• What's elliott?
• About elliott
• Contact us

t o p i c s

• Business
• Commentary
• Destinations
• Help
• Leisure
• Technology
• Vault

Copyright Elliott Publishing. All rights reserved. For more information, call (305) 453-4781 or send e-mail to us.

ELLIOTT'S E-MAIL
The Last Honest Travel Newsletter
http://www.elliott.org

June 18, 2001

> Inside

* This Week: Summer List is All Wet
* Censored: Beleaguered Hotels Add Surprise Surcharges
* Exclusive: Air Your Luggage Gripes
* Welcome, Ticked.com Readers
* Early Fourth of July Holiday
* Discover the Discount Within
* Cool Accoutrements for Technologists
* One-Way Ticket Rip-Off
* Gadget Roundup
* Napoli: End of the Road for Travel Agents?
* Brancatelli: Tell it to the Judge

> This Week in Travel

** Summer List is All Wet
Where's everyone vacationing this summer? They're heading to Boston to take an 80-minute amphibious tour of the Charles River for a "breathtaking" waterside view of the city, if TripAdvisor.com is to be believed. The travel site's "Best of Summer" list, released last week, details the top 10 summer attractions in the United States based on site searches conducted in May. Winners include Sea World, the Seattle Underground Tour, Hershey Park and Boston's irreverent Duck Tours. And the loser? Well, if you really buy the list, then that would be you. Never mind the questionable logic of assuming that site searches conducted in spring translate into favorite summer destinations. What about the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone National Park and the beach? Gee, they're nowhere to be found. - CE

> Censored from the Sunday Travel Section

** Beleaguered Hotels Add Surprise Surcharges
Hotels are quietly adding new room surcharges in an apparent effort to make up for lost revenues, insiders tell Elliott's E-Mail. Several recent reports suggest the second quarter will be the worst in nearly a decade for the lodging industry. Among the new fees are higher parking charges, a new energy surcharge, facilities use surcharges and Internet connection fees. The new surcharges are meant to add to the hotel's revenues without raising room rates. (By the way, if you've been hit by these surprise fees, e-mail editor@elliott.org with the name of the hotel and what you were charged for.)

> By the Way

** Exclusive: Air Your Luggage Gripes
Got a complaint about your luggage? Is there something you like about the baggage you carry? This is your week to sound off. In particular, does your luggage play nice with the technology that you carry? Is there enough room for your batteries, cables and computer peripherals? Please send your comments to feedback@elliott.org along with your full name and city of residence.

** Welcome, Ticked.com Readers
More Ticked.com Talk subscribers have joined Elliott's E-Mail during the last week. Ticked.com, of course, is on a summer hiatus, but none of the editors at Ticked.com wanted readers to go without their travel fix. And we still want to know what ticks you off about travel. Are you tired of cramped airline seats? Bad service? Expensive hotel rooms? Send your comments to ticked@elliott.org.

** Early Fourth of July Holiday
Elliott's E-Mail will not appear next Monday, June 25th. We're taking an early Fourth of July holiday. The next issue will transmit on Monday, July 2. Don't forget to check the Web site - http://www.elliott.org - for constant travel commentary updates.

> Elliott's Cheap Travel Tip

** Discover the Discount Within
Think you're paying too much for travel? Check your wallet for moneysaving opportunities. You don't necessarily need a military ID or a AAA card to get a cut rate. Other clubs, professional associations and alumni organizations can entitle you to save money when you book a hotel. Members of the California Alumni Association, for example, get discounts on numerous hotels and on Avis rental cars. Got a moneysaving tip? Send it to tip@elliott.org.

> Our Sponsors

** RoadNews.com
Subscribe to the Laptop Warrior Digest, a free monthly e-mail discussion list newsletter published by Roadnews.com that shares reader exchanges on today's hot mobile computing issues. Sign up for the newsletter at http://www.roadnews.com/html/Digest/i-lw-signup.htm or check out past topics at http://www.roadnews.com/html/Digest/archive-index.htm

** Readers Like You
If you care about quality travel industry coverage and want to support the leading consumer advocacy Web site, you can become an underwriter, too. It's easy, it's painless and it's totally anonymous. Just click on http://www.amazon.com/paypage/P34Z3D2F0Z734N for details.

