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ELLIOTT'S E-MAIL
http://www.elliott.org

April 11, 2004

>> Inside <<

* Real Travel
* Question of the Week: Mysterious Hotel Surcharges?
* We're Alaska-Bound!
* Finding Balance On the Road
* Europe After March 11
* This Week in Travel
* Flight Attendants Lie, Too
* Defending Your Knees
* Where's My Letter?
* Flashback: Farewell Columns
* Travel Content: Dead or Alive?
* Adieu, Troubleshooter?
* Until We Meet Again
* The Travel Technologist Logs Off

>> First Off <<

** Real Travel
I've lost count of how many times people have asked me if it's safe to travel to Europe this summer. Of course, as Terry Riley pointed out in last week's issue, it's never completely safe. But all the fuss over Spain and 3/11 does raise a valid concern about having a balanced, even-keeled attitude toward travel. That's an issue I examine in this week's Power Trip column. I also take a look at the reality of traveling to Europe in US News & World Report. And in the interests of balance, A Frank Steward examines the lies flight attendants tell - after talking about pilot fibs last week.

>> Underwritten By <<

** Journeyware.com
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>> By The Way <<

** Question of the Week: Mysterious Hotel Surcharges?
You've already been warned about the resort fee, the parking fee, the deliver-my-fax fee and the bed tax. But have you noticed any odd or unusual surcharges on your hotel bill recently? Anything that you've never seen before, that looked a little strange? Send us an e-mail and include your full name, city, and what you do for a living. Remember, your story could mean free luggage. It did for Ed Kummel, our March winner.

> Trying to e-mail me? Please read this first.

** We're Alaska-Bound!
This issue of Elliott's E-Mail is transmitting early because our entire editorial staff (Aren, Kari and yours truly) are spending the next week in Alaska. We know we have a lot of loyal Elliott's E-Mail readers on the Last Frontier, and we look forward to meeting some of you while we're there. So if you see two exhausted-looking parents chasing down a toddler in Anchorage next week, don't be shy. Come over and say hi!

>> Elliott's Commentary <<

** Finding Balance On the Road
It might be an exaggeration to say that salesman-turned-fishing guide Norm Weston experienced a career epiphany two decades ago. But then, how else do you describe the lure of Southwest Florida's back country, where the saltwater flats teem with redfish, snook and trout? And how else to characterize the way in which he brought his career into balance? "I was on a business trip to Miami," he recalls. "I was a field engineer selling machine parts, and I went to see a customer on a Friday to discuss a possible contract." The sales pitch turned into a fishing trip off Sanibel Island the next day, where he came to a sudden realization that he was in the wrong line of work. "I had to become a fishing guide," he says. > Details in Power Trip.

** Europe After March 11
A survey of travel agents conducted immediately after the 3/11 incident found that just 9 percent saw cancellations of Spain trips. And only 8 percent reported that European trips were being called off, according to the Carlson Wagonlit Travel survey. "We've been so surprised," says Julio Lopez Astor of the Tourist Office of Spain. "People aren't letting what happened in Madrid interfere with their travel plans." The attacks nevertheless give the 5 million Americans who typically travel to Europe in the summer another concern to add to the devalued dollar and possible anti-American sentiments. But a few quick considerations while planning the vacation can keep travel abroad safe and affordable. > In US News & World Report.

>> Also Underwritten By <<

** Toursaver.com
Free Alaska travel for companions! Everything in the "Great Alaskan TourSaver" is free or 2-for-1. Frommer's says: "An essential money-saving resource for Alaska travelers." Cruise boats, railroads, attractions, flightseeing, whale-watching, hotels, car rental companies and cultural trips all two-for-one. Just $99.95. Read Frommer's review, learn more.

>> This Week in Travel <<

News, opinion and analysis from Elliott's Travel Notes.

> Gas Prices Will Continue to Rise (4/9)

> TSA Tests Passenger Fast Lane (4/8)

> ACLU Files 'No-Fly' List Lawsuit

> JetBlue Gets No. 1 Ranking (4/6)

> Continental Settles Discrimination Issue (4/5)

> See archived blog postings or catch up on today's news.

>> Ticked.com Talk <<

** Flight Attendants Lie, Too
Pilots might lie, as I claimed in last week's column. But so do flight attendants. On the airplane, as in life, we often say one thing and mean another. It's a time-honored tradition, and you need to be able to read between the lines. Here's a primer on flight attendant-speak. > In A Frank Steward.

