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On the Sunday, July 25th, 2021 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News: COVID and travel are making a comeback at the same time. Can tourism prevail? Or are we destined to go back into hiding? We have a breakdown. Southwest Airlines offers an apology for a string of incidents which have left many people short of their destination in the past few weeks, and an airport piano player in Atlanta is the subject of a feel-good story. Our Smarter Traveler segment features a Letter to the Editor from Christopher Elliott's web site, gently suggesting why it's important to get the vaccination for COVID. Hilton Hotels is ending daily housekeeping at most brands. Do you care? Is it a plus or a minus not getting your room cleaned daily? The move is sure to save hotels a chunk of money. Wonder if that will trickle down to consumers. Lots of fun things to do in Mendocino County this summer and fall. We have a guest with a rundown of events, just in case you might want to check one or two out! Click here for a complete list.

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, April 18th, 2021 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, reopening continues at museums, hotels and attractions, especially theme parks. Southwest has announced new service to two Pacific Northwest cities, Eugene, Oregon, and Bellingham, Washington. While you would have to connect to those destinations (no non-stops from Sacramento), it’s important to note that Bellingham is very close to the Canadian border (when it reopens) and is also the jumping off spot for the Alaska Ferry. California could be headed for a big fire season this year. Recently, a tour operator friend of Mark’s, Shebby Lee, had to flee her home in the Black Hills on a moment’s notice. Her experience might help you prepare for a similar occurrence in your neighborhood. Shebby also offers one heck of a Lewis and Clark tour you might want to participate in this year or in the future. Gwen Duncan of Cordially Yours Travel joins Mark to debate the return of cruise ships to the high seas. Gwen says the ships have done a lot to improve traveler safety on board against Covid. Mark says he’s not sure you can trust cruise lines, who haven’t always proven to be the best environmental partners, among other sins, and how can a cruise possibly be safe during Covid? 50 years ago, a vocal duo named Brewer and Shipley wrote and sang a controversial song, ‘One Toke Over the Line.' It was about smoking too much funny tobacco. The song was WAYYY before it’s time. Next week, April 20 (4-20) comes to calendars. 4-20 is a longtime part of marijuana culture. Tom sits down with one of the duo and gets the story behind the song. It really is a great interview. Especially the part about the song being played on the Lawrence Welk Show.

On the Sunday, March 14th, 2021 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, Amtrak is putting Covid relief funds to good use, restoring daily services on many long distance trains, including the California Zephyr. American Airlines tells 15,000 employees to forget the furlough notices, and air travel has had a significant bump in the past 7-10 days. But, hotels are still in big trouble. Now it's the Fairmont San Jose, the centerpiece hotel downtown, which has shuttered its doors after losing $38 million in the past year. Travelers United has put forth a pretty solid idea regarding airline passenger rights. Post them at the airport. Very few travelers know the simple rules which protect them. So why not make those rights extremely public? Because it isn't in the best interest of one group....the airlines. More discussion in our Smarter Traveler segment. For nearly more than 7 decades, 3 generations of the Perillo family have taken people on vacation. Italy is their specialty, but they now offer other destinations. Steve Perillo, owner of the 3rd generation family company, joins us to talk overseas travel. Finally, we have the story of the man who spent years in jail because Hertz Car Rental wouldn't turn over the documents which proved his innocence. We have the full story.