> Elliott's Commentary

** Cool Accoutrements for Technologists
If you're a heavy technology user - and let's face it, who isn't these days? - you're always looking for ways to make your gadgets more usable on the road. As if adding more gadgets to your complement of gadgets could somehow make the trip more comfortable, if not civil. Well, maybe it can. Read this week's Travel Technologist at http://www.elliott.org/technology/2001/cool.htm

** One-Way Ticket Rip-Off
Next month, I'm moving from California to Maryland. Since I'm not planning to return any time soon, I checked the one-way fare between Los Angeles and Baltimore. While a roundtrip, 21-day advance ticket costs $366, a one-way - and I'm not making this up - is $603. Most frequent travelers are well aware that one-ways are significantly more expensive than roundtrips, even though you're only going half as far. But many don't know why. From the vault at http://www.elliott.org/vault/critic/1998/fares.htm

> Audio Commentary

** Gadget Roundup
Here's a lists of travel gadgets that not only work well, but also get the job done for the busy road warrior. Commentator Christopher Elliott presents the latest and greatest in travel technology. Click on this week's Outtakes from the Laptop Traveler at http://www.elliott.org/audio/outtakes/2001/roundup.mp3

(Note: You need an MP3 player on your computer to listen to the audio commentaries.)

> Other Voices

** Napoli: End of the Road for Travel Agents?
Let me tell you about my love affair with Franz, writes MSNBC's Lisa Napoli. We met three autumns ago, right before I took a trip to Santorini, Greece, with my mother. Franz arranged everything, with not a trace of envy about my exotic vacation. When I returned and started making frequent visits to St. Louis to visit another man, Franz took care of the details each time, always advising me when there were bargains to be had. At http://msnbc.com/news/586046.asp?0dm=C25RL

** Brancatelli: Tell it to the Judge
> In all mock sincerity and with a contempt so poorly concealed that they could barely suppress their snarky laughter, the chief executives of most of the nation's largest airlines convened in Washington last Thursday and invited unhappy passengers to sue them whenever things go wrong. This week, Biztravel.com's Joe Brancatelli tells readers how to do just that at http://www.biztravel.com

** Heard a Rumor? Got News?
If you've come across any interesting travel or technology-related news, let us know at Elliott's E-Mail. We'll check it out. Send a note to editor@elliott.org or call (410) 626-9618.

> Other Sponsors

** Err Travel
Travel smarter, travel safer, and travel with more confidence. Click on Err Travel, security expert Terry Riley's informative Web site. While you're there, sign up for his free e-mail newsletter so you won't miss the latest news in travel safety. Visit Err Travel at http://errtravel.com and join the "Err Force" by clicking on http://errtravel.com/errforce.htm

** Alaska Travelgram
Scott McMurren's Alaska Travelgram e-mail newsletter. Punchy, timely information on travel in, out and around Alaska! For a free subscription, click on http://www.alaskatravelgram.com

** AirJet Airline News
This issue of Elliott's E-Mail is also underwritten by AirJet Airline News, the largest electronic airline news magazine on the Internet. News updated hourly at http://www.airlinebiz.com/wire/

> Your Opinion Matters

Read something you disagree with? Got a story idea or a gripe? Your opinion can make a difference. E-mail editor@elliott.org or call (410) 626-9618 with any comments, feedback or suggestions about anything in this newsletter. Your participation won't just make it a better service, but it could also improve travel.

> Be an Underwriter!

This site relies on support from travelers like you. If you care about journalism that's uncompromising, cutting-edge and consumer-focused, then you're invited to become a member of elliott.org. Your contribution will help keep the Last Honest Travel Site operating. For more information, go to http://www.amazon.com/paypage/P34Z3D2F0Z734N

ELLIOTT'S E-MAIL is published weekly by http://www.elliott.org. To unsubscribe, please go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/elliottslist and follow the directions.