COVID-19 Page 14

On the Sunday, June 27th, 2021 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, Southwest and American are short staffed and it’s starting to show on the front line, Hawaii is dropping the quarantine for vaccinated travelers and if you were a fan of the TV show Friends, we have a cruise to tell you about, where you can relive those TV memories. Joe Brancatelli, author of the Joe Sent Me web site, is ranting about airlines again. Justifiably so, as fares go up, vouchers expire and the airlines continue to drink at the public trough. Mark explains Joe's concerns, including a new COVID surcharge that didn't stick. Chris Elliott joins us to explain why the much anticipated post-COVID travel bargains didn't materialize, and reminds people the cost of not behaving yourself in the sky could be a lot more than you bargained for. If you are considering a visit to Disneyland anytime soon, you won't want to miss our special segment on Disney's two California theme parks. Tips on what to visit, and how to maneuver post-COVID.

On the Sunday, June 20th Father's Day edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, Southwest Airlines had a week of computer glitches and delays throughout their system, and since they aren't really saying why it happened, no one knows if the coming week will bring a repeat. National Parks are reporting long lines to get in, so make sure you know if you need a day pass, camping permit or whatever, because you don't want to be turned away. One of the "volunteer" cruises had a COVID infection, but they continued on without major problems. The governor of Florida wins a victory over the CDC. Cruise lines cannot require vaccinations. Is this a good thing? Our Smarter Traveler segment focuses on those who travel with life-saving medications and those needing wheelchair assistance at airports. The world's longest border has been closed for over a year and will remain that way until at least July 20th. Clayton Whitehead has an update on when we might be able to go to Canada. To round out the show, we take you to a preview of the Mother Lode Fair in Tuolumne County over the holiday weekend. Did you know there are lots of great hiking trails in that region? You will after you listen to the podcast!

On the Sunday, June 13th, 2021 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, Southwest will add flights to Palm Springs and Kona this fall and we have the latest episodes of "people behaving badly on planes." In our Smarter Traveler segment, Hawaii's governor has spelled out when the testing and quarantines might be relaxed; cruise ships are getting back in the ocean - with one already reporting positive COVID passengers on board; and the CDC has changed the regulation on vaccinated travelers on SOME forms of public transportation...but don't throw away the mask quite yet. Chris Elliott, America's foremost travel consumer advocate, joins us to talk about vacation rentals. Seems owners of vacation home are getting quite creative on the fees they are adding to rentals. Chris updates us on what to look out for. Hint: The bottom line may NOT be the bottom line. Mark went to Oregon with a group of 30 travelers last week, on the heels of a trip to Nevada. How are the two states different? How are rising numbers of travelers impacting the system at airports, restaurants and the like? Mark has some observations.

On the Sunday, June 6th, 2021 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, Florida governor Ron DeSantis has an interesting Catch-22 on his hands. The cruise lines can't sail from Florida, even on test cruises, until they reach 95% vaccination for passengers and 98% for crew. But DeSantis has declared no one will have to give out their vaccination status in Florida. So how do the cruise lines meet those thresholds? Mediation has broken down, cruise lines are furious. United Airlines is giving flight attendants three days off if they get vaccinated. Interestingly enough, flight attendants are not required to be vaccinated. In our Smarter Traveler segment, we are joined by Gwen Duncan of Cordially Yours Travel to talk about the cruise situation. Gwen loves to cruise and sells many of them. She presents Gov. DeSantis' reasons for his position. Mark still thinks there will be a compromise which allows both sides to claim victory. Gwen says she would love to go on a cruise, but she wants to know the people she is sailing with are safe/vaccinated. Both concede there is a small number of people who cannot be vaccinated for various reasons. Beach Blanket Babylon ran for over 3 decades at the Club Fugazi in San Francisco. Now, a new show is set to open in the theater this fall. It will have a circus theme. We have an advance look at this new entertainment extravaganza. The Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach is back in business this summer. The unique cultural arts event featuring "living pictures" runs for two months in the summer. Our special guest tells you more about the festival and its accompanying art show.