The Travel Guys

So What’s Going to Happen with The Travel Guys?

Ryan Quinn — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 23:39:08 +0000

As many of you already know, The Travel Guys went on vacation last week. No, not forever, but just for a little while. Mark has accepted the role of Chairman for the National Tour Association and will unfortunately be too busy to dedicate the time it takes to produce a quality radio show. But have no fear, we’ll still be around in one form or another.

For starters, we welcome you to continue using travelguysradio.com as a source for the same great travel tips and news you’ve come to expect from the weekly show. We’ll be adding new content as often as we stumble on it. The previous podcasts will still be available, of course, and we’ll even be cycling some of the more popular ones to the front page for our listeners to enjoy.

We’re dabbling with a few other ideas, and will update you all here as things come to fruition!

Links to Enjoy

The Travel Guys Say Goodbye…For Now…

Ryan Quinn — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 22:08:09 +0000

Sunday’s edition of The Travel Guys will be the last for a while. As announced earlier this month, Mark will be busy in 2013 serving as volunteer Chairman of the National Tour Association, the nation’s premier group of tour operators. The time required to produce a radio show each week just won’t be there, so the weekly edition of the show is taking a break, with sincere hopes of returning about this time next year to KFBK.

In the meantime, watch here and at www.sportsleisure.com for announcements regarding the Travel Guys and a possible affiliation with the Morning News on KFBK-AM/92.5 FM. We are not leaving, just taking a break.

But before we go, we have a great final program… Henry Biernacki, by far our most popular guest on the program over the last three years, will be on hand. Mark has his ultimate list of Travel Tips and of course, there’s our version of the travel news. Clayton Whitehead joins Mark in the studio. In a unique twist, Tom is on the road, having celebrated Thanksgiving in San Antonio. Check below for a great list of links to interesting travel articles Mark won’t have time to mention on the air today.

Delta New Website Support

As we’re sure many of you noticed, Delta has a new webpage…and with it has come quite a few headaches for flyers. Having trouble figuring out Delta’s new website? Drop them a line by clicking the “Comment” button on the bottom right of their page, or by clicking here. In a pinch, you can also get ahold of them at 1-888-750-3284.

Where Elephants Go to Retire

Links from the Show

Mark’s Ten Travel Tips to Live By

Don’t fall for the “rental car rip-off,” by allowing yourself to fall victim to the rental car companies. Know what your personal insurance covers, don’t accept ridiculous fees for coverage you don’t need, no matter how much the sales person from the rental car company tries to trick you into shelling out more money.

Some airline fees are ridiculous. One is not. The opportunity to upgrade to a better seat in economy for a reasonable amount of money. If you can’t get the seat because you are a frequent flyer, pay a little more and be more comfortable. Or stop complaining. Airfares, adjusted for inflation, are way too low. The airlines are making a profit on the little extras. It’s not unreasonable.

Get an affinity credit card, preferably for a hotel chain or an airline. Keep in mind that when it comes to redeeming your points/miles, hotel rooms are often easier to get than the airline seats. During your vacation, which will you use more, an airline seat or a hotel room? Something to think about.

Get to the airport early. Figure out the amount of time you reasonably need to park, transfer, get ticketed, etc. Much of the problems and stress in the airport experience is a result of people not giving themselves enough time. Way better to be sitting at the gate for 30 minutes than sweating out the security line as departure time approaches.

Look past the ratings. Just because a restaurant got two bad reviews on Trip Advisor or Yelp doesn’t mean it’s a total bomb. Look at the dates and the contexts of those complaints, and use them as a flag, but be careful about judging a business solely on the input of a couple of angry customers. The customer/reviewer, despite what you hear, isn’t always right.

Remember the little people who make your travel experience possible. Tip the housekeeper at the hotel, who is arguably the hardest-working and lowest paid person in the entire tourism food chain. Remember when the storm is blowing outside, lots of people have to leave their families to serve you when you are traveling. Honor them with courtesy and respect and you’ll be surprised how much more enjoyable your travels are.

Know your rights. In this day and age, information is widely available, so know what should happen at the airport when your flight is cancelled. Your rights vary according to the situation, so it’s good to know the rules, or more importantly, how to find them when you might need to reference them. Does the airline owe you a hotel room or is it just a courtesy? Are you entitled to meal vouchers for sitting in the airport for four hours? Again, depends on the situation.

Resist the temptation to drag the kitchen sink on the airplane. If you have that much junk. Fly Southwest so you can check it for free. Note: Some airlines are starting to enforce carry-on rules. That would help resolve the issue, but let’s see if they REALLY enforce the rules over a period of time.

