RMWorldTravel with Robert & Mary Carey and Rudy Maxa

Rudy opens the show by checking in with an organizer of one of America's more unusual festivals.  Kendell Montavy is with the Jaycees in Orlean, MO, and he describes the annual Testicle Festival put on by the Jaycees and local members of the Future Farmers of America.  It's a celebration of the glory of  . . . deep-fried turkey testicles.  And how do you immerse yourself in another culture when you're visiting a place for a short time?  Travel journalist Frank Bures has some helpful suggestions.  Then, New York City is proposing to add 2,000 more taxis to its streets.  Mathematical economist and environmental activist Charles Komanoff say while adding those cabs will cut one minute of waiting time for someone trying to hail a cab during rush hour, it'll slow down traffic severely and cost half a billion dollars in lost productivity.  And perhaps you heard the report that New York's JFK airport and Los Angeles' LAX are the two most dangerous airports when it comes to spreading any eventual pandemic.  Ruben Juanes is an associate professor at MIT, earth scientist, and author of the paper that made the news.  He chats with Rudy about how his study reached its conclusions.  [See Rudy's fan page on Facebook for a link to that report--"Rudy Maxa TV Show" is how the page can be found on Facebook.]  And, as usual, Rudy wraps up the first hour with some of his deals of the week.

Rudy's news segment opens the show as usual, (which unexpected country just banned smoking in public places?), and Conde Nast Traveler's consumer news director, Wendy Perrin, offers helpful consumer advice on one of the hottest segments of travel these days: river cruising.  See the August issue of Conde Nast Traveler for a special section on the subject.  And the show's favorite cranky traveler, Joe Brancatelli of the terrific travel web site JoeSentMe.com, delivers a eulogy for the Blackberry, once the business traveler's best friend.  (Joe talked to the show via his Blackberry that he fears will soon give way to an iPhone or Android phone.) Then, as the first week of the summer Olympics in London draw to a close, Rudy checks in with "our man in London," Vic Garvey.   Garvey, a former NBC-TV executive, handled the logistics of covering a dozen Olympics for the television network, and he's currently a consultant to Fortune 500 companies.  He reports the empty hotel rooms and available tickets he described on the show the  previous week are pretty much gone, and London is rocking 'round the clock.  Rudy closes the show with some of the best travel bargains around this week.

How has the Arab Spring in Egypt impacted the country’s rich archeological treasures?  Dr. Aidan Dodson from the archeology and anthropology department at the University of Bristol in England says the news isn't good.  Due to a decline in security, looting is endangering one of the main reasons tourists visit Egypt.  Travel writer Doug Lansky discusses the way some destinations and resorts hype themselves in brochures and websites.   And from London, former NBC-TV executive and veteran Olympic-hand Vic Garvey, reports on the scene and says, yes, there are still affordable hotels rooms and tickets to some events available.  Plus, travel deals and the latest in travel news.

San Francisco is a city rich in cafes, and author Joe Wolff describes several of the most inviting ones in his new book, Cafe Life: San Francisco.  With great photos by Roger Paperno, the book is a must for coffee lovers visiting the city.  What does, "Flight attendants, doors to arrival and crosscheck" mean when you hear that on the public address system of an plane as the crew taxis to a terminal? Commercial pilot and AskThePilot.com author Patrick Smith explains how to "speak airline."  And are you minding proper etiquette at pools and beaches this summer?  TripAdvisor.com travel expert Lesley Carlin lists the things that bother most people about other people while sunning.  Plus: Rudy's up-to-the-minute travel news and deals.

THIS IS AN ENCORE PRESENTATION OF THE SHOW THAT ORIGINALLY AIRED FEB. 11, 2012. Guests: Jeanenne Tornatore, Senior Travel Editor, Orbitz.com Paul Priestman, Director, Priestmangoode, a London-based, multi-disciplinery design group that works on branding and design for projects such as the interiors of airlines including Lufthansa and Qatar Airways.  The firm also has designed hotel rooms for Accor's ETAP and Motel 6 brands.  Priestman joins Rudy to share his innovative ideas on how to design a successful high-rail system. The Wall Street Journal's "Middle Seat" columnist Scott McCartney describes what it's like to take the world's longest flight from Texas to Singapore.  

THIS IS THE SECOND HOUR OF AN ENCORE PRESENTATION OF A SHOW THAT ORIGINALLY AIRED ON FEB. 11, 2012. Guests: Don Wildman, host of Travel Channel's "Off Limits," describes his work on his show that casts him as part historian, part art detective.  Among his stories: a visit to an abandoned moonshiner's village in Appalachia,  a secret Nazi compound near Malibu, CA, and a buried nuclear-missile silo in the Arizona desert. Stockholm-based travel writer Doug Lansky considers destinations with the highest concentration of tourists. Wine and food writer Anthony Dias Blue on what he considers an under-appreciated destination that's on the rise: Uruguay.

"Dark Tourism" describes travel to places associated with tragedies or death.  Think: Chernobyl or the concentration camps of Eastern Europe.  Dr. Philip Stone, the executive director of the Institute for Dark Tourism Research at the University of Central Lancashire in England, explains the historical importance of dark tourism.   Then, say you've just arrived in a new city.   How do you find a great bar, which is often a handy way to meet some of the locals?  Jon Taffer, host and co-executive producer of "Bar Rescue on Spike TV, explains.  And choosing the right travel insurance can be a confusing process.  John Cook of Quotewright.com simplifies the chore.  Plus, as usual each hour, Rudy offers his pick of the week's best travel deals and delivers all the travel news fit to broadcast.  

