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

December 12, 2004

>> Inside <<

* Just Making Sure
* Your Bargain Secrets, Please
* Nine More Travelpro Rollaways to Give Away!
* Change is Good
* This Week in Travel
* Cypress Gardens Reopens
* The Real Danger
* Captain Jack
* Wolves With Low-Fare Paint Jobs
* Car Insurance Confusion
* Keys to Luxury
* Terror Fears Boost Insurance
* Your New Travel 'To-Do' List
* Rental Customers 'Have No Clue'
* Steer Clear of Car Surcharges

>> First Off <<

** Just Making Sure
Insurance is a hot topic this week. There have been numerous questions from readers about the value of travel insurance. There's a troubleshooter column about one car renter who bought insurance she didn't want (ah, but did she get a refund?). On a related note, there is Joel Widzer's disturbing commentary about the real threat to airline safety, and Charlie Leocha's story about the demise of low-fare carriers. Read James Wysong's yarn about captain Jack (but only if you're over 18) and check out our Flashback on columns about - what else? - travel insurance.

>> Underwritten By <<

** Cheapflights.com
Flights price comparison site. Compare sales, specials and cheap flights to New York, Las Vegas, Orlando, London, Cancun, San Jose and over 600 more destinations. Cheapflights.com provides a quick and independent picture of the market for cheap flights from airlines (including Southwest and JetBlue), travel agents and specialist discounters. > Find cheap flights now.

>> By The Way <<

** Your Bargain Secrets, Please
Planning to book a vacation or business trip in 2005? What are some of your favorite strategies for finding a really good deal? Do you use the Internet? A travel agent? Call the airline or hotel directly? A little bit of everything? Tell us about it! Please e-mail us. As always, please include your full name, city, and what you do for a living.

** Nine More Travelpro Rollaways to Give Away!
We're right in the middle of Travelpro's 12 Days of Christmas giveaway. As you know, during the last year we've encouraged you to participate in our Travelpro luggage giveaway by responding to our weekly questions. Now it's payback time. We're giving away one Travelpro WalkAbout Lite Rollaboard a day through Christmas. Winners will be announced every morning on the Travel Notes newsletter. If you're not signed up for it, here's the link.

** Change is Good
Starting in early 2005, this newsletter will basically split into two publications. I'm moving the Travel Notes blog and all of the columnists to a brand new Web site (name to be announced soon). You'll automatically be subscribed to the new weekly newsletter for the site. I'll continue to publish Elliott's E-Mail, but it will revert back to what it was back in 1997 - my personal newsletter.

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

>> This Week in Travel <<

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

> Family: Mizener Thrown Overboard (12/10)

> Law Protecting Air Travelers Extended (12/9)

> Cruise Line Fined $200K For Dumping (12/8)

> Passengers Skip Electronic Check-In (12/7)

> Another Cruise Passenger Lost at Sea (12/6)

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

> NEW! Sign up for Travel Notes by e-mail. Find out more.

>> Also Underwritten By <<

** Journeyware.com
The new destination for exceptional luggage, business/tech cases and travel accessories from leading brands like Travelpro, Lewis N. Clark, RoadWired and more. Great prices, fast, free UPS ground shipping on orders of just $50 or more! All with a level of uncompromising, personal service that you might not be used to getting these days (especially if you are a frequent traveler). Enter coupon code ELLIOTT and click "update" at checkout for an additional 10% off any order.

>> On Elliott.org <<

** Cypress Gardens Reopens
Cypress Gardens, Florida's oldest theme park, reopens this week after an arduous restoration. The new owner had planned to revive the park after low attendance forced it to close, but he did not plan on the three hurricanes that struck during renovation. > Details on National Public Radio.

>> On Travelcomment.com <<

** The Real Danger
The recent dust-up over humiliating and invasive body searches by the Transportation Security Administration has fixated our collective attention on the wrong issue. Of course patting down a woman's bra - a knee-jerk reaction to the two Chechen women who were thought to have carried nonmetallic explosives on two Russian airlines that were bombed - is a bandage solution to the security threat from terrorists. Where's the real danger? Don't look for it in the main cabin. > In Joel Widzer's column.

** Captain Jack
Jack was a new and fairly shy pilot for our airline, and right out of the military. At our pre-flight briefing, everyone could tell by his wide-eyed grin that he was looking forward to our international trip. "It's my first time to Amsterdam, and I am bringing along my digital video camera to capture the trip. My buddies in the military will get a kick out of it," Jack said, like a schoolboy getting ready for "Show and Tell." (Editor's Note: The following column contains adult subject matter and is for mature audiences only.) > In James Wysong's column.

