Tag: Europe

On the Saturday, January 4th, 2025 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, featured stories include sharing with you the top destinations for dating among travelers, at least according to the app Tinder; and the CDC says illness on board ships is at a 12-year high. In our Smarter Traveler segment - with tongue firmly in cheek, Mark shares the travel information his mid western relatives all wanted to know - if we come to California, and there's an earthquake, how will we ever survive? Hotels, restaurants, attractions....nope, they wanted to talk earthquakes. So here are the survival tips they asked for. The United Kingdom and the European Union have some fun new nuisance fees for travelers in 2025; and if you don’t have a REAL ID and live/travel in these United States, you need to seriously consider getting one soon. Tens of thousands of people found themselves in New Orleans this week, with the big game suddenly moved back a day. So, how do you make hotel reservations, rental cars and airline tickets work on the new schedule? With a LOT of help is the answer. Plus, why are people taking rubber ducks on cruise ships? We'll talk about the latest fad!

On the Saturday, September 14th, 2024 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, numbers show that the Taylor Swift tour of Europe moved the economic needle MORE than the Paris Olympics, and we explain how ONE bag of dropped Cheetos dramatically impacted Carlsbad Cavern National Park. Avis Car Rental says they were recently hacked, with everything from addresses and phone numbers, to social security credit card numbers exposed. Is it really safe to be giving your personal info to travel companies (among others)? What guarantee do we have that they are really protecting that information? The Department of Transportation is FINALLY going to open an investigation of Airline Frequent Flyer programs. Will they hold the airlines to some sort of standards? Chris Elliott joins us to discuss. Travel Gal Sydney is on hand to talk about her favorite subject, River Cruising. She has some tips on cruising, plus a deal on a European River adventure you might want to check out.

On the Saturday, April 27th, 2024 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, we have a double heads up for Swifties heading for Europe for her tour this summer, United Airlines is in hot water over letting passengers into an open door cockpit and we have news on possible changes to seating on Southwest Airlines flights. TSA Pre-Check is a valuable tool for many a road warrior, and even though it's good for five years, ultimately you have to renew your membership. We tell you how and explain Pre-Check to the rookies. None of us like "junk fees," and travelers certainly see more than their fair share. This week brings double good news on that front. A new California law which goes into effect July 1 will eliminate "drip pricing" (where it takes multiples screens to find out the REAL price) and already companies are falling in line to follow the new rules. Plus, the President's office issued two new rules on air travel this week which favor consumers, and force airlines to provide cash refunds instead of vouchers for a variety of offenses. True steps forward. Now we just have to see how the enforcement works. Voices of California is hosting a concert at El Camino High School's Performing Arts Center next weekend. One of their members gave us an update on their Salute to Tony Bennett and a link to tickets can be found on this page. Two Orange County state lawmakers are whining about how the "Clear" lane at the airport allows people to "pay to cut the line." They want to pass a law to do away with the practice. But they forget many companies, Disney and Southwest among them, monetize moving up in line. Mark says the two legislators are way off base.

On the Saturday, December 9th, 2023 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, the TSA is planning to try out self-serve security lanes in Las Vegas early next year, and American and United are balking at a re-do of their Chicago O'Hare Terminals, as the cost has skyrocketed. Our Smarter Traveler segment features a rant by Mark about carry-on bags. Why do they make us gate check so many when often times there is plenty of room on the plane? Mark has a simple solution. European Tour Operator Rick Steves was in town last week to do a presentation at the Crest Theater to benefit Public Television. We sat down with him and talked about a wide variety of travel topics. That interview is at the halfway mark of the podcast. In our odds and ends segment, we offer a fine tuning to our baggage tracker suggestions. In you have one attached to your bag, there's one place you definitely don't want to put it.