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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

October 13, 2003

>> Inside <<

* Don't Let Them Win
* What Would You Change About Travel?
* Transmission Error
* Stupid Things Travelers Do
* Travel Notes
* Traveling Upscale on the Cheap
* Disney Disaster
* Hungarian Cap City

>> First Off <<

** Don't Let Them Win
There are forces in the travel industry that don't want this Web site to continue. (Click over to last week's Travel Notes to see what I mean.) If you work for an airline, resort or car-rental company that would rather eliminate one of the few independent advocates for travelers - to muffle a critic who refuses to coddle the companies he covers - then by all means, don't become an underwriter of this newsletter and Web site. But if you're tired of being over-billed and underappreciated by the travel industry, if you feel as if you've been taken advantage of for too long and if you think enough is enough, then join us. Don't let them win. Become a supporter.

>> Underwritten By <<

** GPS4FUN.com
Don't get lost again on your next trip. Adventure GPS specializes in all kinds of GPS including voice-routing, turn-by-turn navigation products from Garmin, Navman, Magellan, TravRoute, TomTom, Delorme, Pharos and Destinator. Access info on hotels, restaurants, and addresses, and route to it. We recommend the Garmin iQUE 3600 PDA/GPS or new StreetPilot 2610, but we also have products for laptops and PDAs. Order one today. > Click here to find out more.

>> By The Way <<

** What Would You Change About Travel?
Imagine you had one wish and could change anything about the travel industry you wanted to. What would you change? Would you eliminate airline ticket change fees? Get rid of kids on flights? Regulate car-rental companies' fuel-purchase options (or better yet, zap 'em entirely)? Anything goes. Send us an e-mail and include your full name, city, and what you do for a living. Send us an e-mail and include your full name, city, and what you do for a living.

** Transmission Error
Last week's newsletter didn't fully transmit to all of our subscribers. If you didn't get the whole thing, just click here.

>> Elliott's Commentary <<

** Stupid Things Travelers Do
When traveling, we often leave our common sense behind. That's fine if we're on a vacation - a missed connection here or a surcharge there isn't a big deal when we're off the clock. But for folks who travel for a living, doing something stupid can cost a company a lot of money. I'm here to help. Or, more to the point, you're here to help. Thanks to the hundreds of calls and e-mails I get as the ombudsman for the public radio show The Savvy Traveler and National Geographic Traveler magazine, I've put together a list of the five biggest boo-boos travelers make. > Details in Power Trip.

> Find out why smokers want to flame a travel critic out and which airline last week inadvertently gave its nemesis a career boost on Elliott's Travel Notes.

>> Ticked.com Talk <<

** Traveling Upscale on the Cheap
Cheap Charlie spends his nights in youth hostels, campsites and one-star hotels when on the road, right? Doesn't this champion of the cheap masses yearning to travel inexpensively regularly dine at unassuming cafeterias and small, low-cost Mom-and-Pop hole-in-the-walls? If the truth be told, Cheap Charlie does all of that. But that's not all. > Read more in Charles Leocha's column.

>> Triprights.com Ticker <<

** Disney Disaster
A theme park ride accident leaves a visitor in pain and ruins the rest of her vacation, she says. But should Disney offer her a refund? It would be nice, but the Mouse isn't even returning her phone calls at the moment. In fact, it's been stonewalling her for the better part of a year. Is it time to call in a professional? > In Fix My Trip.

>> Destination of the Week <<

** Hungarian Cap City
It could be the architecture - the soaring cathedrals built on Roman ruins - that draws visitors to the ancient Hungarian city of Sopron. Or maybe it's the sidewalk cafés, with their delectable pastries such as the dense chocolate Sachertorte or the Ferenc Rahozzi, a multilayered cheesecake, which bring them to this town along the Austrian border. Then again, it's probably the teeth. > Read the whole story at Not2far.com's Destination of the Week.

>> Also Underwritten By <<

** Knee Defender
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** Award Traveler
Award Traveler buys and sells transferable frequent flier mileage awards and upgrade certificates. We are a broker between frequent fliers who choose cash rather than miles and air travelers who want first- and business-class service at a reasonable price.

** International Living
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>> Who's Reading Elliott's E-Mail? <<

* Demographics
* Average newsletter circulation - 15,876
* Last month's total unique visitors
Elliott.org - 35,560
Ticked.com - 20,902
Triprights.com - 8,020
Not2far.com - 2,297
Total E3 Network visitors - 66,779

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