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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

November 4, 2002

> Inside

* Canvassing Key Largo
* Fat Flight Attendants?
* Sayonara, Banner Ads
* Five Worst Airports
* Tracking Turtles on the Space Coast
* Germs Fly Free
* In Search of Low Fares
* Call Me Al

[Editor's Note: Tomorrow is Election Day in the United States, and to commemorate the event I've penned "Canvassing Key Largo" - a commentary about what it's like to run a political campaign in Key Largo, Fla. Plus, I hope you'll check out my account of tracking marine turtles in Vero Beach, Fla. Also, a recently-published report about unsafe drinking water on planes prompted me to revisit a column from 1998, "Germs Fly Free." And last but certainly not least, I wanted to say "thanks" to all of you who pledged your support for this site during our fundraiser. It was our best one ever! - Elliott]

> This Week in Travel

** Canvassing Key Largo
What's the difference between a registered voter and a parrot? In Key Largo, not much. We've been foiled by the talking birds a few times during the campaign. We knock on someone's front door - candidate Kari Haugeto, our five-month-old son, Aren, and me - and the bird answers through an open window, "Hello?" >> Read the whole story in Opinion.

> By the Way

** Fat Flight Attendants?
Do the crewmembers on your flight seem a little bit heavier than they used to? We're looking for observations, whether you work for an airline or just fly a lot. 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.

** Sayonara, Banner Ads
We raised $750 in last month's fundraiser, enough to take down all the banner ads on elliott.org. Thanks to all of you who cared enough - or were annoyed enough - to take action. The ads will be deleted the next time there's a site-wide update. I'm still a little low-tech here - all of the pages are still more or less coded by hand, but it should happen within the week.

> Our Sponsor

** Ticked.com Top Ten
What are travelers reading? Find out at Ticked.com's Top Ten list of bestselling travel titles. Compiled monthly, the list features the most-purchased travel books on the Internet, thanks to the Web site's affiliate relationship with Barnes & Noble. Whether you're looking for something to read on your next trip or wondering what to buy for the traveler in your life, the Ticked.com Top Ten can help.

> Elliott's Commentary

** Five Worst Airports
No airport is perfect. Each one has its flaws, whether it's Palm Beach International Airport's confusing access roads, Juneau International Airport's maddening fog or Las Vegas airport's omnipresent cigarette smoke. Frequent travelers understand that. They deal with it. But when an airport is so imperfect that we go out of our way to avoid it, when we would rather drive for hours to the next major city than bother with it and when we warn everyone we know to stay away, far, far away - well, those airports deserve special recognition. >> In bCentral's Power Trip.

** Tracking Turtles on the Space Coast
The turtle eggs drop like marshmallows into a neat pile on the sand. Plop, plop, plop. After each fall, the six-foot-long loggerhead, half-buried in a dune above, waves her enormous back fins as if she's swimming away. "I can't bear to watch this," groans a woman holding a newborn baby, who is standing a safe distance from the midnight birthing scene. "One of these is enough for me." >> In Destinations.

** Germs Fly Free
On a trip from Brussels to New York, my younger brother contracted an exotic and potentially fatal virus. I don't remember the exact nature of his illness, but I recall the reaction from doctors when they diagnosed him: they were flabbergasted. Jeff had caught a rare intestinal ailment of African origin - something not found in Europe, where we lived, or the United States. We narrowed his point of contact with the disease down to the flight. My brother evidently used the bathroom on the Boeing 747, somehow touched the toilet seat or the sink, and, as 7-year-olds tend to do, later put his fingers in his mouth. >> In The Travel Critic.

> Ticked.com Talk

** In Search of Low Fares
It all started when my girlfriend noticed an Aer Lingus ad proclaiming, "Ireland for $99." The fine print brought a bit of reality to this figure by noting that the fares were each way based on round-trip purchase, prior to such-and-such a date, and between such-and-such dates. And, of course, in the new airline advertising chic, all taxes were stripped from the offer. In the end the entire trip would cost in the range of $250 per person round trip - still an amazing fare. The seed of travel had been firmly planted in her mind. >> Read Cheap Charlie's column.

** Call Me Al
It ain't easy making a buck in the lodging business today. So hotels have to find a way to entice people to stay with them rather than with their competition-not so simple when you figure that the majority of hotel guests are unconscious for most of the time spent in their rooms. And hoteliers know that when their guest awake in the morning, they really can't tell the difference among a Hyatt, a Hilton, or a Marriott. So hotel marketers look for other ways to differentiate themselves from their competitors. >> Read more in Terry Riley's column.

> Other Sponsors

** MilesLink Voices
If you rely on Randy Petersen's WebFlyer site for timely news and information about mileage programs, you'll want to sign up for MilesLink Voices, a new electronic newsletter published in conjunction with Ticked.com. It features the sharpest opinions about travel delivered twice a month to MilesLink subscribers.

** The Magic For Less
A full-service travel agency specializing in family vacations, romantic getaways, and cruises. The hallmark of our travel consulting is personal attention mixed with a bit of "magic" for the very best prices. A graduate of the Disney College of Knowledge is available on staff to offer advice, share recommendations and help you plan a magical Disney theme park vacation. For a limited time, The Magic For Less Travel is offering discounts of up to $200 on all qualifying travel. The Magic for Less Travel will help you get where you want go - for less.

** JetReady
The pressures that business travelers face in today's environment are unprecedented. Each element of travel management dramatically affects a business's health and profitability. It is no longer enough to be there; each business trip requires employees to maximize performance creating positive value for their organization. To achieve sustained high performance, travelers need to be mentally focused, emotionally engaged, physically energized and aligned with their deepest values and beliefs. To learn more, call (714) 544-2855.

** EasyTravelAir.com
The must-have travel accessory to get through the post-9/11 airport is the EasyTravelAir Security Pouch. The hands-free pouch lets you display your ID and boarding pass and keeps your credit card, passport and other travel essentials safe and secure. Get one free when you buy three. Only $14.99 each. Call (800) 282-1469.

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