Christopher Elliott Page 5

On the Saturday, September 21st, 2024 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, the merger of Alaska and Hawaiian airlines has been approved, with the stipulation that frequent flyer miles not be devalued and some other never-seen-before concessions by the airlines involved. The Grand Prix is coming back to Las Vegas in November. Want to go? Bring your wallet, for sure, 'cause it ain't gonna be cheap. In our Smarter Traveler segment, we discuss the difference of buying travel components from a third party (Trip Advisor, Booking.com, etc.) as opposed to booking direct. Mark points out that direct booking is almost always the way to go. Tom suggested sniffing around the third party sites to check out pricing. If you find a deal, you can always go direct to the travel supplier and ask them to match, which they often will. Beware of third party sites that have paid to be at the top of the page when you log on your phone/computer. Also, third party sites may have cancellation/change rules that are different from the actual supplier. The government is investigating Frequent Flyer programs, something which is long overdue. Chris Elliott, Travel Advocate and Blogger, joins us to discuss why this is happening. Our Odds and Ends segment shares a list of five things international visitors like about our country and its culture. Plus, a reminder about what type of picture NOT to post to social media while you are on vacation.

On the Saturday, July 13th, 2024 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, Alaska Airlines announces four new winter destinations from Sacramento, including Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, Tucson and Orlando; plus have you heard about locals shooting tourists with water pistols in Barcelona, telling the visitors to get out of town? Last week, we talked about how to recognize fake reviews online. This week, we give you some tips on how to best use positive reviews to help you get the hotel you want on the road. Chris Elliott is currently in Switzerland. Our favorite travel advocate is working on some stories on how climate change is impacting travel. He talks about how the Swiss are dealing with the situation and how travelers like us can do things to fight back against an ever-warming climate. Mark visited Fort Bragg with a group of Sports Leisure Travelers this week, and he has some observations on the lumber town that has turned to tourism.

On the Saturday, July 6th, 2024 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, suddenly there are more pilots to fly commercial aircraft than we need; and our governor signed a last minute exception to the new junk fees law....benefiting restaurants in a big way. Reviews are an important part of the decision for many when buying hotel rooms, cruises, attractions and almost every aspect of travel. But reviews aren't always for real, and we tell you how to spot fishy ones in our Smarter Traveler segment. Getting through our airport in Sacramento is much more of a challenge than it used to be. The number of flyers is literally growing faster than they can pave parking lots. Our update with the airport folks includes info on parking, new service from airlines, a bit about airport jobs and the upcoming construction projects. Consumer Advocate Chris Elliott joins us from Berlin and talks about the dangers of being profiled when traveling overseas....and gives some tips on how to keep from being immediately labeled an "American."

On the Saturday, April 20th, 2024 edition of The Travel Guys… In The Travel News, San Francisco reacts to Oakland's decision to change the name of the Oakland Airport to include the words "San Francisco Bay Oakland Airport" and Amsterdam takes a number of steps to try and reduce over-tourism, the latest destination to do so. "Would you trade seats with me," has become a common passenger-to-passenger request on planes. But with airlines charging extra for many seats, it's become a request that doesn't get a positive response more and more often. Mark talks about how to handle both sides of the "seat swap" equation. Personal flying vehicles (cars in the sky) might be closer than we think. Consumer advocate Chris Elliott (www.elliott.org) joins us from Aruba to talk about his recent column on the subject, and to talk a bit about Aruba. Clayton Whitehead joins us to talk about the recent eclipse. He experienced it with 70 Sacramento travelers and offers some fascinating insights.