• 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

November 12, 2001

> Inside

* Our Secret's Out
* Ditch a Device
* Faster Format
* Take Our Survey - Please
* More Orlando Advice
* Theme Park Savings
* Persuade 'Em
* No Refund - Now What?
* Traveling With AOL
* The Tourist Returns?
* You're Responsible
* No Hotel Deals?
* Hot Hotel Reviews

> This Week in Travel

** Our Secret's Out
Almost two-thirds of travelers who book online say price is the "single most important attribute" when making personal travel arrangements, according to a survey released this week at the PhoCusWright Executive Conference in Miami. Looks as if our secret's out. Dot-com travel companies are already busy trying to capitalize on our cheapness, to hear conference delegates talk about it. But will their efforts end up costing travelers more in the long run? Or will they try to keep travel prices reasonable? We'll see. - CE

> By the Way

** Ditch a Device
If you travel frequently, which technology do you most want to get rid of? Is it your laptop? Your cell phone? How about your pager? And why? E-mail feedback@elliott.org and please don't forget to include your full name, city, and what you do for a living. Your answer may appear in a future column.

** Faster Format
In an effort to shorten this e-mail newsletter, we're adopting a "faster" format starting this week. Column previews are being abbreviated to just a few sentences with the full text now available on the Web.

** Take Our Survey - Please
How do we improve sites like Ticked.com and elliott.org? Without your input, we can't. So give us a piece of your mind by clicking on our really fast, anonymous survey at http://38.148.250.3/cgi-win/client.exe?readers,welcome,ad9331a,1304 (Your e-mail program may break this address up; if it does, just cut and paste it directly to your browser). Then hit on the "Submit" button to start.

> Elliott's Cheap Travel Tip

** More Orlando Advice
Reader Jim Klein e-mailed with some excellent "insider" advice to saving money on an Orlando vacation. If you're driving from South Florida, leave early in the morning to avoid traffic and don't take the Turnpike until you have to. "Use I-95 instead until the point where the Turnpike and I-95 cross over near Vero Beach," he recommends. "There's a one-mile road that you use packed with restaurants. Good place to grab a quick breakfast." Also, if you are spending the night, look for accommodations in Kissimmee. They're often far less expensive than hotels located closer to the theme parks. Got a moneysaving tip? Send it to tip@elliott.org

> Our Sponsors

** Affordabledisney.com
"Secrets To An Affordable Walt Disney World® Vacation" will show you how to save up to 40 percent on your Walt Disney World Vacation. Discover the money saving tips and strategies - virtually unknown by the general public - that will help you save big on Disney hotels, dining, tickets, cruises, honeymoons, and souvenirs. Visit http://www.affordabledisney.com to learn the secrets.

** 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

** Theme Park Savings
More than half of all corporate travelers try to turn a business trip into a vacation by tacking a few extra days to the itinerary, according to a recent YP&B travel survey. And there's probably no place where conventions and vacations converge more than in the central Florida theme park capital of Orlando. How do you cut costs when you're taking the family to a destination such as the Magic City? It's mostly a matter of timing. Read more in Mile Markers at http://www.elliott.org/vault/markers/2001/theme.htm

** Persuade 'Em
Oh, the shameless things travelers do to save a buck. One of my favorite examples comes from Mary Hunt, who publishes a newsletter dedicated to helping people save money. I once inquired about her favorite strategy for cutting lodging costs, and she answered: "Ask if the price they're giving you is the best they can do." It's that simple? Well, yes. In The Travel Tightwad at http://www.elliott.org/tightwad/2001/bargain.htm

** No Refund - Now What?
A reader is scheduled to travel to Italy later this month, where a group of travelers is renting a villa. But after the events of September 11, several of the women decided that they couldn't take the risk of traveling internationally because they are mothers. Columnist Christopher Elliott finds out if motherhood is a good enough excuse to ask for your money back - and he looks at the terrorism problem in Italy, such as it is. Get the answer in The Travel Troubleshooter at http://www.elliott.org/ask/2001/critaly.htm

