Tag: hotels, Page 19

On the Sunday, March 1st, 2020 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, airlines and hotels are allowing cancellations to a growing number of international destinations because of the Corona Virus.  Check with your airline or hotel for an update.  Remember, only selected international destinations are impacted.  Alaska and American Airlines are back in bed together again.  You can earn miles for one while flying the other, redeem awards, etc.  This comes only months after the two airlines announced they were ending their relationship... In our Smarter Traveler segment, Mark explains when an airline owes you a hotel room for a canceled flight (hint, the answer isn't what you think), and are ride shares really cheaper than taxis?  Evidence seems to point in the opposite direction. The second half of the show is dedicated to a roundtable discussion about the Corona Virus.  Travel Advisor Gwen Duncan and Reporter Clayton Whitehead join us for a lively discussion about travel insurance, whether or not it's safe to travel, etc.  The phone lines are 916-921-1530 and 800-834-1530 will be open for your calls.

On the Sunday, October 6th, 2019 edition of The Travel Guys… In The Travel News, the entry of Southwest into the Sacramento-Hawaii market has seen it's first casualty.  Alaska Airlines will stop flying non-stop to Kona in March.  The airline has been flying the route 3-4 days a week since the spring.  With Southwest adding non-stop flights to Honolulu and soon to Maui, with direct service to Kona, Alaska decided to cut and run.  A bay area Kona route was also dropped.  Hawaiian Airlines flight attendants have set a November 20th strike vote date, after negotiations with the airline over two years have failed to get them the deal they want.  With Southwest ramping up service to the islands, it might be an inopportune time for Hawaiian to have any sort of service disruption.  Finally, Mark has the story of an elderly couple who say they were tricked into smuggling more than $1million worth of drugs inside of four suitcases in their cruise ship cabin.  (Upon closer examination, the couple was convicted of trafficking cannabis near Norway in 2010, and despite a low income, had taken a string of luxury cruises recently).  They could face up to 12 years in jail if convicted. Chris Elliott, our consumer advocacy friend (www.Elliott.org) updates us on legislation which might be moving resort fees (and their cousins, urban and other "destination" fees) towards the exit door. We open the phones and ask you to play "What overpriced things should I not purchase at the airport?"  Should be easy, since everything is overpriced at the airport.  Tell us the worst offenders and perhaps win a $50 Macy's gift card, just in time for Christmas shopping. Finally, we tell you why you should put one of your shoes in the hotel safe.  Yes, really.  Why?  If you are prone to leaving things in your room, particularly in the safe, you aren't likely to walk out with only one shoe on, are you now?  Pretty good idea, if you ask us.

On the Sunday, February 24th, 2019 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, Princess is upgrading the wi-fi on their ships and New Jersey is creating the Anthony Bourdain Food Trail, based on the stops in one of his episodes. In our Smarter Traveler segment, Mark has a rant about the weird designs in new hotel rooms. What were they thinking? Plus, his ideas on how to solve airline overbooking and a comment on traveling when you are sick. Guests in the second half of the show include the writer of a book on the Coca-Cola Trail, a compilation of Coke landmarks around he country; and a San Francisco-based travel writer you had to rely on Uber and Lyft to get around for two months. Let’s hear how his experiment went.

On the Sunday, June 17th, 2018 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, Delta employees have beautiful new uniforms, but there's just one catch. Or scratch. And the latest hotel scam seems to involve housekeeping. Not housekeepers mind you, but housekeeping. In our Make You a Smarter Traveler segment, Mark reports on post-Las Vegas shooting hotel Do Not Disturb policies, and how they might impact your stay. He also addresses the issue, is the Early Bird Boarding Fee worth it at Southwest Airlines? We take you take to Victoria, British Columbia, where reporter Chris Galloway joins us live to talk about the beautiful city he is in, and a couple of great Pacific Northwest adventures coming up this summer. Ever thought about renting a motorcycle and heading out on a cross country adventure? We introduce you to Eagle Rider, the largest bike rental outfit in the country and talk about some of the places people are going on bike excursions.