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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

September 10, 2001

> Inside

* Chop, Chop, Chop
* Moneysaving Cards?
* New Address, Same Attitude
* Dirt-cheap Euro Rental Car
* Making Your Mobile Go Global
* Does Travel Stink?
* Owed a Refund?
* Not So Mobile
* Nobody Asked Him, But …
* Applied 'Cycology'

> This Week in Travel

** Chop, Chop, Chop
It's been a bad week for travel agents, with more airlines cutting commissions to the point where it's not even worth their while to book air segments any longer. Now it seems that even cruise lines - once hesitant to reduce agent bonuses - are warming to the idea of saving money by paring commissions. What does this mean to travelers? A lot. It may not only translate into fewer choices when we buy travel, but also could mean that the travel suppliers aren't done cutting costs yet. Next up: a toilet paper surcharge at hotels? A "fresh air" fee on long-haul flights? Hey, you never know. - CE

> By the Way

** Moneysaving Cards?
Ever saved lots of money on travel by using a card? Maybe you whipped out a AAA membership card? Or an alumni association membership card? If so, which one did you use - and how much did you save? Send your thoughts to feedback@elliott.org and please include your full name, city and contact information.

** New Address, Same Attitude
Elliott.org has relocated. The new address is 19 Oceana Drive, Key Largo, FL 33037. The new phone number is (305) 453-4781. The e-mail address and Web site remain the same, of course - as is the irreverent attitude.

> Elliott's Cheap Travel Tip

** Dirt-cheap Euro Rental Car
Reader Janet McKitterick sent along the following car rental tip for readers who want to save money when they travel to Europe (and by the way, autumn is the best time to visit the continent) - "You can get car hire from Easyrentacar (http://www.easyrentacar.com) for as little as £9 a day," she says. With locations in Nice, Amsterdam, Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, Malaga, Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Majorca, there's probably one close to your destination. Got a moneysaving tip? Send it to tip@elliott.org.

> Our Sponsors

** M-Travel
The stock markets are down. The luster is off the dot-coms. But the application of mobile technology in the travel industry is alive and well. Although still in its infancy, mobile travel sales and services will be the biggest thing in wireless commerce. Visit the only Web site devoted exclusively to mobile communications and travel technology. Free weekly e-mail newsletter. Go to: http://www.m-travel.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

** Making Your Mobile Go Global
It is without a doubt one of the most laughable but little-noticed ironies of the information age: our cellular phones don't like to travel. Think about it. Those ultra-light wireless devices that are meant to be taken everywhere are practically useless outside of our own country. It's not that they aren't portable, per se, but that they're rarely compatible with another cellular network. You might as well leave the handsets at home. Read this week's Travel Technologist at http://elliott.org/technology/2001/global.htm

** Does Travel Stink?
Travel stinks. Take it from Ed Huntsman, who's been gagging his way through airport terminals, aircraft cabins and hotel rooms. "The first thing many passengers do when they get to the airport is to head for the bar and puff up three or four cigarettes in twenty minutes with a beer," complains Huntsman, a Phoenix consultant. "Then they stink up the cabin four rows in every direction while the rest of us have to either smell their stench or suffocate." He's not alone. Numerous readers have written lately to vent about travelers who eat spicy food, have bad personal hygiene, use too much perfume or cologne, smoke before boarding a flight or get juiced in the bar prior to takeoff. From the archives of The Travel Critic at http://elliott.org/vault/critic/1998/smells.htm

** Owed a Refund?
Carol Sadowski thought she had found a great airfare for a vacation trip to Las Vegas this fall. But then the $229 price she paid for her flight on America West's Web site in early July started to drop, first by $8, then $22 and finally, in late August, by $40. "I wanted to get a refund," says the Plantation, Fla., retiree. Citing the Phoenix carrier's pledge to offer passengers the lowest airfare, Sadowski e-mailed the airline and asked it to adjust her price. That's when she discovered what a lot of other air travelers are learning this summer: Fare sales don't automatically translate into fare savings if you've already bought your ticket. In Kiplinger's Personal Finance at http://elliott.org/vault/kiplinger/2001/refund.htm

> Audio Commentary

** Not So Mobile
How do you get your portable phone to become truly … portable? Christopher Elliott has the answer in this week's audio commentary, plus the ideal phone configuration for international travelers. In Outtakes from the Laptop Traveler at http://elliott.org/audio/outtakes/2001/global.mp3

> Other Voices

** Nobody Asked Him, But …
Joe Brancatelli is tired of hearing major-airline executives moan about how business travelers have "disappeared." They haven't disappeared. They're hiding. The corporate elite have abandoned commercial carriers for private jets. Other frequent flyers have switched to lower-fare carriers such as Southwest, AirTran, Frontier and JetBlue. Many of the rest of them are aping leisure travelers and buying advance-purchase, Saturday-stay fares. And none of them are coming back until walk-up prices go down and service improves. Read more at http://www.biztravel.com

** Applied 'Cycology'
Terry Riley and his wife sneaked in and out of Vermont this summer between killer heat spells for an inn-to-inn bicycle tour with Bike Vermont. They found the air fresh, the scenery remarkable (good for the Green Mountain State to have banned roadside billboards), and the camaraderie cheery. They also found danger. Get the details at http://errtravel.com/archives/today.htm

** 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

** Notes from the Road
Social commentator and writer Erik Gauger uses photos and stories to get to the bottom of sometimes eerie, sometimes humorous cities and landscapes in Notes from the Road (http://www.notesfromtheroad.com), and award-winning site that illustrates travels in city and country. Track his journeys online or subscribe to his monthly newsletter at http://www.notesfromtheroad.com/join.htm

** GreatCruises.com
Learn insider cruise information. Be an informed cruiser. Subscribe to GreatCruises.com's free monthly e-mail cruise newsletter, "All Cruise E-News." Get breaking news on new ships, new itineraries, price trends, cruise lines, health and safety inspections, cruise line awards and cruise tips of the month. Sign-up at http://www.greatcruises.com/Newsletter1.htm

** Frugal Fun
Save thousands of dollars a year on travel. Discover secrets of big savings on travel, fine food and drink, live music and theater, romance, weddings, sports, activities for children and so much more. It's all in the amazing 280-page book, "The Penny-Pinching Hedonist: How to Live Like Royalty with a Peasant's Pocketbook." Also, sign up for FREE Monthly Frugal Fun Tips/read back issues http://www.frugalfun.com - over 450 pages of moneysaving content.

** 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

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