** Traveling With AOL
Let's forget for a moment that America Online is the world's dominant Internet service provider. Let's also ignore the fact that it owns an empire of film studios, television networks and magazines. Instead, let's try to answer just one question: Should you take AOL on the road with you? I won't make you wait until the end of this column to find out. The answer is: no - and yes. Read more in The Travel Technologist http://www.elliott.org/technology/2001/aol.htm

> Ticked.com Talk

** The Tourist Returns?
It's not quite a comeback from the Occidental Tourist, but it's close. Although he's on hiatus from Ticked.com, he's still traveling. Here's his travelogue for the past year accompanied by his trademark tourist observations that every hotel, airline and car rental company loves to hate. Read this column at your own risk. In The Occidental Tourist at http://www.ticked.com/occidental/2001/ocreturn.htm

** You're Responsible
Security expert Terry Riley wonders why some people survived the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center while their colleagues died. Fate? Maybe. Divine selection? Perhaps. Luck? For sure. But he believes that the ones who made it out of the towers alive had something else going for them: they took responsibility for their own safety. Find out how you can, too. Read more in Terry Riley's column at http://www.ticked.com/errtravel/2001/erryou.htm

** No Hotel Deals?
This week Cheap Charlie spends time time surfing through several hotel reservation Web sites looking for cheap hotels in New York. Why the Big Apple? We've all been hearing about all the deals. Our bargain travel expert wanted to find them. See what he uncovered and find out about the fine print when you book on the Web. Read more of Charlie Leocha's column at http://www.ticked.com/cheapcharlie/2001/chhotel.htm

** Hot Hotel Reviews
If you're looking for unbiased, blurb-free hotel reviews, then Ed Perkins has a column for you. Take HotelShark.com, for example. He enjoyed taking a look at the site, as he does looking at anything that avoids the heavy-handed promotion that permeates so many sites. The page quotes liberally from reader comments. A boldface "Avoid" notation highlights hotels that have fared poorly in guest reports, and comments such as "Hippest expensive hotel" highlight other key observations. Read more in Ed Perkins' column at http://alewife.smarterliving.com/columns/ed/Check20011101.1.html

> Other Sponsors

** Travellady.com
Would you like to know the professional secrets of travel writers? They tell all in the Travellady.com Web site. Sign up for the travellady.com newsletter at http://www.travellady.com and learn what is really happening at hotels, which tours are best, what restaurants are hot. These are the stories your Sunday newspaper might not run. Stories their advertisers might not want them to print. Let over 120 writers from five continents make sure your next trip is the best possible. Check out the site right now for almost 1,500 articles at http://www.travellady.com

** Travelsucks.com
If you hate paying too much for airfare, you'll want to subscribe one of Travelsucks.com's travel bargain newsletters. The site now offers 50 different newsletters that list bargain airfare by geographic areas. And while you're there, you won't want to miss the travel nightmares submitted by readers. Click on http://travelsucks.com

** WeBeenThere.com
Win a trip to Puerto Rico! Subscribe today to the TravelSavvy.netletter, produced by WeBeenThere, and be entered to win a week in sunny Puerto Rico. The TravelSavvy.netletter is produced bi-weekly by the experts of WeBeenThere.com, and gives you insights, information and tips for the savvy traveler. Sign up today and learn how WeBeenThere can make your next vacation hassle free! http://www.webeenthere.com

** AirJet Airline News
AirJet offers the most comprehensive airline coverage on the Internet. No wonder it's the largest electronic airline news magazine on the Internet. News updated hourly at http://www.airlinebiz.com

> 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 (305) 453-4781 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

> Please Forward Elliott's E-Mail

Did you know the average reader forwards Elliott's E-Mail to two other people every week? We don't mind at all, but you could always save yourself the trouble by inviting them to subscribe. It's easy and it's free: just click on http://groups.yahoo.com/group/elliottslist

> Credits and Subscription Information

Elliott's E-Mail is published 50 times a year by http://www.elliott.org. © 2001 The Last Honest Travel Site. To unsubscribe, please go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/elliottslist and follow the directions or send an e-mail to elliottslist-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com