Get off the interstate. Patronize the small diner, discover the five-napkin cheeseburger that rocks your world, or the fascinating little museum you would never have seen if you hadn’t taken the time. Small towns and the people who live in them are the best part of travel, in any country.

Read the fine print. Promise us you’ll take a minute to read the fine print, especially when the price seems “too good to be true.” The person who takes the time to know a little about what they are buying will travel with a lot less stress, expense and inconvenience.

A Stroll Through Memory Lane with The Travel Guys

Ryan Quinn — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 17:56:37 +0000

Last week, The Travel Guys announced they will be taking a break (or maybe Travel Guys take a vacation). Mark Hoffmann, of Sports Leisure Vacations, will be serving as Chairman of the National Tour Association next year, and those duties make it impossible to create a weekly radio show. We sincerely hope to return to the radio sometime next fall, perhaps sooner.

The last broadcast will be next Sunday, November 25th. We hope you’ll tune in. This Sunday, we begin a short parade of some of our favorite guests from the last three years. The ones you responded to the most, the people who willingly give their time to be a part of our program.

Ed Perkins is first. Ed has been a advocate for travels for most of his career. Now somewhat retired and living in Ashland, Oregon, Ed writes for www.Smartertravel.com and other publications, sharing his many years of expertise. That’s what he has done for us for the last three years, on a regular basis. He has a few more tips on recent developments in the travel world and accepts our thanks. (It’s important to know we have never paid a guest to be a part of our show, so those who appear, especially on a regular basis, do so because they want to.)

Next is Jon Holloway, of Holloway Travel Outfitters on Fulton Avenue. Jon’s mother and father founded California’s first travel store in 1978, just up the street from where Mark lived when he started Sports Leisure. Hear the never before told story of Holloway Travel Outfitters, and enjoy a walk down memory lane with us.

Mark has the names of some lucky Sports Leisure Travel Club listeners who will win a prize, the always humorous travel news and an update on next week’s final (for now) broadcast. Thank you to everyone reading this update, for listening to the program either live or on live and for your support. Tom and Mark have truly enjoyed sharing their Sundays with you for the last three years and look forward to coming back as soon as time will allow.

Links from the Show

57th Presidential Inauguration

Stories with Steve LaRosa and Clayton Whitehead

Ryan Quinn — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 20:03:03 +0000

Sunday’s edition of The Travel Guys features a story by Steve LaRosa, who tells us about historic train routes on the way to Donner Summit.

Mark and Tom take a look at the mailbox, which includes questions on condos and airline cancellation penalties. Road Reporter Clayton Whitehead joins the guys for a round table discussion and there’s a big announcement about future Travel Guys programs on tap.

Frequent Flyer Wrapup

Ryan Quinn — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 20:39:01 +0000

Sunday on The Travel Guys, we wrap up our month-long look at Frequent Flyer and Guest Programs with some final thoughts from Ed Perkins, our favorite consumer reporter. Ed has been on the travel beat since before Frequent Flyer programs started in the late 70′s, so we thought we’d ask him his opinion on points and miles and credit cards and the like. It’s a fascinating interview you won’t want to miss.

The travel news is laced with items from Hurricane Sandy, including news that the Statue of Liberty, just reopened last Sunday after a renovation, will be closed indefinitely.

Mark digs into the mail bag to answer the questions you have submitted here. And there’s a chance to win a $25 gift card from The Cheesecake Factory in the final segment, so stay by the phone and listen for details.

Halloween near Home, and Frequent Flyer 101 – A Beginner’s Course in Airline and Hotel Elite Status Program and How You Get The Points

Ryan Quinn — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 18:05:01 +0000

Sunday’s edition of The Travel Guys finds both Mark and Tom on the road. Mark will host, live from Florida, where he’s checking out spots for future Sports Leisure Vacations trips. Just after the news, Steve LaRosa has some fall and Halloween ideas for outings that are close to home and won’t cost you much of anything. Perfect for families. We even have a link to haunted houses.

The rest of this special program focuses on the frequent flyer, the guy or gal who loves to play the “points and miles game.” From credit cards that carry fat bonuses just for signing up, to temporary holes in the system that give you an advantage, we have the experts on hand.

Recently, Mark attended the Chicago Seminars, a gathering of the clan of frequent flyers. This last week he and Tom interviewed Rick, The Frugal Travel Guy, Daraius from Million Mile Secrets and Summer Hull of Mommy Points. Rick oragnized the Chicago event and is a credit card expert. Daraius has a terrific hew web site, particularly helpful to beginners (in our opinion). Summer tries to accumulate points to help her family travel and has a great story about how her poor husband was asked to change hotels each night on the road to maximize his stays in his quest for elite status.

