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In this issue …
• Grow your business now
• There’s a lower rate on my hotel bill — so where’s my refund?
• What shoes should I wear on the plane?
• 6 tips for using still images on your site
• What am I owed for a 12-hour flight to nowhere?
• Save money when you travel
• How to reach yours truly
• Support this site
This issue of Elliott’s E-Mail is underwritten by Carrentals.co.uk, which provides the easiest and quickest way to search for car hire on the web. Our car rental search engine will compare the market in seconds and provide you with prices from up to 40 car hire suppliers. Cheap car hire is one search away!
FIRST | Random thoughts about the week in travel
Grow your business now. Regular readers of this newsletter know that I feature links to my stories from Microsoft Office Live from time to time. This week I’m showcasing three articles that cover everything from shipping fees to online video. Whether you’re a sole proprietor or a business owner, I’m sure you’ll find these stories useful, engaging and fun.
Burning question … this week, there are two questions! First, have you ever booked an airline ticket, hotel or rental car because it was “green” or left a smaller carbon footprint? What do you make of the greening of travel? Is it legit … or a marketing gimmick? And second, given that you can buy almost everything online cheaper, why use a travel agent? What are some of the things your agent has done for you that the Internet can’t. (And if you’re an agent, feel free to chime in about what you offer that the Web can’t.) Send me a note and please don’t forget to include your full name, city and occupation.
Elliott’s E-Mail is also underwritten by Cheapflights.com, which lets you search and compare flights to find the lowest-priced airfare for your next trip. Get the details at Cheapflights.com.
BLAZIN’ HOT BLOG POST | What’s burning up my bandwidth this week?
There’s a lower rate on my hotel bill — so where’s my refund? — Unpleasant surprises are part of almost every check-out process. There are extras like resort fees, taxes and previously undisclosed surcharges that are invariably tacked on to your hotel bill. So when Bithi Chatterjee discovered her invoice was lower than she’d expected, she thought it was a fluke. She was right. JOIN THE DISCUSSION — leave your comment!
Ask the Armchair Traveler | This week’s videocast
Ask the Armchair Traveler: what shoes should I wear on the plane? — When it comes to footwear, the Armchair Traveler has got you covered. Here’s the latest installment of his videocast, in which he answers the question: What shoes should I wear when I fly? Here’s a high-resolution version. (Note: The Armchair Traveler will be on hiatus next week. He returns March 22.)
Elliott’s E-Mail is also underwritten by G1G.com, the household name in global travel protection. G1G Insurance Services has nearly 20 years of experience in providing insurance products. Find a policy now.
SIGHTINGS | Noted Elliott appearances online and offline
Mexicana can cancel your ticket for any reason — Vicky Fligel’s ticket from Chicago to Acapulco is canceled, but no one can tell her why. The only thing her airline, Mexicana, is clear about is that she has to buy a new, more expensive ticket. Mexicana gives her a refund on the canceled ticket, but shouldn’t the airline honor its first price? (From The Troubleshooter)
5 tips for avoiding a near-miss — When you consider travel, it’s amazing that more tourists like us aren’t burned, crushed or fried. It’s almost as if we expect to escape with our lives and live to see another day. (From MSNBC.com)
6 tips for using still images on your site — A picture, they say, is worth a thousand words. The right snapshot on your Web site can be worth a thousand bucks—or more. Photos are an integral part of most small-business sites, no matter what they’re selling. Good pictures attract customers, keep them on your site, and often persuade them to buy. (From Office Live)
Add video to your site on the cheap — Just the thought of creating a video for your small-business site may be enough to send you into sticker shock. The high-priced camera crew! The high-maintenance creative director! The high … blood pressure. Relax. Creating a quality video for your site is a lot easier, and cheaper, than you think. And the rewards can be considerable. (From Office Live)
Mistakes to avoid with your shipping fees — Are your shipping fees sending customers to the competition? Maybe. A 2006 survey by Practical eCommerce, which publishes articles and research about online business, found that more than seven in 10 online shoppers abandoned their electronic shopping carts because of shipping charges. (From Office Live)
Elliott’s E-Mail is also underwritten by FirstClassFlyer.com, the only tool you need to fly first class for the price of coach — or close to it. Looking for free and purchased upgrades, two-for-ones and a fast-track to elite status strategies? Look no further than FirstClassFlyer.com
BLOGGED | New posts on Elliott’s Blog
What am I owed for a 12-hour flight to nowhere? — The passengers on a recent Continental Airlines flight 89 from Newark to Beijing were given an unwelcome lesson in patience. Halfway through the flight, their plane was diverted on a medical emergency and eventually returned to the states, where it was canceled. Then, the next day, the same passengers were finally sent to China. Are these air travelers owed anything for the trouble? (From Elliott Blog)
Merge? Government should break up the airlines, instead — Even if you aren’t a know-it-all frequent business traveler or a smug aviation industry insider, you’ve probably come across the term “fortress hub.” It’s an airport dominated by a single airline that controls more than 70 percent of flights. Dallas/Fort Worth is an American Airlines fortress hub, for example. In Atlanta, it’s Delta Air Lines and in Charlotte, it’s US Airways. (From Elliott Blog) HOT POST!
4 reasons to call off the airline mergers now — Looks like the Delta-Northwest engagement is officially in trouble, which means folks like Kate Hanni and The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers the can keep their powder dry for the next merger. Or maybe not. (From Elliott Blog)
Sailing the sick seas with Holland America — My thanks to the passengers and crew of the Holland America’s Ryndam, who returned to San Diego, Calif., yesterday on a norovirus-infected vessel. The highly contagious gastrointestinal virus reportedly afflicted 100 vacationers on the 10-day cruise, and provided a nice news peg for my latest column. (From Elliott Blog)
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FLASHBACK | A retrospective from the Elliott archives
Save money when you travel. Tips on cutting corners.
Seven money-saving secrets — Travelers are notorious penny-pinchers. If you aren’t the kind of person who spends hours online just to save a few bucks on a hotel room, you’re probably related to someone who does. (From The Travel Critic)
13 tips to save money on your next cruise — Thinking of taking a cruise? Then you picked the right time — and you’re reading the right story. Wave season — the time of year when most cruises are booked — is just ahead. (From The Travel Critic)
Elliott’s E-Mail is also underwritten by Priceline.com, the leading travel service for value-conscious leisure travelers. With both Name Your Own Price and everyday fixed low prices, no other travel service gives more ways to save on their airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, vacation packages and cruises. No one does deals like Priceline.com!
TALKBACK | How to sound off about this site
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