Travel wise--It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

With the holidays here, the topic on a lot of peoples minds is certainly holiday travel. By land, sea or air, people will be heading off to see family and friends or to take a great holiday vacation. Millions around the world will become tourists, at least for a little while.

To explore holiday travel in more detail, this week  AAA Auto Club South Travel Specialist Gary Smith will join us in the studio. What will we cover? For starters here are a few topics---How far on average will people be traveling by car? Will the price of gas have an impact on the number of people traveling this year? What about airline prices? 

With so many people traveling by car, Gary Smith will also discuss AAA Auto Club South’s Driver Safety Program. The Treasure Coast certainly attracts its share of holiday visitors. What activities and events are in store for visitors planning to spend time on the Treasure Coast? This should be an information packed show for those planning to hit the road this holiday season and even for those choosing to stay closer to home.

With the sailfish tournament season underway, Talkin’ Tourism is following the results of this Treasure Coast tradition. With the Finest Kind Quickie now in the history books, the Treasure Coast Championship Series is gearing up for kick-off. Do you know what winning boat has ties to the Bahamas Billfish Championship? Listen in today and you will learn all about those amazing Flahama connections.

See you later this morning (Friday, December 2) at 10:05 a.m. on WPSL 1590 AM or streaming live at www.wpsltv.com.

Vacation planning, travel trends, and HOT Memorial Day Venues

Jody Clifford, Talkin' Tourism
co-host Robin Hicks-Connors and
Gary Smith ready to talk tourism!

On Friday’s show, our listeners learned what is new and exciting at the Maritime and Classic Boat Museum, as well as the travel trends for the approaching Memorial Day Weekend.

Jody Clifford, executive director of the Maritime and Classic Boat Museum, ran through the museum's summer schedule of exhibits and shared what day of the week you can get in for free! Talk about a great deal! The museum is definitely on the move with plans underway for the 3rd annual Real McCoy Rum Runner event, which is slated for November 18. An new venue has been secured. If you missed the show, download the audio to get the inside track on the new location and to hear more details on this not-to-be-missed event.

Gary Smith, a AAA Auto Club South travel professional, was a wealth of information on the travel services America Automobile Association provides. Folks, AAA is not your grandfather's Oldsmobile any longer. For those of you who have not recently investigated the range and scope of travel services they provide, check it out. When you do, you just may become a member if you aren't already.

So what are the Memorial Day Weekend travel trends? We can’t say here (because we want you to download the show) but it definitely has something to do with water! If you are planning to travel for the long weekend, check out the top eight Memorial Day Weekend get-away locations according to Oyster.com to find out if your destination made the list. Here's a hint:  the top eight range from Jamaica to Miami to the Bahamas.

If you are taking a stay-cation for Memorial Day or this summer and are looking for suggestions on where spend a little time locally, the show covered lots to see and do right here on the Treasure Coast.

Jumping across the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas, Gary covered the results of the Bahamas Billfish Championship after the completion of the first two legs, and let’s just say there are definitely Treasure Coast connections.

To hear all the details, download the show HERE.

We'll see you all this Friday from the Abaco Inn on Elbow Cay in beautiful Abaco, Bahamas! More details to follow.

Tourism updates, fishing tournaments and here marlin, marlin.

Marlin release courtesy of Reel Candy Sportfishing.

Sometimes the best made plans do not turn out as expected.  Radio Man, History Lady and special guest co-host Ed Griffith anxiously waited for phone-in guest and Florida tourism guru Jack Wert, to call in to the show to discuss proposed changes in the way Florida is promoted as a world class destination. Well, Jack got tied up in meetings and his call didn't come until after the show, so the Talkin’ Tourism crew moved on to the spring cleaning (or purging) of the show files.  

With lots of items to cover, the hour, as always, flew by. What did we cover?  Here is the list:

• St. Lucie Inlet dredging
• Approval of a fee-based U.S. Customs Office in Stuart
• Robin’s secret mission to San Salvador
• The Bahamas Billfish Championship
• Bimini Big Game Club’s approaching inaugural Billfish Invitational
• Third annual Lionfish Derby & Dinner at Green Turtle Cay
• Ladies Let’s Go Fishing Seminar coming to Stuart
• Three tips to beat airline extra baggage fees
• Increased bed tax dollars this season on the Treasure Coast, and
• the main topic, the possible changes to Visit Florida from the perspective of a local Treasure Coast hotelier. 

Whew!

Some of these topics (dredging of the St. Lucie Inlet, Visit Florida, fishing, and secret missions) will return as more details unfold.

If you missed the show, download the audio file HERE. As always, thanks for listening and be sure to tune back in on Friday at 10 a.m. for another fun hour of Talkin' Tourism. Will Robin find her "guy in a blue suit?"  We'll let you know on Friday!