We have more tips than you can imagine packed into this incredibly informative hour. Follow the links to learn more about our guests. Other links on the page will take you to some of the most popular Frequent Flyer sites on the web. The more you know, the smarter traveler you will be. Isn’t that the point of The Travel Guys?

Links from the Show

Hurricane Sandy Travel Waiver and Info Links

Steve LaRosa’s Links

Nimbus Fish Hatchery – mid November – December Tours
Sacramento Tree Foundation – Tours of the city of trees

Steve LaRosa’s Halloween Links

Henry Biernacki for All Your Pilot Questions

Ryan Quinn — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 15:51:54 +0000

Sunday’s edition of The Travel Guys features our favorite guest, Virgin Airlines Pilot Henry Biernacki. Henry is actually flying in for the show, arriving in San Francisco after a cross country trip from Newark Sunday morning. You can’t find a more dedicated guest than that!

We’ve asked you to submit questions to Henry, and you have, so we’ll get him to answer those, plus invite you to call in and ask whatever you’ve always wanted to ask the guy or gal in the cockpit. Henry is a world traveler of a unique sort, and if you’ve never heard him on the show, you are in for a fascinating hour. If you are tuning in to listen to the podcast, enjoy…

Next week on The Travel Guys, Mark rounds up guests from the recent frequent flyer gathering in Chicago, where ideas were exchanged on all kinds of ways to get more value from your miles and points. Whether you are a beginner, or an accomplished mileage runner, you won’t want to miss this special program.

Air Canada Flight Finds Stranded Australian Yacht

Links from the Show

Links from Last Week’s Show

Points, Points, Points – and some Mail

Ryan Quinn — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 16:16:12 +0000

This week on The Travel Guys, Tom and Mark answer your questions from the mailbag. Everything from holiday travel to the lack of discounted tickets to/from Sacramento gets Mark’s attention.

There’s a gathering of the frequent flyer clan this weekend in Chicago. Hundreds of mileage and mattress-run geeks are assembled to share their secrets and The Travel Guys are there. Ben Schlappig, our veteran mileage-runner, joins us for a preview of the mileage-guru event, and Mark has a live report from Chicago.

Next week, Virgin Airlines pilot Henry Biernake joins us live in studio. Henry’s visits are always informative, and if you have a question for him, use the form below to submit it in advance (if we read your question on the air, you’ll win a $25 gift card).

Two weeks from Sunday, we’ll connect you to many of the experts Mark is spending the weekend with in Chicago, to make you a smarter traveler when it comes to booking award tickets and hotels, picking a credit card, getting a refund and more. Meet the experts and learn the tricks of the travel game.

Making you a smarter traveler, and an hour a week is all we ask. See you Sunday at 2, or catch the podcast, posted each Tuesday.

Links from the Show

Stranded Travelers, Miami Airport and More

Ryan Quinn — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 21:33:12 +0000

This week’s edition of The Travel Guys features an update on a new and common internet appeal from “stranded” traveling friends…except they might not be stranded. Mark and Tom have the details.

In August, we had an interview featuring Anne Banas from smartertravel.com. Anne shared tips to help female travelers feel safe. We received so many notes from listeners asking if we would play it again, we are doing just that this Sunday

Mark also takes you to one of his favorite destinations, the Oregon Coast, specifically to the oceanfront village of Lincoln City. Known for its glass blowing studios and beautiful beaches, this is one of the most affordable destinations on the Pacific Coast.

Scandal at the Miami Airport is in the news and the complete story is below, along with other tips to keep you an informed and smarter traveler. Sunday at 2 on The Travel Guys.

Links from the Show

Crush Time in Amador County, Trip Trotting and Prelude to the Season

Ryan Quinn — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 15:33:39 +0000

This week on The Travel Guys, Steve LaRosa joins us for a second week in a row, this time to tell us about activities in the Amador County Wine Country. It’s “crush” time for wineries and a particularly good time to visit.

Amador Wine Country

Two weeks ago, we told you about “Trip Trotting,” a way to meet local people and make new friends while traveling. We didn’t have time for the interview then, so we’ll introduce you to www.triptrotting.com this Sunday on the show.

Our entertainment segment features Prelude to the Season, an annual event which kicks off the cultural arts and theater season in our area. Michelle Alexander, of the Arts and Business Council, will tell you how you can get tickets for this special entertainment-filled luncheon, slated for October 12th.