Holiday travel, sailfish bites, and Florida's top destinations for Christmas travel

Show host Gary Guertin with
AAA Auto Club South  travel
representative Gary Smith.

The studio was jumping with activity Friday morning. Upon arrival, show host and co-producer Gary Guertin discovered the “committee boat” (the radio location where tournament sailfish catches are recorded )  for the Pirates Cove Sailfish Classic was three feet from the broadcast desk as the first day of fishing was underway—surprise! Unlike the slow bite experienced the week before during the Finest Kind Quickie tournament, indications before showtime (with 30 releases since 8 a.m.) was the sailfish bite had picked up considerably. One hour later, just as Talkin' Tourism was wrapping up, the total had grown to 46! Thanks for the mid-show on-air update Committee Boat Capt. Beth.

Moving to the main topic, special guest Gary Smith, a travel representative with AAA Auto Club South, jumped in providing lots of great holiday travel information. There is no doubt that despite the tough economy, millions of people will be taking to the highways, byways and skyways during the holiday season. 

First up was the importance of driver safety and the Tow to Go Program, which is a  partnership between AAA and Budweiser. This program has definitely made an impact on driver and roadway safety. Gary Smith also educated show hosts and guest on the current complexity of air travel, baggage fees challenges, cruise opportunities, great places to visit in Florida during the holidays, and a whole lot more. 

Other sidebars included: (1) the top three wishes of holiday travelers; (2) what inconveniences travelers will endure to save money; and, (3) what Florida cities were in HomeAway's top five (of ten) list for Christmas travel (and guess what, co-host Robin Hicks-Connors has seen them all!).

Hope you enjoyed another informative and entertaining edition of Talkin' Tourism. If you missed the show, no worries! You can listen to or download the December 2 Talkin' Tourism show here.

See you next Friday!