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, wh...

Today, on The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, not too surprising that formal complaints against the airlines jumped by over 500% last year, considering the refund vs voucher fiasco; and tourism destinations around our state hope for limited spring openings…details next in the news… A few weeks ago, it looked like the cruise season in Alaska might be doomed, but now lots of people are trying to av...

In the Travel News, many of President Biden’s executive orders might impact upcoming travels, and you may have heard about the guy who lived inside O’Hare Airport for THREE months without detection. We have details. How could you live inside security for three months? Well, O’Hare is a 24-hour airport, and fellow passengers fed him. In our Smarter Traveler segment, we talk about how vaccines and t...

In the Travel News, if you are coming or returning to the US, you will need a covid test. Norwegian Airlines, famous for super low fares across the Atlantic, has become the latest victim of covid. The airline will no longer fly across the pond, rewriting itself as a much smaller regional carrier. The rules for traveling to Hawaii continue to evolve, and in our Smarter Traveler segment, we will upd...

In the Travel News, a number of flights in and out of Washington, D.C. had to deal with passengers violating mask and other rules; and a new Travel Advisory in California says you shouldn’t travel more than 120 miles and if you leave the state and return, a 10-day self-quarantine is recommended. Making you a Smarter Traveler – tips on getting the junior travelers to wear a mask; and why you should...

In the Travel News, Uber is telling riders wear a mask, properly, or you aren’t riding again. Alaska Airlines is tightening which animals are allowed on its planes, and its bad news for those with “emotional support animals.” Norwegian Cruise Lines is waiting until at least April to sail again and the island of Kauai is trying to find its way with tourism. Many people have flight credits on a vari...

In the Travel News, we discuss how the border to Mexico is closed. But if you fly ABOVE the border, it’s a different story….an interesting story for sure. How thousands of Americans are vacationing in Mexico. Favorite guest Ed Perkins is on board to discuss how and when he sees travel coming together. Ed’s been writing about travel a long time, so his opinions might be of high value, just because...

It’s our special Christmas show, and if you are a kid of any age, you’ll enjoy our trip to the North Pole! In the Travel News, Bar Harbor, Maine says if Key West can limit the number of cruise ships and how many passengers can descend on their special destination, so can we. Hawaii cuts quarantine time to 10 days and Disney says the 4th day is free. Our Smarter Traveler segment tells you how you c...

In the Travel News, the new defense bill passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives this week contains a signature item from Sacramento Congresswoman Doris Matsui, the Cruise Passenger Protection Act, which was placed inside the bill. The defense spending bill could still be vetoed by President Trump. The Cruise Passenger Protection Act was originally introduced by Congresswoman Matsui...

In The Travel News, we shared an update on emotional support animals on airplanes. Perhaps the tiniest bit of sanity is returning to the issue. Airbnb is about to go public, perhaps at a higher price than recently anticipated. Mark shared his thoughts on the stock. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau doesn’t see the northern boarder open anytime in the next 2-3 months due to the high number of...

In The Travel News, there’s trouble in paradise once again as the island of Kauai pulls out of the pre-arrival testing program, effective December 2nd. U.S. airlines are going to play a big role in vaccine distribution. United and American both announced this past week they are positioning planes in preparation. We have also posted A Tribute to Travel Hero Alex Trebek on our site. If you were a fa...

In the Travel News, Delta Airlines had decided to block the middle seats through March of next year. No other carrier has committed to the practice past December, and most have either already abandoned the middle seat block or will do so in the coming weeks. This gives Delta a significant advantage in what could be a pretty bleak first quarter for travel. The folks who run the Rocky Mountaineer tr...

In The Travel News, Delta says the “banned for no mask” list has reached 550. Air tickets and hotels for the Biden-Harris inauguration in January are in short supply and prices are climbing. In our Smarter Traveler segment, we share the story of travelers buying fake Covid test results and how you can avoid being a victim. Joe Brancatelli is a travel blogger/columnist and Mark is a big fan of his...

In the Travel News, Southwest Airlines tells a passenger she isn’t covering enough of her body, removed her from the plane and then relents, but only with a qualification. Is it fair? Key West, a small destination over run by cruise ships in the past three years, saw its residents vote to put serious limitations on who and how many can disembark in their city. Are they the first of many to tell cr...

In the Travel News, by the numbers, airline travel is actually slowly increasing; Sasha Barron Cohen’s Borat character has delivered a new tourism slogan for Kazakhstan and the way you pay for parking at Sac International is changing just a bit. Our Smarter Traveler segment focuses on cruise ships. They are trying to get back into the water soon, and making some big promises about testing passenge...

In the Travel News, There aren’t nearly as many flights, but airfares for Christmas/New Year’s are down 20-30% because of Covid. But you need to consider buying your ticket soon. And it appears Carnival Cruise Lines faces more than just the virus as an obstacle to getting cruise lovers back at sea. Seems Carnival has a stack of environmental violations in recent years, including a rumor some of th...

In the Travel News, you can visit Hawaii again. But, there are a few hoops you have to jump through. You need a negative Covid test, within 72 hours of departure. Two islands have additional optional testing provisions. You can find all the info here. Jet Blue brings back the Big Apple non-stops and we tell you one of the safest places you can be while traveling during Covid. Clue: On an airplane,...

In the Travel News, Hawaii “thinks” it has a plan to welcome visitors without a two-week quarantine. They’ve been working on it for a long time. For details, click here. Hilton pilots are new plan for remote workers, “day use” rooms. Consumer confidence in travel is coming back, but our governor says it’s not time to open Disneyland and other major theme parks. In our Smarter Traveler segment, we...

In the Travel News, you plan head to Hawaii again, starting October 15, but Covid testing will be mandatory. United and Hawaiian have announced on site testing at SFO only to start. United’s instant test will be $250, Hawaiian’s is priced at $150. In Honolulu, drive through testing will be offered, and both airlines offer a less expensive non-instant testing option. Yosemite and Sequoia National P...

In the Travel News, travelers desperate to go ANYWHERE are scooping up flights to NOWHERE, we tell you why it’s pretty hard to get COVID while flying and the airlines are all holding their collective breaths, hoping for more taxpayer money to avoid major layoffs. Our Smarter Traveler segment features information on what to buy and what NOT to buy: Why you should buy your holiday air tickets now, a...

In theTravel News, MGM Resorts in Las Vegas has a package to entice you to move your home office work into an MGM hotel room, at a pretty reasonable price. There’s an updated travel warning involving Mexico and Holland America is putting five ships on European itineraries in 2021. We make you a Smarter Traveler by discussing COVID courtesy. What’s appropriate has changed a bit, especially true if...

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In the Travel News, a new 15-minute COVID test appears to be on its way to the market, and if so it would be a game changer for sure. Developed by Abbott Laboratories, it would allow on-the-spot testing for travelers. Cruise lines are already hedging their bets into 2021 with cancellations, and American Airlines touts a brand new corona virus disinfectant, but chemical experts are questioning its...

In the Travel News, Delta says they will block the middle seats on their aircraft until the 1st of the year. In addition, they will keep smaller, regional aircraft (which do not have middle seats) to 2/3 capacity. Expect some others to follow. Some resort destinations are considering “bubbles,” where you do not leave the resort during your entire stay. Hawaii is on the list. Our Smarter Traveler s...

In the travel news, the national parks are going to get a much needed makeover as the president signs a bill to provide nearly $10 billion in needed repairs and updates. And cruise lines push back their reopening plans once again. Updates next in the news… Our Smarter Traveler segment talks about the new twist to the covered face situation. Some coverings are not really effective and many airlines...