Tag: California coast

On the Sunday, July 9th, 2023 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, the hotel strike situation in Los Angeles isn't settled yet, and maybe one of the reasons is a request by the hotel workers union to add a 7% surcharge to guests room charges to help cover the cost of housing in Los Angeles and Orange County. The workers at several dozen hotels are back on the job, but future strike actions are looming. Our Smarter Traveler segment takes on the subject of "airline hacker fares." That's when you buy a ticket with the intention of throwing part of it away. You buy a ticket to Milwaukee, with a stop in Chicago, because the fare is significantly cheaper. You get off the plane in Chicago and throw the Milwaukee portion of the ticket away. Fly to Sacramento, with a stop in San Francisco, and never fly on to Sacramento. Two examples of hacker situations. The airlines create this themselves, with screwball ticket prices that make no sense. But is using this kind of ticket breaking the law, or just messing with the airlines minds? The California State Fair opens next week, and Tom has his annual interview, talking about all the fun things to do at the fair. Fort Bragg is an isolated community on the California coast. Talk about off the beaten track. Come with us to Fort Bragg and the Noyo Harbor Inn and have a look around town.

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.