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.
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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 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, October 9th, 2022 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, a Southwest pilot decided to go naked in the cockpit---with a female co-pilot; and Marriott faces a lawsuit over lying to its guests. A local Amtrak traveler got a "roomette" accommodation for an overnight trip, and shared what you should bring along for your comfort. It's part of our Smarter Traveler segment. Comedian Steve Treviño will be appearing at The Punch Line Comedy Club soon. Known as "America's Husband" because of his comedy style, he joins us for a few laughs and to promote his upcoming appearances in Sacramento. Sacramento has been ranked as one of the top Foodie Cities in the country. Find out who joins us on that list. Plus, we tell you about travel trends among Centennials.