** Defending Your Knees
One thing that has always irked me about flying was having the person in front of me fully recline their seat into my lap. Boy does that piss me off. Normally, I'll tap the person on the shoulder and ask them to leave me a bit of room. Normally, that works. Sometimes, I only get a sneer as a response. I have spoken with flight attendants who all tell me, "The person in front of me can recline their seat as much as they want." The normal mantra seems to continue, "There's nothing I can do about it; they paid for the seat." Or, the airline crewmember asks, "Why didn't you buy a ticket in first class?" That kind of "help" and "empathy" only gets my blood boiling faster. > Read more in Cheap Charlie.

>> Triprights.com Ticker <<

** Where's My Letter?
The phrase "allow six to eight weeks" is so overused in the travel industry, it's practically a cliché. But what happens when six weeks becomes nearly two years? That's the problem one reader has with American Express. In order to process an insurance claim, she needs a denial-of-claim letter from the charge-card company, but for some reason it isn't budging. Find out what's going on - and how you can avoid getting the runaround from a travel company. > In Fix My Trip.

>> Flashback: Farewell Columns <<
Spend enough time as a travel columnist and you'll find yourself writing a lot of farewell columns. That's because they don't keep us around for very long - especially writers like me, who relentlessly hunt sacred cows for your reading pleasure. Here's the flashback:

** Travel Content: Dead or Alive?
This week's online travel news, as cartoonist Walt Kelly might have put it, is us. Not only is this column ending after more than five years of covering the interactive travel business. So is its competitor, The Industry Standard's Tech Traveler newsletter. When you consider the anemic demand for travel-related information in general, you're left to wonder if the battle between commerce and content hasn't been won. Should the likes of Morris Dye, Michael Shapiro and me just pack our bags and go back to writing puff pieces and how-to books? Should travel Web sites discard the rest of their news operations in favor of ads, as two prominent travel dot-coms recently did? Maybe not. In the final Inside Interactive Traveler.

** Adieu, Troubleshooter?
The Travel Troubleshooter, which has been appearing weekly on SmarterLiving.com, is over. But the column will live on - in syndication and on my Web site, elliott.org. What happened? Well, I could blame Sept. 11, but that's such a tired excuse. I could fault a soft economy or even a lack of readership, but that wouldn't be entirely accurate, either. I think the most accurate - and articulate - explanation is that it was time to move on. This column has evolved during the last four years, from a personal soapbox into a real "troubleshooter" column that helps people solve their travel-related problems. In the (almost) last Travel Troubleshooter.

** Until We Meet Again
Auf wiedersehen, Travel Technologist. The German word, which loosely translates into "goodbye," actually means "until we meet again." After five years of doing this, I know it's never goodbye until you're six feet under. This is the third farewell column I've had for the Technologist. This is more auf wiedersehen. It doesn't end here. People will keep using gadgets on the road, regardless of what the pollsters and pundits tell us and no matter what the hits, click-throughs and reader surveys suggest. Travel technology is here to stay. In the final Travel Technologist.

** The Travel Technologist Logs Off
Farewell, Travel Technologist. Good-bye, Biztravel.com. I never imagined I'd have to write this column. But now, because of circumstances that no one could have anticipated, I do. We're history. Before I sign off, though, I wanted to do a few important things. First, to apologize. Some of you turned to Biztravel.com and to the Biztravel Bulletin last week looking for commentary on the World Trade Center incident and its implications on travel technology. You didn't find any. In the (almost) final Travel Technologist.

>> Also Underwritten By <<

** Dream of Italy
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** Travelhunters.com
If you like to find great travel bargains, you've got to check out TravelHunters.com - the bargain travel community. The site was created by two brothers from Minnesota who love to help people find the best travel bargains. You'll find numerous hot deals for vacations and cruises, bargain travel articles, travel resources, and a comprehensive travel message board. Be sure to sign up for the free monthly newsletter - the Travel Hunters News - dedicated to helping people find amazing deals. > Here's the site.

** FirstClassFlyer.com
Fly first class for less than what others pay for coach? Looking for free and purchased upgrades, 2-for-1s, advanced ticketing techniques, and a fast-track to elite status strategies? Look no further ... these hot deals and more are available at First Class Flyer's Web site.

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

* Demographics
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