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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
http://www.elliott.org

June 24, 2002

> Inside

* Size Does Matter on Southwest
* Saving Money in Los Angeles
* Perrin Book at #1
* Baby Ace Goes to Key West
* Available for a Steal
* The Worst of Best Western
* A Winning Ticket Strategy
* Angel Fire's Aliens
* Compulsive Cruisers
* Upscale to Europe
* Stop Thinking

> This Week in Travel

** Size Does Matter on Southwest
Oversize airline passengers, meet your dietician. Its name is Southwest Airlines. The no-frills carrier last week began enforcing a rule that compels overweight customers to buy a second ticket if they can't fit in the standard 18 3/4-inch-wide seats. But it turns out the airline is obsessed with size - and has been for a long time.

> By the Way

** Saving Money in Los Angeles
Which Web sites do you click on to save money when you travel to Los Angeles? 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.

** Perrin Book at #1
In a surprise development, "Wendy Perrin's Secrets Every Smart Traveler Should Know" vaults to the number one spot in our bestseller list this week. Holding steady at number two is Joan Rattner Heilman's "Unbelievably Good Deals and Great Adventures That You Absolutely Can't Get Unless You're Over 50." >> Read the whole list at http://www.elliott.org/about/books.htm (If you'd like to suggest a title to be featured, please send us an e-mail)

** Baby Ace Goes to Key West
For those of you following the adventures of baby Aren, he made his first big car trip down to Key West this weekend. Aunt Aimee is in town to visit him, too. Plus, his site got written up in JD Lasica's New Media Musings and on the Brazilian media site Jornalistas da Web.

> Our Sponsor

** Carlson Wagonlit Travel Tips
This week's tip: Your Passport is your key to the world, but only for ten years. Be sure to check your Passport and renew it today so you are not stuck tomorrow. Remember, a child's passport is only valid for 5 years. At Carlson Wagonlit Travel, your experience begins with ours. Visit our site or give us a call toll free at (877) 288-3138 and see what an experienced travel agency can offer! To subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter, send an e-mail to carlsontravel@jvegroup.net and type "subscribe" in the subject line.

> Elliott's Commentary

** Available for a Steal
On a recent trip to Portland, Ore., Mary White and her husband, Greg, lost "everything" on a single afternoon. No, they haven't opened a new casino in town. White was attending a chess convention with her children Steven, 11, and Kristin, 9, and she left two Dell Latitude notebook computers in her room at the Portland Radisson. When she returned the PCs were gone, along with two video cameras, a Game Boy and Greg's electric razor.

** The Worst of Best Western
What's that - an empty tampon box covering the lights? Yes, at a Best Western, that's exactly what one guest found above her "always-on" halogen lamp. And now she wants everyone to know about what happened. What should the hotel do about a guest who is offended by its efforts to shield her from security lights? Find out.

** A Winning Ticket Strategy
Finding an airfare at the last minute may seem simple for Enda Carey, a computer systems analyst for a brokerage firm in New York. But the actual process is far from it. "In order to plan trips based on what's available at the last minute, I use a variety of sources," he says.

** Angel Fire's Aliens
The road sign along U.S. Highway 434 looks so ordinary, so official, that you're tempted to ignore it. By the time you realize what you've seen - an image of a cow being sucked into a spacecraft - it's disappeared in your rearview mirror.

** Compulsive Cruisers
He knows every inch of every ship in the fleet. He has logged 1,110 days at sea on 114 tours, including a few dozen trips through the Panama Canal and a couple of global crossings. And Chuck Wideen is not in the Navy. "I like cruising," the Las Vegas retiree says. "I mean, I really like it. You board the ship, you unpack, and there's nothing left to do. Everything else is taken care of."

> Ticked.com Talk

** Upscale to Europe
Earlier this month, Cheap Charlie was invited to fly transatlantic, from Newark to Lisbon on TAP Air Portugal and then from Madrid to JFK on Iberia. As you know, Charlie focuses on bargain travel for the most part, but if faced with an opportunity to travel business class, he won't turn it down. Here's his report.

** Stop Thinking
Gordon Bethune, the Chatty-Kathy chief executive of Continental Airlines, recently delivered this unvarnished opinion of the major mainline carriers: "We're a stupid industry led by stupid people." But Joe Brancatelli will go further than Bethune: The stupid airline industry is dominated by nasty and officious martinets who don't give a damn about their customers. You annoy them. And, bottom line, they hate you because you won't do what they tell you to do, you won't pay what they tell you to pay and you have the unmitigated gall to question their pronouncements about the state of life on the road.

> Other Sponsors

** JohnnyJet
Ever wish there were one site that listed every possible link to other travel-related Web sites? Johnny Jet.com does just that, and more. The site has links to practically everything you need to know that's travel-related. From general sites for airlines, trains, cruises and booking sites to maps and ground transportation, to practical information for pet, student, and senior travel, to the quirkier sites, such as places to buy beer or gas and a language translator. Everything is divided into categories, and this makes maneuvering very easy. Be sure to sign up for Johnny Jet's free newsletter that has the week's travel news, tips, webcams, websites, and where's Johnny Jet.

** 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.

** 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.

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