As if that weren’t exciting enough, this week we’ll find Mark alone in the studio without any parental supervision while Tom is away on vacation. There’s a whole lot of buttons and switches in here, folks… Luckily, we’ve managed to find quite a few interesting updates in The Travel News to keep him occupied. All this and more on another week of The Travel Guys.

Links from the Show

• Tom’s Daughters Wedding Place – The Beda Place
• 10 Tricky Travel Scams and How to Beat Them

Sunday represents a special broadcast for us. We differ from our usual “travel and entertainment” theme to tell you about a unique charity Mark has uncovered. It’s called KIVA, and you can find them online at kiva.org. We encourage you to log on and follow along with us as we take you on a journey around the world.

KIVA is a way for the average person (or traveler) to make a difference, by loaning money to someone in need, $25 at a time. On today’s show, you’ll meet Randy Peterson, the granddaddy of all frequent flyer web sites, and the man who started a particular group of KIVA contributors. It’s a fascinating topic and Randy is a great interview.

Next up is Matt Flannery. Matt is the man behind the KIVA idea. He will share his story with us, one we think you’ll find fascinating.

Finally, you meet the frequent flyer who brought Mark and all the rest of the miles-and-points mob to San Francisco to learn about hte charity they have been supporting, to the tune of millions of dollars. That is perhaps the biggest story here, that a small group of people who like to travel are making a difference. We invite you to go to the KIVA web site and decide if you might like to try changing the world $25 at a time.

Next week, the in studio live finals of our Mystery Spot Contest, where someone wins at trip to Hawaii or New York City. Mother’s Day at 2pm on The Travel Guys.

Links from the Show

• 10 Taboo Place to Travel and How to Get There
• Score the Biggest Travel Savings Without the Hassle
• America’s Most Iconic Monuments
• 15 Crazy Potato Chip Flavors from Around the World

Submit Your Guess

Guests on today’s show include our friend Becky Repp from American Road Magazine. The current issue of this “roadie” publication features old bowling alleys and other sports venues from coast to coast. Tom has an update on the US Olympic Gymnastic Trials, slated for San Jose in June.
Mark is live from Columbus, on the heart of The National Road, the precursor to US 40 on the eastern side of the country. All that today on The Travel Guys.

Free Travel for Beautiful People

Yes…we’re serious….

Links From the Show

• New Site Provides Free Travel for Hot People
• American Road Magazine
• US Olympic Trials with Sports Leisure Vacations

Submit Your Guess

We’ll have the first clue after the Travel News segment at the beginning of the show, and more clues and your chance to guess will follow.
Our guests are Ed Perkins, writer for SmarterTravel.com, longtime distinguished consumer travel reporter and a frequent addition to our show; and Erik Wolf, President of the International Culinary Tourism Assoication.
Ed is about to embark on the “trip of a lifetime,” an around the world journey that incorporates some of his favorite spots from 30 years of consumer travel reporting. Read about the concept here.
Erik alerts us to how some cities are taxing those you dine in restaurants. Some pretty alarming numbers. And if other cities can levy these taxes, why hasn’t Sacramento done the same to finance, oh say a sports and entertainment complex?

Plus Mark’s “trip from hell” back from Buffalo last week, and tips for getting through the Sacramento airport a little faster this summer. All that as we make you a smarter traveler and have a little fun on a surprisingly hot Sunday April afternoon with The Travel Guys.

Links From The Show

• Take That Special Trip – Ed Perkins
• Culinary Tourism – Erik Wolf
• Why Your Credit Card May Not Work Outside the US
• Oregon Man Says Naked Airport Protest Was About Free Speech
• Fine Living Expo

The Mystery Spot Contest rolls on to week four (there will be six). Register on line to receive a bonus clue before each show and be eligible for the Grand Prize, a trip for two (airfare and 5 nights hotel) in Hawaii or New York City!

Submit your Guess

Ben Schlappig joins us to talk frequent flyer miles, points and awards, and offers his take on the United/Continental merger and how it’s going…or not going. Terry Selk is here to tell us how the recent California Vocall Jazz and Showchoir Festival came off and the plans for next year’s event.

