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

November 19, 2001

> Inside

* Unpublished Business
* Happy Thanksgiving
* What Are Your Plans For 'Dead Week'?
* Marriott/AARP Tip
* Is My Ticket Illegal?
* Six Cheap Gifts
* On Our Honeymoon
* Will Fares Fall Now?
* How Will the Crash Affect You?
* Holiday Archive Special
* Priceline Virgin No More
* Seasick Ships
* Ticked.com Holiday Archive Special

> This Week in Travel

** Unpublished Business
Sometimes what doesn't get published is as important as what does. Case-in-point: an expose on travel awards that I've been researching for the last year. After countless phone calls, many hours of researching and writing, and more than a few arguments with my editors, the story now appears to be dead. But every good story deserves a burial. I wouldn't think of letting this one go without a few words. Read them at http://www.elliott.org/ask/2001/awards.htm

> By the Way

** Happy Thanksgiving
We're publishing a special double issue this week for Thanksgiving. This edition of Elliott's E-Mail also includes bonus material from the archives of Ticked.com and elliott.org - our very best holiday stories. We'll be back on Dec. 3. Have a safe and sane holiday.

** What Are Your Plans For 'Dead Week'?
The first week of January is typically the slowest time of the year for travel. It's also the best time for deals. What are your plans? Are you going to take advantage of any special offers - or are you staying home? 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.

> Elliott's Cheap Travel Tip

** Marriott/AARP Tip
Reader Bob Johnson e-mailed last week with a little-known tip for AARP members. "A lot of Marriott hotels have a 21-day advance purchase for AARP members," he says. He snagged a $92 rate at the Marriott Southeast in Denver, for example. Room rates start at about $149 - a savings of $57 per night. Got a moneysaving tip? Send it to tip@elliott.org

> Our Sponsors

** FrugalFun.com
Home of Shel Horowitz's free Monthly Frugal Fun Tips (4-1/2 years of archives covering bargain travel, entertainment, dining, and much more). By the author of "The Penny-Pinching Hedonist: How to Live Like Royalty with a Peasant's Pocketbook," the book that will save you $500 to $2000 every year on fun every year. Also on the site: Global Travel Review: destinations, elucidations (how-to articles), meditations (adventure narratives), and alimentations (food) from around the world) - and lots of info for entrepreneurs and marketers. Click on http://www.frugalfun.com

** 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

** Is My Ticket Illegal?
A travel agent tells a reader that his ticket between Austin, Texas, and Bombay is illegal. But is it? Travel Troubleshooter Christopher Elliott looks at the itinerary and discovers as much about the agent as he does about the ticket. If you like to save money when you travel by plane, you can't afford to miss this column. Get the answer in The Travel Troubleshooter at http://www.elliott.org/ask/2001/crillegal.htm

** Six Cheap Gifts
It's that time of year again, tech travelers. With the holidays just a few weeks away, here's your cue to start dropping hints about the gift you want for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, winter solstice, or whatever your holiday of choice is. If you're an interloper who thinks that traveling with gadgets is only slightly worse than checking voice-mail on vacation, then read on, anyway. Check out The Travel Technologist at http://www.elliott.org/technology/2001/cheapgifts.htm

** On Our Honeymoon
At the end of an impossibly long line at the Thrifty Car Rental counter in Miami, a weary agent asked us for our reservation. I handed her a copy of the itinerary. We'd booked a compact Dodge Neon for a week. "But if you don't have any Neons on the lot, I'd gladly take something bigger," I said, hopefully. "Not a chance," the agent laughed. Then I turned to my girlfriend and said, "Some honeymoon this is going to be." In The Travel Tightwad at http://www.elliott.org/tightwad/2001/honeymoon.htm

> Special Crash Coverage

** Will Fares Fall Now?
Will the tragic crash of American Airlines Flight 587 in Queens, New York, translate into lower airfares? It's an opportunistic, if not offensive question, to be sure. But for business travelers who are watching the bottom line, it's one that must be asked. Read more in Mile Markers at http://www.elliott.org/vault/markers/2001/plunge.htm

