Christopher Elliott

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that empowers consumers to solve their problems and helps those who can't. He's the author of numerous books on consumer advocacy and writes three nationally syndicated columns. He also publishes the Elliott Report, a news site for consumers, and Elliott Confidential, a critically acclaimed newsletter about customer service. If you have a consumer problem you can't solve, contact him directly through his advocacy website. You can also follow him on X, Facebook, and LinkedIn, or sign up for his daily newsletter.

The dark web and other hazardous places you should avoid

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Think the real world is a dangerous place for travelers? Try visiting the virtual one, a destination filled with shady travel offers and criminals who want to steal your personal information.It’s the time of year when people start planning their summer vacations, and with everyone watching the bottom line, the temptation to save a few dollars by booking online is strong. That might include searching the underside of the internet for a bargain.

There's a lost art to doing a road stop. And that's a shame since road trips are a time-honored American tradition. Shouldn't they get a little respect?

How to make a road stop with your family like a pro

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There’s a lost art to doing a road stop. And that’s a shame since road trips are a time-honored American tradition. Shouldn’t road stops get a little respect too?But they are not. People don’t plan their road stops like they should, they show little or no discrimination about where they pull over, and it ends up being all about the destination, not the journey. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Christopher Benson and his wife planned one last trip to Paris together. They purchased the vacation waiver option... so why won't it cover her death?

What good is the vacation waiver if it won’t cover this?

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Christopher Benson and his wife, Betty, planned one last trip to Paris together. They booked air and hotel through Orbitz and were careful to also include the online agency’s vacation waiver option. That’s because Benson’s wife had cancer, and there was a small chance that the couple would have to cancel the trip so she could seek additional treatment.

When it comes to respect, sometimes little things make a big difference for travelers for example employees who says "no problem".

Is respect in the travel industry extinct?

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When it comes to respect, sometimes little things make a big difference for travelers. For Don Brauninger, it’s travel industry employees who replace the words “you’re welcome” with “no problem”.Brauninger, a manager for an emergency services company in Haymarket, Virginia, has heard it from airline agents, hotel clerks and car rental employees.”No problem” – as if his patronage and his presence might be a hardship.