• What's elliott?
• About elliott
• Contact us

t o p i c s

• Business
• Commentary
• Destinations
• Help
• Leisure
• Technology
• Vault

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 18, 2004

>> Inside <<

* Visit Florida
* Question of the Week: Useless Airline Ticket?
* This Week in Travel
* Aspen On The Cheap
* Deceptively Worthless Miles
* In-Flight Survivor
* Salvaging My Lost Cruise
* Sanibel's Shore Thing
* Flashback: Visit Florida
* Key Largo Is For The Birds
* Miami Art Adventures
* Finding Old Florida
* Where's Mickey?

>> First Off <<

** Visit Florida
This week's newsletter is delayed slightly because I've been out surveying storm damage in Florida. Bottom line: despite the TV images you may have seen of homes with roofs peeled off by hurricanes, this state is very much open for business (and a bargain, too). I've focused my destination coverage on Not2Far, our destination Web site, with an all-new story about surf-fishing on Sanibel Island. We also have new dispatches from Charlie Leocha, James Wysong, Joel Widzer and one of the most controversial troubleshooter columns in a recent memory. Then I return to Florida in our Flashback section with several favorite columns, including our frog-eating adventure on Florida's East Coast.

>> Underwritten By <<

** 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.

>> By The Way <<

** Question of the Week: Useless Airline Ticket?
Ever bought an airline ticket that turned out to be completely unusable? Maybe you got the name or dates wrong - or maybe it turned out to be a stolen ticket? Tell us your story. Please e-mail us. As always, please include your full name, city, and what you do for a living.

> Be part of the debate and win Travelpro luggage. Anyone who e-mails us for any reason will qualify for a luggage giveaway (your comments don't have to be published). So if we have your e-mail address on file, you're automatically entered in the drawing.

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

>> This Week in Travel <<

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

> Storms Spawn Car Rental Shortage (10/15)

> Delta Air Lines Faces Debt Problems (10/14)

> Report: Airport Screeners Overworked (10/13)

> Congress Asked To Protect Travelers (10/12)

> Passenger Balks At Breast-Feeling (10/11)

> 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 <<

** Net-roamer.com
Access the Internet anywhere in the World through a local call, keeping your own email address and home ISP at a reasonable cost per minute. User-friendly point and click software enables analog dial-up, ISDN, and broadband. Thousands of access points, many "all-cities" and "toll-free" with access throughout the country that you are visiting. No sign-up fees. No minimum usage or monthly quotas. Pay for usage only. Detailed usage reports. First half-hour free. Professional, personal service. > Check it out.

>> On Ticked.com <<

** Aspen On The Cheap
Winter is approaching, and that can only mean one thing: Ski and snowboard season is almost here. It's one of my favorite times of the year. I have my reasons. I'm the author of Ski Snowboard America and Canada, the most comprehensive guide to major ski and snowboard resorts in North America, as well as Ski Snowboard Europe, which covers the top European resorts. In preparation for the season and for updates to the Web sites, I have been visiting the Lake Tahoe region and Colorado during the past two weeks. The mountains are spectacular with the Aspens and Cottonwoods turning gold and yellow tucked between the dark green Lodgepole and Ponderosa pines. > In Cheap Charlie.

>> On Travelcomment.com <<

** Deceptively Worthless Miles
Why go for the miles when loyalty is what really counts? Face it: miles are all but worthless. In 1999, I wrote how air miles have become akin to a second national currency. Today, they are a global currency that has become passé. The value of air-miles and other incentive-based points have fallen quicker than the Dollar to the Euro. Why? Blame it on supply-side economics. The sheer barge of outstanding miles and points, which many experts estimate exceed 9 trillion, have been devalued from 2 cents to .05 cents. Going for the miles seems foolish, at best. > In Joel Widzer's column.

** In-Flight Survivor
What if you had to live on airplane food for a full year? Sound like a fate worse than death? I know of one crewmember who tried. Alice was a flight attendant who was always passionate about issues such as recycling. She was in her mid-fifties and around 40 pounds overweight. She was on a layover with her friends when one of them challenged her to do something about her passion. It was then the dare took shape. > In James Wysong's column.

>> On Triprights.com <<

** Salvaging My Lost Cruise
What if you can't make it to your cruise ship because your airline overbooked the flight you were supposed to be on? What if your luggage is lost? What if the cruise line says you're a "no-show" and refuses to rebook you on a future sailing - or refund any of the money you spent? That's a lot of "what ifs." Now throw in a travel agent who can't help, an attorney and a collection agency, and you have an idea of what one traveler is up against. > In Fix My Trip.

