air travel Page 44

On the Sunday, January 29th, 2023 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, Amtrak restarts service on the Surfliner, between San Diego and Los Angeles, after it had been suspended since September due to track issues. The residents of Machu Pichu have called a strike against tourism. The historic site is a huge cash cow for the government of Peru and the people are against the people in power. If you are planning a trip in the next 6 months, do your homework. Our Smarter Traveler segment focuses on two topics - How tipping has gotten completely out of hand, with travelers regularly being asked to tip on "tax". Some credit card tip prompts are running as high as 30%. Mark and Tom say this is way out of control. Second subject was how domestic first class is being "dumbed down" by some airlines, even being labeled "business class" instead of first. But some transcontinental and international routes have much better premium seating. If you are buying up, make sure you know what you are getting. Mark took a group to Miami and the Florida Keys last week. He offers a host of tips on attractions, lodging and how to get the most out of a visit to Key West. In the mailbag, the guys gave wisdom to single travelers, explaining why it cost more to travel alone, plus talked about a possible luggage hack while flying, to save baggage fees.

On the Sunday, January 22nd, 2023 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, the FAA now says a contractor made a mistake which caused the entire US aviation system to shut down. Frontier Airlines recently eliminated your ability to speak to them on the phone. Let's check up and see how that working out for them. Travel is more expensive post-COVID, so the search for bargains becomes even more important. Our Smarter Traveler segment talks about how looking at the days of the week you travel may have some impact on the price you pay for airfares and hotels. It's Wave Season for the cruise industry. That means lots of "deals." Not necessarily lower prices, but lots of free or reduced price extras. We'll fill you in. Last week, Steve LaRosa shared the first part of his driving tour up the northern California coast. This week, he shares the second half, including a visit to the Carson Mansion. Follow along with the pictures Steve shared here.

On the Sunday, January 15th, 2023 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, airline computers melted down again last week, briefly impacting the entire system. How can things like this be avoided? The answer, just like the Southwest situation a couple of weeks ago, isn't simple. Fixing it will take time, as in years. In other news, Amtrak is having a sale on mid-week travel and airfares dropped in December, reversing a trend. Our Smarter Traveler segment features an interview with a TSA executive - we talked about signing up to pre-check, how you can get a job with TSA and some of the weird things that people try to bring on airplanes. Mark is hosting two baseball tours this spring. The first is to Spring Training in Arizona, March 9-13. It highlights 5 Cactus League games featuring the Giants. The second is Baseball's Fields of Dreams, which is offered May 26 - June 4. Stops include the Negro Leagues Hall of Fame in Kansas City, the Field of Dreams in Iowa, Wrigley Field in Chicago, The Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, and Yankee Stadium and the Jackie Robinson Museum in New York City. Four seats remain on each trip. Steve LaRosa, who offers our popular "What Goin' On" reports, is back and this time he's headed up the California Coast. The first of two reports features Hwys 1 & 101 on the way to Eureka. Pictures of Steve's journey can be found using the link on this page.

On the Sunday, January 8th, 2023 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, those who love their Starbucks on the road will be getting free coffee and treats a little less often. The coffee giant has devalued its rewards program. Plus, we report on some interviews Kuwait Airlines recently conducted where job candidates were asked do to some extremely unusual things. Our Smarter Traveler segment discusses the ten minute rule. Have you heard of it? It's an airport thing. We'll remind you how not to get caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. It seems more and more people are listening to music, movies and videos in public without headsets. On an airplane or a train or a restaurant, it can be a real pain in the butt. So how do you deal with non-headphoners? We have a few ideas. Finally, our Odds and Ends segment includes a discussion on how the pandemic has changed restaurants forever and a look a the latest airline ticket hack being used by couples.