national parks Page 4

On the Saturday, July 20th, 2024 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, we have updates on threatened strikes by flight attendants at American and United; and a historic landmark is being rebuilt on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. Our Smarter Traveler segment talks about the current surge in COVID infections, and offers a few reminders for travelers on how to minimize your exposure to the dangerous virus. Reporter Clayton Whitehead spent ten days exploring Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. He's returned home and shares his experiences with us. Perhaps you'll be adding these countries we know little about to your wish list. People do strange things in National Parks. Like leaving trash behind and using the hillside as a latrine. We talk about how to fight back against people who go to sacred places and then treat them like "crap."

On the Sunday, July 30th, 2023 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, we ask the question, "Can it get too hot for planes to fly?" The answer is yes and it has happened before. Plus, national parks close for snow or floods or other natural disasters, but not for heat. We have a warning for hikers. In our Smarter Traveler segment, we talk about seat switching on planes. You get on board and someone is sitting in your seat. They ask you to switch so they can be with family or friends. What is the proper etiquette here? Is there a time to say yes and a time to say no? Absolutely. And what if the person in question won't give up the seat you paid for? CLEAR is a paid airport program that allows you a line pass in exchange for paying a fee and providing a private company with a lot of personal information. Last summer, CLEAR had what is proving to be a major security breach. Is it time to do away with this private program, or is all this much to do about nothing? In our Odds and Ends segment, we have story that reminds all of us the importance of taking pictures of rental cars on their return; and if you run into a ridiculous priced airport hotel, there just might be an easy way around it.

On the Sunday, April 16th, 2023 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, animal rides are being phased out as tourist attractions in many countries and we explore why, and the FAA says 250 people have been referred to the FBI over their behavior on airplanes. For many of these folks, a bad day is about to turn into a life-altering event. Is it a customer service crisis, or just a generational shift in the way business is done? Mark and Tom discussed declining customer service in the travel industry and suggest a couple of work-arounds. Google has announced they are enhancing features which let you explore national parks; and airlines are asking, can one pilot be as good as two? - We tackle those two stories at the bottom of the hour. We dip into the Mailbag to answer your questions about summer airfares and the cost of parking at hotels.

On the Sunday, April 9th, 2023 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, many National Parks are now requiring reservations to enter (see the link to the list on this page); and airfares are falling...and rising...at the same time. Why is that? Tipping. It's a hot topic not only with travelers, but with non-travelers. Every time we turn around, a screen is asking you if you would like to tip someone. Where do we draw the line? Tipping is the subject of our Smarter Traveler segment. Richard Lewis has been heading up Sacramento theater for many years. The Music Circus is an icon in our community, along with Broadway Sacramento. Richard tells the stories of how his father started the Music Circus, how he used to help put up the tent every summer, and his progression to CEO. Now, it's time for him to start backing away, and so it's time to hear Richard's story. It's better than the story line for many a Broadway show, the story of a kid who grew up with the Music Circus. It's one of our favorite interviews ever.