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On the Sunday, October 3rd, 2021 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, United lays off far fewer non-vaccinated employees than first projected, and reentering the US from an overseas country is going to be a bit more difficult. Our Smarter Traveler segment sends a red flag for car rentals over the holidays (reserve NOW), and new software is limiting fuel burning time on the runway. The Trans-Siberian Orchestra annually provides one of the most dazzling Christmas shows seen anywhere. Al Pitrelli joins Tom to tell us about this year’s show. We’ve talked about how the airlines have taken so much taxpayer money while not following refund rules on tickets. The day of reckoning is coming. Chris Elliott joins us to talk about the Department of Transportation crackdown.

On the Sunday, August 22nd, 2021 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, the Canadian and Mexican borders remain closed. But wait, it’s only the BORDER that’s closed, you can still get into Mexico and Canada by air. What the heck? And you’ll be masking up on planes and trains until January of next year. If you have to pre-test for COVID before traveling, there are a few really important things you should know. Also, here is an age-old simple credit card rip-off at some tourist hotels, known as the “pizza scam.” We explain what it is, how it works and how you can avoid it. Road Reporter Clayton Whitehead was recently traveling in Upper Michigan and also visited Mackinac Island. He has a report on how people in rural areas are reacting to the new COVID up tick, and talks about Mackinac, one of his favorite destinations. Clayton closes with a tribute to a traveling friend. Finally, we have an update on the rental car situation. Is it getting better, worse? Is it time to plan your trip around price/availability of a rental car?

On the Sunday, July 18th, 2021 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, it's looking more and more like the Canadian border will open before the end of summer. Amtrak is investing some of our tax dollars in some new train sets and the Eiffel Tower joins the reopened attractions list in Europe. In our Smarter Traveler segment, we renew the discussion about smoking charges in rental cars and hotel rooms. Mark cautions against giving any reason to charge you. Errant cigarette packaging, or packaging from any other thing you smoke, will get you in trouble. You don't want to make it LOOK like someone may have smoked in the room. Charges like these are hard to reverse. Maui can't get the airlines to cut flights, so the mayor helped push through a 3% addition to the island hotel tax. It will provide for a variety of civic improvements, but it's not likely to cut the number of visitors to the islands. No major competitor has yet followed Hilton to the "housekeeping no longer included" pile. We'll keep watching. The project is called Wisdom Travels. It's about the travel stories of nine local North Natomas residents.

On the Sunday, May 9th, 2021 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, Hawaii is expecting a big summer with lots of visitors - but vaccine/testing requirements remain in place for most. USTOA, one of the country's largest tour operator groups, says despite limited cruising, Alaska is the most inquired about/booked destination for the summer, with Arizona, Florida, Wyoming and Utah close behind, as travelers continue to prefer beaches and wide open spaces in the US. In our Smarter Traveler segment, Mark talks about how he got caught in the exact car rental trap he warned listeners about last week; we explain The Jones Act, which is keeping cruise ships from going to Alaska this year; and more countries, and perhaps soon Hawaii, add themselves to the "you must be vaccinated to come here" list. We invite you to call and share your favorite travel memory with mom. Tauck Tours, America's oldest and thought by many to be the finest tour company in the country, gives us an update on their summer and fall seasons. Their products include river cruises, land tours and family-themed vacations.