Sunday at 2pm, be a smarter traveler, with The Travel Guys!

Girl Injured at “Blowback Beach”

Links From the Show

• America’s Finest Flea Markets
• Airport Aims to Stop Thrill Seekers at “Blowback Beach”

Submit your guess

Also joining Mark (Tom is off for the holiday) is Laurie Dishman. Laurie will tell us about a special event hosted by VOICES and the International Cruise Victims group. coming up in El Dorado Hills. Regular listeners will remember Laurie as a guest in June of 2010, when Congresswoman Doris Matsui appeared on the show with Laurie, to explain the new laws designed to protect travelers on the high seas.

Plus, find out why taxi cab drivers are losing money by the gas tank full and about the new cheaper way to fly with Delta. We’ll make you a smarter traveler, Sunday at 2pm, on FM Newstalk 92.5 and AM 1530 KFBK.

Voices – A Fundraising Event for the International Cruise Victims Association

• When: Saturday, April 28, 2012
• Time: 6-10pm
• Where: 471 Salmon Falls Road, El Dorado Hills
• Cost: $50

WestJet Introduces KargoKids

Sadly (for some ), this was just an April Fools joke, but be sure to check out our episode on flying with Children for some real-life ways to make your next family trip a more peaceful one!

WestJet wasn’t the only airline getting in on the fun, Virgin Atlantic announced their new Onboard Pet Therapy program for fearful flyers, while Air New Zealand announced StraightUpFares – for all you travelers out there who don’t mind standing for the duration of your flight and eating your complimentary….unicorn meat….yes, we’re serious.

Links from the Show

• 9 Best Places for Families to Unplug
• Surprising New Study Shows Airlines are Doing a GOOD Job
• 5 Clever Ways to get the Dirt on Your Hotel
• 11 Bizzarre Hotels that will Knock Your Socks Off
• Harlem Gospel Churches Overrun with Tourists
• Delays Not so Bad at Chicago’s O’hare

Submit your answer online

Also on today’s show: Tom interviews a legendary gymnast, to discuss the US Olympic Gymnastic Trials in San Jose in June; and Mark has the Travel News, along with some interesting spots he’s found along and near the Santa Fe Trail in Kansas and New Mexico.

Links from the Show

• World’s Funniest Town Names

Here’s your chance to win anything from a $50 gift card to dinner at Ruth Chris to a trip to New York City or Hawaii. The contest begins this Sunday and runs for 6 weeks, then we’ll have the exciting in-studio playoffs. All you have to do is listen for the clues and call in, or e-mail your answer in, to win.

Submit Your Guess

Tom and Mark will give you clues during the program and tell you when to call. To receive an additional bonus clue each week, just register your e-mail. Anyone can win the weekly prizes, but to be eligible for the grand prize, you must be registered.

The grand prize is worth winning, 5 nights in your choice of New York City or Hawaii. The prize includes airfare for two, deluxe hotel, and taxes and is valued at $2,400. (For complete rules, contact the Sports Leisure Vacations office.)

We are also joined by one of our favorite consumer reporters, Ed Perkins, Mark has the travel news and we might even have a surprise guest from Cuba and Charleston, SC.

Links from the Show

• James Lewis – RN Traveling to Cuba
• Charleston, SC Visitors Bureau
• 10 Surprising Ways to Offend People in Other Countries

Links from the Show

• 10 Surprising Ways to Offend People in Other Countries
• Independent Traveler

The “entertainment”portion of the show is dedicated to guests from the cast of Forbidden Broadway, currently playing at the Cosmopolitan Cabaret. You can checkout the show for yourself downtown until April 15th.

Forbidden Broadway

It all adds up to an hour of information and fun on a Sunday afternoon with Mark and Tom.

Links from the Show

• How smart are discount city passes
• Marriott award prices will change on March 15th
• 10 ways to make the airlines pay when they fail you