** Wolves With Low-Fare Paint Jobs
I am dismayed to hear of the travails of some of the country's low cost carriers (LCCs). Independence Air and ATA have both been the subject of repeatedly negative news stories-in the case of ATA, bankruptcy; and in the case of Independence Air, rumors of bankruptcy. Indianapolis, support ATA. Washington, support Independence Air. If you want to maintain understandable, fair, transparent and reasonable airfares, fly on these airlines every chance you have. If the majors succeed in driving them out these markets, your airfares will skyrocket. > In Charles Leocha's column.

>> On Triprights.com <<

** Car Insurance Confusion
Car-rental surcharges aren't unusual. Fuel-purchase options or upgrades can add a little extra to the cost of your vehicle. But what if you're billed nearly $800 more than what you were quoted by the car-rental company? That's what happens to Jessica Spiegel when she rents a car from Hertz in Europe. The company insists she ordered optional insurance, but she denies it. Is there any hope for a refund? And how do you prevent this from happening to you on your next rental? > In Fix My Trip.

>> On Not2far.com <<

** Keys to Luxury
The come-as-you-are Florida Keys are synonymous with fishing, diving and dusk-to-dawn parties. But luxury vacations? Conventional wisdom says skip this wacky island chain and try Coconut Grove or Palm Beach instead. Hold on. Although the Keys' reputation as a place that's a little rough around the edges is well-deserved, several new attractions have emerged that offer true extravagance. > In Not2far.com.

>> Also Underwritten By <

** Dream of Italy
Looking for the perfect gift for the Italophile on your list? Look no further than a gift subscription to Dream of Italy, The Insider's Guide to Undiscovered Italy, recommended by National Geographic Traveler and American Way (American Airlines). Each holiday gift subscription (for that matter - each subscription - even one for yourself!) comes with a 2-DVD set of the Italian cinema classic La Dolce Vita (a $35 value). Published 10 times a year, Dream of Italy covers everything Italian (art, cooking schools, cultural events, destinations, hotels, museums, restaurants, shopping, villa rentals) for luxury travelers. All subscribers receive online access to over two years of back issues! A subscription by mail is $79 per year and a subscription via the Internet costs $69 a year. > Visit Dream of Italy online or call 877-OF-ITALY

>> Flashback: Holiday Travel Primer <<
Wanna get away during the holidays? Here's a primer for traveling from our archives.

** Terror Fears Boost Insurance
The terrorist bombing on the island of Bali last month that claimed the lives of nearly 200 people, many of them tourists, made Alicia Nieva-Woodgate reconsider her planned trip to the Far East. "I thought: What if something like that happens again?" the San Francisco sportswriter says. "I just wanted to be prepared for the worst." So before she leaves for a three-month adventure to Cambodia, Vietnam, India, Thailand and Burma in December, Nieva-Woodgate is buying a $199 travel insurance policy that covers medical expenses, lost luggage and the cost of returning home if a terrorist incident interrupts her trip. > In The Travel Tightwad.

** Your New Travel 'To-Do' List
Boy Scouts are taught to be prepared. What about business travelers? They must learn about safety and survival on their own - today, more so than ever. But many haven't. About 70% of travelers are not insured for medical or safety problems that may stop a trip, according to industry estimates. And only a fraction of road warriors subscribe to services that keep them posted on security developments, or carry a device that improves their safety on the road. > In Power Trip.

** Rental Customers 'Have No Clue'
Xanax-popping co-workers. Overbearing managers who fire employees for not being aggressive enough. Ignorant customers. That was life behind the car-rental counter for Ute Hodges, a customer service agent for Alamo and Budget at Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, Fla. "I had a friend who worked for a rental car company and she made good money," says Hodges. "So I wanted to try it." What she learned about the business serves as a cautionary tale for anyone renting a vehicle today. > In Interview.

** Steer Clear of Car Surcharges
Rich Swisshelm thought he'd found a bargain when he locked in a rate of $28 a day for a sport utility vehicle in San Jose, Costa Rica. But when he tried to pick the truck up from the Advantage Rent-A-Car counter, he discovered he'd thought wrong. "The agent informed me that I had to purchase liability insurance at $20 per day and personal accident insurance at $8 per day, which doubled the cost of the rental," he remembers. "They said both insurances were mandatory, and I could not rent the car without purchasing the insurance." > In The Travel Tightwad.

>> Even More Underwriters <<

** ProTravelGear.com
The new SearchAlert re-settable combination padlock from Outside The Box offers unique innovations in luggage security. SearchAlert may be opened with an override device controlled by Transportation Security Administration agents. No SearchAlert lock should be cut off by TSA agents. In fact, we offer a free replacement if it's ever cut off. SearchAlert features a Security Window which changes color from Green to Red when any override device is used. $9.99 each or two for $17.98 Available exclusively online. Enter coupon code: ELLIOTT for a discount. Click here to order.

** FirstClassFlyer.com
Want to 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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* Last month's total unique visitors
Elliott.org - 57,826
Ticked.com - 25,290
Triprights.com - 8,823
Not2far.com - 4,115
Travelcomment.com - 16,107
Total network visitors - 112,161

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