COVID travel Page 5

On the Sunday, March 27th, 2022 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, Southwest has a new fare category with an interesting set of benefits and we have a list of the ten airports in the country with the worst on time record. The COVID crisis saw an explosion in the number of angry passenger incidents on airplanes. We can only hope they will subside. But what if you are on a plane and an ugly situation starts to develop? What should you do? We have some expert advice to share. Chris Elliott is the Travel Writer for Forbes Magazine and USA Today. He also has a consumer web site (www.elliott.org) to help you with any issues you might have. Chris joins us from South Africa to opine on a number of current travel issues, and talk a little about his travels in Africa and the Middle East. Did you know there was a Cruise Passengers Bill of Rights? The cruise lines don't either. We'll talk about why your rights on the seas are falling through the cracks.

On the Sunday, March 20th, 2022 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, spring breakers are headed to Florida in record numbers as leisure travel rebounds to pre-COVID levels. Business travel, however, continues to lag. This is a problem for hotels in particular, because business travelers pay higher rates, and spend more in the hotel on food and beverage than leisure travelers. In our Smarter Traveler segment, we talked about the importance of reading ALL the information in those special offers which are out there right now. "Cancel without penalty until 48 hours of departure," etc. Many of these "deals" have exceptions in them you could drive a cruise ship through. Road Reporter Scott Angeletti checks in to tell us about two fabulous recent adventures to Alaska and Yellowstone Park. Who goes there in the middle of winter? Scott does, and he has quite the story to tell. Finally, Mark takes a look at travel companies and the Russian war with Ukraine. Some are shutting down operations, but some are only "stopping development." Mark explains the difference and has some harsh words for those playing the word game.

On the Sunday, February 20th, 2022 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, if you are interested in buying an unfinished cruise ship, Getting Hong Kong, the parent company of “out of business” Crystal Cruises, has one for sale. The Global Dream, is still under construction in a German shipyard. If it is finished, it will hold 9,500 of your closest friends. The federal mask mandate will expire on March 18th. Will it be dropped, extended briefly, or given a longer extension? In our Smarter Traveler segment, we talk about buying tickets from “secondary-sellers” and what some of the unseen risks are in buying tickets on the open market. Mark escorted a dozen or so tours each year for his company, Sports Leisure Vacations. One of his favorite destinations is Hawaii, and he has a trip going in May to Maui and Kauai. He’ll share some of the highlights and tell you how you can join the small group if you wish. Theater is back on stage again in San Francisco. Our own Clayton Whitehead saw the premiere of another traveling Broadway show in San Francisco last week about Harry Potter and his gang and shares a review.

On the Sunday, February 13th, 2022 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, two big stories dominate the headlines. Frontier and Spirit, two budget airlines who charge you for EVERYTHING a la carte, are planning a merger. Mark says, “great, now two crummy airlines are combined into one.” Crystal Cruises is done pretending they will be back in business on April 30th. Industry insiders say they have fired staff and are folding their tent. The Crystal Cruises situation has caused a lot of would-be cruisers to be faced with wondering, “How do I get my money back?” We have some tips on getting in line for a refund from a bankrupt company, tips that can apply in lots of similar situations besides Crystal Cruises. During COVID, traveling nurses have really come into their own. Mark met one during a recent hospital stay, and Jamee shares a little about his unique profession with us. US airlines regularly schedules connecting flights with layover times that are nearly impossible to make. Shouldn’t airlines be responsible for realistic connection times OR covering expenses resulting from missed connections?