** How Will the Crash Affect You?
The crash of American Airlines Flight 587 in Queens, New York - whether caused by a mechanical or man-made circumstances - is leaving many air travelers shaken and confused. It's bad enough that this latest air disaster happened just two months after the worst hijacking incident in U.S. aviation history. But the latest tragedy adds insult to injury, coming just a week before the busy holiday travel season is set to begin. Read more in a special The Travel Troubleshooter at http://www.elliott.org/ask/2001/crqueens.htm

> Holiday Archive Special

** Morals Take a Holiday
On a recent transcontinental flight. I'm bored out of my mind staring at rock formations 30,000 feet below, when the attendant walks by with rental headsets - uncomfortable gray plastic headsets - for the in-flight movie. Five dollars. But here's my dilemma: I've brought my own pair of headphones. They're comfortable, made of foam. And they're free. What to do? What would you do? Read more in the archives of The Travel Critic at http://www.elliott.org/vault/critic/1998/morals.htm

** Bermuda's Island Life
If you want an entire tropical island to yourself at this time of year, skip the Caribbean. Try Bermuda instead. Balmy but not oppressively humid, cultured but not pretentious, quaint without being antiquated, Bermuda is practically abandoned between Thanksgiving and Easter and, for all intents and purposes, visitor-free during the two weeks leading up to Christmas. Read more in the archives of Destinations at http://www.elliott.org/vault/destinations/bermuda.html

** Totally Useless Gifts
For every one useful travel gadget introduced in 1997, there were at least 10 completely frivolous toys marketed to unsuspecting business travelers. Maybe you've seen these contraptions for sale in an in-flight catalog. Or snickered at them in a crowded airport shop. Worse still, it's possible there's one from a well-meaning relative, wrapped and waiting for you this holiday. Like it or not, the SkyMalls of the world are filled with toys that are about as useful to the road warrior as a Hula Hoop in the back of crowded 747. Read more in the archives of The Travel Critic at http://www.elliott.org/vault/critic/1997/useless.htm

> Ticked.com Talk

** Priceline Virgin No More
Cheap Charlie admits it - he's no longer a Priceline.com virgin. He did it. And he enjoyed it. And he will probably do it again. What, exactly, is "it"? We're talking about booking a hotel on the Web site, something he wouldn't imagine doing until he talked to a delegate at the PhoCusWright Executive Conference last week. Find out what happened. Read more of Charlie Leocha's column at http://www.ticked.com/cheapcharlie/2001/chpriceline.htm

** Seasick Ships
When most of us choose a cruise ship, we look at things such as itineraries, shore excursions, and cabin size, reports Anita Dunham-Potter of SmarterLiving.com. But here's another thing to think about: sanitation. Poor sanitation has the potential to ruin your cruise, whether it's from tainted food preparation areas or galley crewmembers who don't routinely wash their hands. Read more in the Real Traveler at http://www.smarterliving.com/columns/real/Is20011108.1.html

> Ticked.com Holiday Archive Special

** Ditch the Relatives
The Occidental Tourist finally figured out how to avoid the 'Ho Ho Ho From Hell' Christmas: Ditch the relatives. But Tourist, you may fret, why would you avoid relatives at such a special time of the year? Aren't the holidays a time to relish the wonders of your extended family? Yeah, right. Get the details in the Occidental Tourist at http://www.ticked.com/occidental/2000/ocholiday1.htm

** Bump Proofing
During this holiday season, there will be hundreds, maybe thousands, of passengers bumped from flights on the way to see loved ones or relax on a vacation, reports Cheap Charlie. This end-of-the-year holiday period is one of the worst times for airlines in terms of overbooking. You need to protect yourself from those dreaded words, "Sorry this flight is overbooked and we don't have a seat on board for you." Read more of Charlie Leocha's column at http://www.ticked.com/cheapcharlie/2000/chendofyear.htm

** Travelphobia
Security expert Terry Riley can't leave home. Every year at this time, he develops a case of "Dososacab Syndrome" - a fear of traveling anywhere except to the local 7-Eleven or Dunkin' Donuts. His affliction with Dososacab Syndrome always coincides with my attendance at the Department of State's Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) Annual Briefing. Read more in Terry Riley's column at http://www.ticked.com/errtravel/2000/errleave.htm

> Other Sponsors

** Affordabledisney.com
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** 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

** 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

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> Credits and Subscription Information

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