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ELLIOTT'S E-MAIL
http://www.elliott.org

June 10, 2002

> Inside

* Have We Learned Nothing?
* Saving Money in Washington, D.C.
* 'Penny Pincher' Tops List - Again
* More 'Baby Blog' Updates
* 'Undiscovered' Travel Experts List Unveiled
* Points - Or Perks?
* Don't Pick SkyChoice
* Marking the Miles
* Travel Industry Lies
* FREE Travel!
* Mile-High Blockbusters
* Learn the Ropes of Package Purchases

> This Week in Travel

** Have We Learned Nothing?
So now airlines are removing passengers for no reason other than that they look Middle Eastern. That's the charge against four carriers made by the American Civil Liberties Union in a lawsuit filed last week, a case that has unsettled, if not surprised many travelers.

> By the Way

** Saving Money in Washington, D.C.
Which Web sites do you click on to save money when you travel to the nation's capital? Name your favorite URLs, please. Send us an e-mail 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.

** 'Penny Pincher' Tops List - Again
Joel L. Widzer's book "The Penny Pincher's Passport to Luxury Travel: The Art of Cultivating Preferred Customer Status," tops the list of bestselling travel books again this week. Neil Teplica's "100 Things to Do Before You Die" remains at number two. (If you'd like to suggest a title to be featured, please send us an e-mail.)

** More 'Baby Blog' Updates
For reasons that aren't entirely clear to me, Aren's Web log has become one of the most popular pages on the elliott.org Web site. This week, Baby Ace tours the neighborhood in Key Largo, reads your e-mails and offers his thoughts on infanthood. By the way, Aren loves to get your e-mails, so keep 'em coming.

** 'Undiscovered' Travel Experts List Unveiled
They don't have their own TV or radio shows. They don't work for major news organizations. They still have their egos in check. In short, these travel experts aren't dying of media overexposure. Here's a list of "undiscovered" voices who often know a lot more than the talking heads who pontificate on TV, radio and in print. (Got a name you'd like to add to the list? Please e-mail us.)

> Our Sponsor

** First Class Flyer Travel Newsletter
Fly First Class for no more than coach? It's not only possible, such fares are available all the time - you just have to know where to find them. This travel newsletter, published by "Mr. Upgrade," reveals the secrets of First Class travel on a monthly basis. Deals like free upgrades, purchased upgrades, two-for-ones and elite status strategies.

> Elliott's Commentary

** Points - Or Perks?
Why do you do collect frequent flier miles? Is it the free flights or the preferred treatment? Or both? Maybe it's time to ask. Because the answer will determine how you earn your points - and what you do with them. In The Travel Tightwad.

** Don't Pick SkyChoice
She's been a Delta SkyMiles member for more years than she can count, but she's still having trouble cashing in her points. Now there's SkyChoice, which lets her get a guaranteed seat - for a price. Is it worth it? Details in The Travel Troubleshooter.

** Marking the Miles
Bill Ford believes the 160-mile journey between Miami and Key West is "just about the only decent road trip in the entire state of Florida." And he ought to know. Ford used to run Harley-Davidson motorcycle tours from Orlando to the Southernmost City, and he says there's "a real cult aspect" to the drive. In Destinations.

** Travel Industry Lies
Like so many travelers, Pat Woods distrusts - if not disbelieves - many of the claims made by the travel industry. Can you blame her? On a recent America West flight from Los Angeles to Philadelphia via Phoenix, Woods' first leg of the flight got cancelled. "Not to worry," the Philadelphia corporate training executive remembers a ticket agent telling her. "You can board a flight leaving a half-hour later and meet your connecting flight in Phoenix." In The Travel Critic archives.

> Ticked.com Talk

** FREE Travel!
Free airline tickets! Free hotel stays! Free rental cars! Free breakfasts! Free shuttle service! Free HBO! Free admission to local attractions! Jeez. If we didn't know any better, we'd think that we could travel for free. But of course we do know better. We know that there is always a price to pay for "free" travel. We know we can't fly, stay, drive, or eat for free. Read more in Terry Riley's in Ticked.com.

** Mile-High Blockbusters
Since high-altitude movie viewing is a big business, Hollywood goes out of its way to accommodate airlines. Studios have special "non-theatrical" departments to coordinate editing and distribution of movies for airlines. If a scene in theaters has a "United Airlines" sign in the background, you can be sure that the same scene was shot a second time with generic signs so rival airlines will show the movie. Read more in Scott McCartney's column in The Wall Street Journal. [Note: This is a link to a free section of the site. No subscription is required.]

** Learn the Ropes of Package Purchases
It's time to take a break, but the last thing most hard-working folks want to do is a lot of work planning their vacation. The travel industry has come up with an alluring alternative by providing online packages: a way to buy the airfare, hotel and/or rental car all in one click of a mouse. But once you start surfing the Web, the sheer volume of choices can be overwhelming. Here are some tips for planning that family getaway on the Internet. Kathy McCabe explains in USA Today.

> Other Sponsors

** Volunteer Vacations Guide
Aid a good cause while taking a vacation - the updated and expanded Volunteer Vacations Guide includes nearly 140 organizations looking for domestic and international volunteers. The guide alerts you to volunteering projects, noting length of volunteer stays, age and experience requirements, costs, goals and locations for each organization. The Volunteer Vacations Guide provides a complete picture and explains the advantages and negative points potential volunteers need to consider before signing on.

** DisneyDollarless
Do you wish you could visit Walt Disney World more often - or even at all? DisneyDollarless is a free email list that can help you do just that! DDL is also a unique vacation support network where members answer trip planning and cost-cutting questions, trade used guide books, exchange travel coupons, book group cruises, and earn Disney prizes among other fun activities.

** The Alaska Travelgram
Punchy, timely information on travel in, out and around Alaska. Learn about fares the airlines won't publish. Find the secret spots that local "Sourdoughs" save for themselves. And learn fun facts about the "Last Frontier". Written by Scott McMurren, longtime travel columnist for the Anchorage Daily News. Free subscription.

** 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.

** Family Travel Forum
Summer's coming and you need the best resource for travel with kids? Join the FTF community for first-hand accounts, great vacation ideas and the editors' pick of real deals, free festivals, and regional events.

> Your Opinion Matters

Read something you disagree with? Got a story idea or a gripe? Your opinion can make a difference. E-mail us 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.

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