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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

April 14, 2003

>> Inside <<

* Missing Issue
* When Do You Walk Away?
* Need Help?
* Baby Blog Update
* Sex, Lies and the Caribbean
* Toons Terrify Tots
* Northwest's Sick Ticket Rules

>> First Off <<

** Missing Issue
I was tempted to call this week's edition of Elliott's E-Mail a "special double issue," but who am I kidding? Just over a week ago I lost all the data on my primary work PC after suffering a catastrophic system meltdown. The result: No newsletter last Monday and yours truly forced to trade his tower for a four-year-old laptop with a dial-up connection. Maybe that's why this week's commentaries are unusually edgy and irritable. Because … well, I'm still STEAMED over losing all that data.

>> Underwritten By <<

** JohnnyJet.com
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. Sign up for Johnny Jet's free newsletter that has the week's travel news, tips, webcams, Web sites, and "where's Johnny Jet.

>> By The Way <<

** When Do You Walk Away?
Under what circumstances do you leave your hotel before it's time to check out? When your plans change? When the room isn't up to your standards? Or ... when something else happens? Let us know. Send us an e-mail and please include your full name, city, and what you do for a living.

** Need Help?
Got a travel problem that needs fixing? Try e-mailing the travel troubleshooter, who fixes trips for USAToday.com, National Geographic Traveler and the public radio show "The Savvy Traveler" (and also happens to edit this newsletter). Tell us about it!

** Baby Blog Update
For those of you who log on to Aren's blog for the latest baby pictures, here's what you can expect to find: Aren recently spent the weekend at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa in Miami. He also got his first haircut and has been hanging out at the dive shop where Mommy works. Here are the details. (Note: Aren's baby blog ends on May 23, when he turns one.)

>> Elliott's Commentary <<

** Sex, Lies and the Caribbean
Picture yourself reclining on a secluded tropical beach, a palm tree gently swaying above you. It's a tranquil and welcome image at a time when war worries and threats of severe respiratory infection are making travel anything but pleasurable, isn't it? Thank goodness for the latest issue of Travel+Leisure magazine, which doesn't leave anything to the imagination. A special 18-page Caribbean advertising section offers no less than three separate ads featuring photos of a lone coconut palm arching over turquoise water. Paging Sigmund Freud. > In Opinion.

> Lies, Lies, Lies
> Is Your Airport Clock Lying?
> The Travel Industry's Version of the Truth

>> Ticked.com Talk <<

** Toons Terrify Tots
"Leave it to a psychologist to take the fun out of watching a cartoon." That was my first thought when I read the news account. According to the Mail, Dr. Brian Young, a psychologist at Exeter University in the UK, asserts that kiddies who watch the make-believe adventures of Thomas The Tank Engine on the telly "could end up absolutely terrified of going on a train." Dr. Young purports that the many scenes of railway accidents in the cartoon series can scare the bejeebers out of kids. > In Err Travel.

> X-Rated Honeymoon
> Almost Overcharged for Kids' Tickets
> Run Like Hell

>> Triprights.com Ticker <<

** Northwest's Sick Ticket Rules
She books two tickets through the Northwest Airlines Web site. But a day before she leaves, she gets sick and cancels the trip so she doesn't infect anyone else. Northwest's reaction? It wants $260 in change fees and fare differences toward a new ticket. Now she wants a refund. Find out who gets to keep the money. > In Fix My Trip.

> Lost My Ticket in a Plane Crash
> Is My Ticket Illegal?
> How Did They Get That Fare So Low?

>> Also Underwritten By <<

** 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.

** BnBFinder.com
Bed & Breakfasts are travel's best-kept secret. BnBFinder.com offers thousands of inns for vacation, honeymoons or business travel. Gift certificates are available that let your special person choose where and when to go! Sign up for their free monthly newsletter for the latest B&B specials and discounts.

** SkiSnowboard.net
Want to take a ski vacation? Click on SkiSnowboard.net, the authoritative online guide to skiing in North America. These sites have unbiased, hard-hitting information on everything you need to plan your winter vacation. Sign up for their SkiSnowboard Newsletter.

>> Who's Reading Elliott's E-Mail? <<

* Demographics
* Average newsletter circulation - 13,705
* Last month's total unique visitors
Elliott.org - 38,545
Ticked.com - 23,050
Triprights.com - 7,911
Total E3 Network visitors - 69,506
Change from last month + 8,453 visitors/594 subscribers

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