for baseball's Spring Training. He offers some tips for folks heading down to Arizona in the Smarter Traveler part of the show - where to sit, how to cut your costs a bit, and even a tip on one of the best steakhouses in the area. St. Patrick's Day is next week, and what better way to celebrate than to bring on a guest who is an Ireland expert. Jack Kavanagh, author and leader of National Geographic Expeditions is our guest. His book is Always Ireland: An Insider's Tour of the Emerald Isle. We close with another edition of the Weird Travel News. They kept playing blackjack in Vegas after WHAT happened at the table? American Airlines has an option to let mother's sit AWAY from the family for a fee? Are these stories true? Hey, it's the weird travel news.
Posted Sunday, April 8th, 2012 The Mystery Spot Contest enters week three on The Travel Guys on Easter Sunday. Can you figure out the day's secret destination? Those who are registered to win the Grand Prize have already received an advance clue. Mark will give the next clue during the Travel News. Sunday's prize is a $50 American Express Gift Card. Each weekly winner, if they have registered on line or on Facebook, is eligible to win the Grand Prize, your choice of 5 nights in Hawaii or New York City, plus airfare for two.
Submit your guess [contact-form-7 id="1278" title="mystery-spot"]Also joining Mark (Tom is off for the holiday) is Laurie Dishman. Laurie will tell us about a special event hosted by VOICES and the International Cruise Victims group. coming up in El Dorado Hills. Regular listeners will remember Laurie as a guest in June of 2010, when Congresswoman Doris Matsui appeared on the show with Laurie, to explain the new laws designed to protect travelers on the high seas.
Plus, find out why taxi cab drivers are losing money by the gas tank full and about the new cheaper way to fly with Delta. We'll make you a smarter traveler, Sunday at 2pm, on FM Newstalk 92.5 and AM 1530 KFBK.
Voices - A Fundraising Event for the International Cruise Victims Association When: Saturday, April 28, 2012 Time: 6-10pm Where: 471 Salmon Falls Road, El Dorado Hills Cost: $50
For more information, please contact the association at (916) 769 - 3444 or visit them online at www.internationalcruisevictims.org
WestJet Introduces KargoKids
Sadly (for some ;-) ), this was just an April Fools joke, but be sure to check out our episode on flying with Children for some real-life ways to make your next family trip a more peaceful one!
WestJet wasn't the only airline getting in on the fun, Virgin Atlantic announced their new Onboard Pet Therapy program for fearful flyers, while Air New Zealand announced StraightUpFares - for all you travelers out there who don't mind standing for the duration of your flight and eating your complimentary....unicorn meat....yes, we're serious.
Posted Sunday, December 23rd, 2018 On the Sunday, December 22nd Christmas edition of The Travel Guys:
In the Travel News, Google Assistant can now predict flight delays with 85% per cent accuracy, and will notify you of any predicted delays. Alaska Airlines has begun the first-ever flights from Sacramento to the Big Island of Hawaii. They depart 3x weekly. Southwest Airlines has finally gotten the ETOPS certificate needed to fly to Hawaii and will schedule test flights very soon, with passenger flights expected within 60 days. Watch for some incredible start up fares. In the Smarter Traveler segment, we dedicated our time to last minute gift ideas for the travelers on your list. Jeff from Best of Hawaii joined the guys to talk about Southwest's arrival in the islands (BREAKING NEWS: Southwest has received their ETOPS Certificate - allowing them to fly to the islands - test flights should be happening within days, passengers should follow quickly). He also shares wisdom on renting a car (book early during heavy periods because of limited availability and high pricing) and navigating the island roads, which are more rural and require you to pay attention and try to avoid u-turns out of nowhere.... Gwen Duncan from Cordially Yours Travel talks about the need for a Passenger Bill of Rights for River Cruises in Europe, in part due to the different policies employed by the cruise lines operating there. Gwen (and others) feel standardization would help both travel advisors and their clients. We also asked Gwen about the recent change of name at ASTA, from American Association of Travel Agents to American Association of Travel Advisors. Gwen endorsed the change and said, "if your travel advisor is doing nothing more than booking your travel, time to get someone who knows their stuff." Mark also suggested that if you are taking the "bucket list trip," you might want to invest a couple hundred dollars in the wisdom of an expert.