• 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
http://www.elliott.org

March 11, 2002

Double Issue

> Inside

* Sharpen the Profile
* Column Deathwatch: Week Two
* Where are They Now?
* Double Issue Notice
* Air Canada Spring Sale
* Cruise-a-palooza
* Odd Discounts
* Mystery Booking
* Assault and Batteries
* Swimming With Quarry Sharks
* Last-Minute Bargains
* The Priceline.com is Right
* Bus-Sting Out
* Busy Traveler Tips
* It Doesn't Ad Up

> This Week in Travel

** Sharpen the Profile
The federal government is making a fool of itself by reducing its airport security screening efforts to senselessly random passenger checks. In an apparent effort to placate special interest groups that fear profiling will result in widespread racial or religious discrimination, the authorities are imposing screening quotas that are unlikely to thwart a future terrorist attack. They should be doing the very opposite by creating more sophisticated profiling systems that catch real criminals. Read the details at http://www.elliott.org/vault/oped/2002/profile.htm

> By the Way

** Column Deathwatch: Week Two
Many thanks to all of you who wrote to ask if you could help save the columns that are being discontinued in June. In last week's newsletter, I mentioned that two of the columns - the Technologist and the Troubleshooter - are being dropped. Technically, however, my distribution deal for all three columns, including the Travel Tightwad, is ending June 1. Which ones are worth saving? Or should yours truly just quit this racket and write trash novels for a living? Send your ideas to editor@elliott.org

** Where are They Now?
Remember Biztravel.com? Sure you do. But you might not remember what happened to the cast of characters who wrote columns for the Web site. Joe Brancatelli has moved on to start his own Web site and e-zine at http://www.brancatelli.com (definitely worth a visit) and Randy Petersen, the frequent flier guru, is still running the show at WebFlyer (http://www.webflyer.com). Drop by these sites and see what they're up to some time.

** Double Issue Notice
This is a special double issue of Elliott's E-Mail. The next newsletter will transmit on Monday, March 25. Be sure to check our Web sites, which are being updated in the meantime.

> Elliott's Cheap Travel Tip

** Air Canada Spring Sale
Air Canada has cut its fares up to 40 percent for travel this spring across its network. The sale runs through March 21 for travel beginning as early as April 2. The airline is also offering special companion fares to Canadian destinations. Details at http://www.aircanada.com

> Got a moneysaving tip? Send it to tip@elliott.org <

> Our Sponsor

** PS Inform by PositiveSpace
A travel agent needs to do more than book a flight to gain a client's loyalty these days - he or she needs to know enough to be an expert travel advisor. PS Inform can help. Short, daily email messages alert you to breaking travel stories, advisories and tips that make you a hero to your clients. And it's free. Subscribe today at http://www.positivespace.com/v2/redirect?loc_id=26

> Elliott's Commentary

** Cruise-a-palooza
Want to ice skate or rock climb on your next vacation? You could head to a mountain resort - or you could just book a cruise. The newest ships are floating cities with shopping malls, movie theaters, health spas, and more. On the Voyager of the Seas, you can practice figure eights in the morning, then scale a wall of fake rocks against the backdrop of the Caribbean Sea that afternoon. "You could spend a whole week on a ship and you wouldn't know you're on a ship," says Jim Godsman, president of the Cruise Lines International Association, a trade group. There are plenty of good excuses to book a floating vacation this year. In U.S. News & World Report at http://www.elliott.org/vault/usnews/2002/cruise.htm

** Odd Discounts
Unusual travel discounts are everywhere these days, as the industry tries to make nice with customers who stopped vacationing last fall. The deals are difficult to classify but easy to quantify. If you stumble upon one of these surprise reductions, you could save a significant amount of money on your hotel or restaurant bill. In The Travel Tightwad at http://www.elliott.org/tightwad/2002/odd.htm

** Mystery Booking
When she tried to make a hotel reservation on Orbitz, she hit the "enter" key twice and booked herself in two rooms. An easy mistake to make, but does that mean she has to pay for two rooms? Our troubleshooter takes up the issue with Orbitz. Find out what happens. Read the details in The Travel Troubleshooter at http://www.elliott.org/ask/2002/mystery.htm

** Assault and Batteries
Call it assault and battery, 21st century style. You're on a trip. Your camera, cell phone, or personal digital assistant runs out of juice. Wham! There goes your productivity. But it doesn't have to be that way. Here's how to keep from running out of juice. Check out The Travel Technologist at http://www.elliott.org/technology/2002/battery.htm