>> On Not2Far.com <<

** Sanibel's Shore Thing
At low tide on Bowman's Beach, after the flats-fishing boats have motored out of Punta Rasa for the morning and the traffic along McGregor Boulevard ebbs into a barely audible hum, they begin to appear near the Sanibel Causeway. One after another, they take their places in waist-deep water on a distant sandbar. Still as statues, unbending to the storm-force wind blowing today from the Gulf of Mexico and the spray of salt water from the intermittent whitecaps, they move only when casting their well-worn fishing rods baited with shrimp or sardine. They are what the old-timers - the islanders that lived here before the luxury condos and resort hotels were built - call the Old Guard. > In Not2Far.com.

>> Also Underwritten By <<

** FrequentFlier.com
Want to travel faster, safer, smarter, cheaper, better... and earn more frequent flier miles in the process? Subscribe to the Internet's premier travel newsletter. Every week, The FrequentFlier Crier delivers travel news you can use: frequent flyer program updates, special fares, industry news and trends. > Sign up (free).

>> Flashback: Visit Florida <<
This week, we look take a look back at some of the destination stories we've written from the Sunshine State.

** Key Largo Is For The Birds
Roseate spoonbills stand like statues in the shallow saltwater flats. Broad-winged hawks cut circles in a cloudless tropical sky. And yellow-crowned night heron perch on the sulfur-scented mangroves at low tide. But this being the Florida Keys, the eclectic island chain that stretches more than 100 miles from here to Key West, the bird encounters can also be a little … odd. > In Not2Far.com.

** Miami Art Adventures
The mob meanders along South Bayshore Drive, shuffling slowly to rhythms of salsa music in the relentless February heat. Tents stocked with paintings and sculptures contain the crowd on both sides as it bends along McFarlane Road into downtown Coconut Grove, Fla. There are exquisitely detailed watercolors of tropical plants by Sarasota, Fla., painter Helen Burkett. There are Jolanta Pawtek's acrylic-and-paper sculptures, all the way from Willemstad, Curaçao. And Peter Secrest is here from Naples, NY, with a display of colorful vases. > In Not2Far.com.

** Finding Old Florida
A steaming plate arrives at our table with bite-sized servings of alligator, catfish and frog legs. It comes with a side of cocktail sauce for dipping, in case we're feeling adventurous. We aren't. "Wait, wait," we hear from the kitchen, just as we're about to sample from the so-called "critter platter." "You have to try this." Ben Bishop, the general manager of Marsh Landing restaurant, emerges with yet another delicacy: a dense, spicy broth. He slides our dish aside to make room for the bowl. Mmmm. What is it? "Turtle soup," he proudly says. > In Not2Far.com.

** Where's Mickey?
Next time you're standing in line for a ride at The Magic Kingdom in Orlando, notice the walls. Check out the sculptures. The landscaping. Look closer. Three circles - two small, one large. Isn't that … a mouse head? It probably is. Hidden Mickeys, as they're commonly called, are everywhere at Walt Disney's theme parks. But nowhere can you find more of these subliminal rodents than in Orlando, where the phenomenon is believed to have started. > In Not2Far.com.

>> Even More Underwriters <<

** 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.

** 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.

** 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.

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

* Demographics
* Elliott's E-Mail newsletter circulation - 30,307
* Travel Notes by E-Mail newsletter circulation - 3,771
* Last month's total unique visitors
Elliott.org - 56,883
Ticked.com - 27,541
Triprights.com - 8,832
Not2far.com - 3,040
Travelcomment.com - 11,053
Total network visitors - 105,296

>> Talk To Us <<

Read something you disagree with? Got a story idea or a gripe? Here's how to reach Elliott.

760 Sybilwood Circle
Winter Springs, FL 32708-3735
(407) 699-9529 or e-mail

(Please note: Unless you specify otherwise, all e-mails, letters and phone conversations are considered "on the record." That means your name could be used in a future article.)

>> Become an Underwriter <<

This site relies on support from travelers like you. If you care about journalism that's uncompromising, cutting-edge and consumer-focused, then you're invited to become a member of elliott.org. Your contribution will help keep us operating.

>> Please Forward Elliott's E-Mail <<

Did you know the average reader forwards Elliott's E-Mail to two other people every week? We don't mind at all, but you could always save yourself the trouble by inviting them to subscribe. It's easy and it's free: just send an e-mail to this address with the word "subscribe" in the message header.

>> Credits and Subscription Information <<

Elliott's E-Mail is published 50 times a year by http://www.elliott.org. (c) 2004 Elliott Publishing.

To unsubscribe, please open your Web browser and click on this address.