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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

November 3, 2003

>> Inside <<

* Thank You
* Most Tech-Friendly Hotel Chain?
* Linking Away
* Into the Blogosphere
* Fundraising Postscript
* Extreme Reservations
* Where's the Kid Repellent?
* Old Time Magic
* Bad Tickets on Amex

>> First Off <<

** Thank You
Our October fundraiser is finally over, and there's good news. We raised about $2,500, which will help cover Internet service provider expenses, programming and content development for this Web site and newsletter. Whether you joined us as an associate or a full-fledged corporate underwriter, I wanted to say "thank you." Premiums are being mailed out to all of you as a token of appreciation. But remember: Your support doesn't end here. You can keep this Web site running by telling your friends about it, sending us tips, and keeping us honest with your comments and criticisms. > Mail your thoughts to us.

>> 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 through November 30. Click here to order.

>> By The Way <<

** Most Tech-Friendly Hotel Chain?
Which hotel chain offers the most technology amenities. From the "PC valet" to in-room DSL and WiFi, here's your chance to tell us where you should make your next reservation if you're toting a lot of technology with you. Send us an e-mail and include your full name, city, and what you do for a living.

** Linking Away
Our friends Don and Linda Freedman from the Travelzine wrote last week to remind me of all the behind-the-scenes help this newsletter gets - not just during pledge month, but 24-and-7. How's that? Well, by linking to us. Like-minded travel sites such as Anitavacation.com, Bonjourparis, Joesentme.com, Johnnyjet.com and Travelskills.com, send traffic to our site (and help keep us in the loop). So as this fundraiser ends, we tip our hats to those of you who link to Elliott.org and help plug this newsletter. We couldn't have gotten this far without you.

** Into the Blogosphere
A quick housekeeping note. In order to avoid pages upon pages of needless scrolling, Elliott's Travel Notes is archived frequently - maybe too frequently, it turns out. A few readers have complained that they can't access these archives easily. We're working on fixing the problem - please be patient. You can see the most recent blog pages here.

** Fundraising Postscript
A final note on the October fundraiser: Some of you send donations without a return mailing address. We're making every effort to follow up to make sure we get you a premium and acknowledge your assistance. If a few weeks go by and you still haven't received a premium or see your name on the list of underwriters, please let us know. Here's the list of underwriters.

>> Elliott's Commentary <<

** Extreme Reservations
A seat assignment in economy class is about as desirable as a protracted stopover in a smoke-filled airport terminal or consuming airline food that gives you heartburn, to hear travelers talk about it. In fact, experienced fliers will go to great lengths to avoid the back of the plane. They plead for upgrades to business class (yes, I've seen them get on their knees and beg). They hover around the gate and argue with the overworked airline employees. They even wait until the next flight if there's a chance they can score an upgrade. Not all tourist-class sections are created equal, of course. > In Power Trip.

> Find out why your favorite travel destination may be lying to you and why the government doesn't care about corrupt travel companies on Elliott's Travel Notes.

> This week's blog entry can be found here.

> Hear Elliott solve the case of the $40 phone call that never took place on Public Radio's "The Savvy Traveler."

>> Ticked.com Talk <<

** Where's the Kid Repellent?
On a recent flight, I found myself paging through a SkyMall catalog. SkyMall is testament to simple consumerism - so many impractical products, all available for purchase in one place. Anyway, I noted that many of the weird gadgets offered for sale were combinations of otherwise useful products. Here they are. > Read more in Err Travel.

** Old Time Magic
My normal readers may think I've gone a bit soft. This column is about overnight kits in business and first class sections of airlines. Yes, the little bag of goodies that most business and first class passengers find in their seat-back pockets or have distributed just before flight time. Any who regularly flies in business class has seen the steady decline of this amenities kit over the past decade. > Read more in Charles Leocha's column.

>> Triprights.com Ticker <<

** Bad Tickets on Amex
A reader tries to book an airline ticket for his son to fly home for Thanksgiving on the American Express Travel Web site. But after hitting the "purchase" icon, the site returns an error. When he pages back to finish the reservation, the site has changed the name on the ticket. Now the airline wants $100 to fix it. Who should pay the penalty? > In Fix My Trip.

>> Also Underwritten By <<

** All Cruise E-News
Now you too can be a well-informed cruiser by subscribing to this free monthly e-mail cruise newsletter. You'll get breaking news on all the new ships being inaugurated this year, what cruises will be sailing from U.S. ports near you, recent price trends in cruising, cruise ship health and safety inspection results, family-friendly cruise lines, and much more to ensure that your next cruise will be "just right for you." Also, cruise tip of the month, important travel industry news, more. Sign-up now.

** Noble Vintages
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** 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.

** Knee Defender
Stops reclining seatbacks so your knees won't have to. Unique, patent pending Knee Defender puts you in control when facing aggressive seat recliners. Lightweight, pocket-sized, all-plastic, and simple to use. Just slip Knee Defender onto the arm of your drop-down tray table and you're set. Reviewers say it "works like a charm" and "for business travelers who need space for their knees or only to work on their laptop, this is a must-have." Only $9.95. Order one today.

>> 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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