** Swimming With Quarry Sharks
The lone bluegill sunfish circles at a polite distance, but when my depth gauge passes 20 feet, it moves in for the kill. The creature charges one diver's elbow, chomping down and leaving a tiny red bite mark. Even as I think to myself, "Well, at least it wasn't me," I feel a thousand dull needles on my thumb. There's a foot-long, spotted orange fish attached to it, desperately trying to separate me from my digit. >> In a special Destinations archive at http://www.elliott.org/vault/destinations/archives/quarry.htm

** Last-Minute Bargains
Sarah Murphy doesn't consider herself a spontaneous person. The Miami financial analyst likes to plan everything, including her vacations, with time to spare. She booked her last getaway, a seven-day cruise to the Western Caribbean ports of Grand Cayman and Cozumel, half a year in advance through a travel agent. It cost her more than $1,000. But Murphy suspected she could do better on shorter notice after seeing an ad for icruise.com, a Web site specializing in last-minute sailings. "I had some vacation days left over, and I thought going on a cruise would be a good way to spend time before the busy holidays," she says. "I was interested in getting the best deal." A deal is exactly what she got. From the access Archives at http://www.elliott.org/vault/access/2000/lastminute.htm

> There's much more news and commentary about travel. Click on http://www.elliott.org for details. <

> Ticked.com Talk

(Note: Some of these URLs are long and may break up in your e-mail program. If they do, just cut and paste them into your browser, or go directly to http://www.ticked.com and follow the hard links.)

** The Priceline.com is Right
Last week Cheap Charlie began a series about his favorite Web travel sites. He started with AutoEurope, which provides what he considers the best international (Europe, Australia and a smattering of others) automobile rentals. This week, he focuses on Priceline.com. Read more of Charlie Leocha's column at http://www.ticked.com/cheapcharlie/2002/chpriceline.htm

** Bus-Sting Out
In Terry Riley's Safe Work And Travel clinic and in his book, he often talks about a hypothetical scenario such as one where criminals rob travelers on an airport shuttle. But last week in Kuala Lumpur, this scenario was played out for real. Read more in Terry Riley's column at http://www.ticked.com/errtravel/2002/errrob.htm

** Busy Traveler Tips
Many frequent and hardcore travelers are extremely busy people. One type of traveler crams business and pleasure trips into single junkets. Another corrals an entire family through an itinerary that would kill a hardy donkey, let alone an exhausted working parent. Another type micromanages their trip down to the minute such that they're setting alarms at all times of day to keep them on schedule. Another (most often business travelers) just wants to leave office, family, and the comforts of home as late as possible, and to get back as early as possible. Read more in Ed Hewitt's story in The Independent Traveler at http://www.independenttraveler.com/resources/article.cfm?AID=383&category=13

** It Doesn't Ad Up
This was almost five years ago, nearing nine on a spring evening at an airport club in the middle of America, gutting out still another canceled flight. Too tired to keep working while they waited, a small coterie of business travelers slumped in the corner of the club, munched stale cookies and stared blankly at the television screen. Then the mellifluous voice of Mandy Patinkin floated out of the box and grainy, jerky, phony images of Kitty Hawk flickered onto the screen. It was one of those annoying 1997 United ads that thought they were clever because they told us what we already knew: Flying stinks. "But we're going in a different direction," intoned the fellow who should always be singing Sondheim, not flacking for airlines. "We're United. Rising!" Read more of Joe Brancatelli's column at http://www.zyworld.com/brancatelli/branc022802.htm

> For links to other engaging travel opinions, visit http://www.ticked.com today. Don't forget to bookmark the site. <

> Other Sponsors

** 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

** Bonjour Paris
A virtual trip to France for lovers of all things Parisian and French. Visitors to http://www.bonjourparis.com will find travel information, food, wine and hotel tips, as well as lively cultural information.

** Travel-Comments.com
How was your last trip? Go to Travel-Comments.com and talk about it. Travel-Comments.com is a new Web source for travelers and potential travelers to post and view comments about segments of their travel experience, whether it's air, car, hotel, cruise or restaurant. Visit http://www.travel-comments.com

** IndependentTraveler.com
IndependentTraveler.com includes a comprehensive travel resource center and travel planning guide featuring the best selection of travel bargains, practical travel tips, travel news, message boards and trip reports from other travelers. Sign up today for our free weekly newsletter for travel tips and bargains for you and your family. So log on to http://www.independenttraveler.com/?pid=16 and happy traveling!

> Charter Underwriters

* AirJet Airline News - News updated hourly at http://www.airlinebiz.com

* Applied Psychology - Security tips online at http://www.appliedpsychology.com

* Bonjour Paris - This site's French connection at http://www.bonjourparis.com

* Journeywoman - The premier travel resource for women on the Internet at http://www.journeywoman.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 us 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. (c) 2002 Elliott Publishing. 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