Would you pay extra to deplane before your fellow passengers?  The founder of AirfareWatchDog.com, George Hobica, says people would be willing to do exactly that.  Meanwhile, Charles MacPherson, owner of the Toronto-based butler school called Charles MacPherson Associates, instructs listeners on how to be the perfect summer house guest.  The show's tech expert, Jason Harris of TechCraver.com, reports on the new Kindle and discusses new mapping services and their impact on the more traditional GPS industry.  Looking for deals on autumn cruises?  Paul Motter of Cruisemates.com shares a few.  Plus, Rudy weighs in with his own deals and the week's news in travel. that may affect you.

Special Broadcast from the David Intercontinental Hotel in Tel Aviv, Israel Rudy took the show on the road this weekend to the very cosmopolitan city of Tel Aviv.  Among his guests: Eliana Bar-El,  editor of Time Out Israel, a monthly English publication about events, museums, art, music, dining and shopping.  To comment on the music scene, the two lead singers of Israel's hot, English-language rock group,  Idan Rabinovici and Roy Rieck of Acollective, joined Rudy and played a clip from their song, "Turn to Cry."  Ross Belfer, an American public relations executive, described life in Tel Aviv through his eyes.  And Eyal de Leeuw from the Design Museum Holon, an art and design center located just outside of Tel Aviv, explains why he hopes his organization leads Israel to a new age in architecture and design.

The second hour of a special broadcast from the David Intercontinental Hotel in Tel Aviv, Israel Tel Aviv is one of the world's leading cities in terms of nightlife and design.  Rudy's first guest, Leon Avigad, is a hotelier and owner of Brown TLV, a stylish, Tel Aviv, boutique hotel that he hopes will be the first in a  string of similar hotels.  Dalit Nevirovsky, editor of a new guidebook, City Guide Tel Aviv, explains why Tel Aviv is such a popular beach town.  And Yair Feinberg, chef and owner of Fein Cook, describes the robust culinary scene in Tel Aviv; he offers food market tours and cooking classes to visitors.  You might know actor Aki Avni from appearances on the television show "24" or the 2009 movie "Universal Soldier: Regeneration."  Currently starring in the musical "Cabaret" in Tel Aviv, Avni says Tel Aviv is "a city that belongs to the youngsters . . . a cross [between] Rio de Janeiro and Manhattan."  And, finally, Eytan Schwartz, from the mayor's office in Tel Aviv, says the city is "a technologically oriented city" with more start-up companies than any European city.  Not to mention 300 days of sun a year.  

The first guest in a new, occasional series of travel experts revealing their best travel secrets, Spud Hilton, travel columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, joins Rudy with his tips.  Cornell University history professor Barry Strauss discusses visiting ancient battlefields in Italy that once saw conflicts by the stars of his new book, Masters of Command: Alexander, Hannibal, Caesar and the Genius of Leadership.  Rick Seaney, CEO of FareCompare.com, explains why airlines don't want to lower airfares. And Harriet Baskas, author of the blog, StuckAtTheAirport, explains why Boston's Logan airport will pay your bus fare from the airport into town.  Pus, Rudy delivers the latest travel news and deals.

Tony Giorgianni, an editor at Consumer Reports, warns against joining a "travel club" that asks for a high up-front fee to join while promising deep travel discounts.  What would you say if a couple asked you to  give up your airline seat so they could sit together? Or if a child behind you on a plane repeatedly kicked the back of your seat?  Steve Loucks from Travel Leaders reports on the results of a survey that asked travelers etiquette questions like those.  And what's with the TSA's "Pre-Check" program?   Members find themselves sometimes shuttled to lines where they don’t have to remove their shoes, belts, or jackets and may leave their liquids and computers in cases.  But other times, they’re directed to the usual lines.  Seattle Times travel columnist Carol Pucci reveals the secrets of why “Pre-Check” folks don’t always get a pass.  Plus: The week's news in travel and Rudy's deals of the week.

Does it matter what credit card you use to rent a car out of the US?  You bet, says Consumer Reports' Wendy Perrin who tells Rudy you need to know whether your card gives you primary or secondary coverage and which countries in which your card will not cover you.   Hodophobia is the fear of travel, and Paul Dooley of AnxietyGuru.net, explains how to overcome it.  Which airline, hotel, and rental car companies have the "most satisfied" employees?  Scott Dobrowski of Glassdoor.com knows and argues those companies often have the highest customer satisfaction, too.  And listeners learn the definition of "Alabama barbeque" when Rudy talks with Grant Brigham from the Freshworks Festival in Birmingham.  Plus: Rudy's deals and the latest in travel news.

Rudy drops in on the Central Coast Oysterfest in California and talks with Mike Mamot on the scene.  In the hour's second segment, Rudy is joined by author Kate Hopkins whose new book, Sweet Tooth, takes a smart look at the history of candy and chocolate.  Rudy answers a question from a listener from Kutztown, PA, who's worried about hiking alone; long-time walker Henry Fortunato helps out.  And Duane Young of the World Airline Historical Society explains why some folks collect airline memorabilia.  Plus, as always, Rudy offers listeners several great deals of the week and reports on the week's news in travel.

Pilot and aviation blogger Patrick Smith joins Rudy to discuss the safety of airlines in Africa, and author Daniel Arnold describes his hike from the boiler room that is  lowest point in the US--Death Valley--to the snowy peak of Mount Whitney and his book about that trek, Salt to Summit.  Professor Severin Borenstein of the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley argues airlines have to figure out how to get us to destinations faster or in greater comfort in order to grow business.  And Dr. Charles Wooters of NextIT explains how avatars and Artificial Intelligence will pay a greater role in travelers lives.  Plus:  Rudy's deals of the week and travel news.