Tim Leffel’s Cheapest Destinations

Smart Travel Guru: Chris Elliott

Whenever I start to feel whiny about having too much going on in my life, I run into someone who is doing a similar juggling act and I feel a little better. I have had Chris Elliott’s travel wisdom sites bookmarked for quite a few years and I got the chance to hang with him a few days this week. Back in the caveman days of the Internet he set up an umbrella site that now links to everything else he’s doing, at www.elliot.org. That leads to useful travel deals sites like Tripso (billed as “the last honest travel site” and once appropriately called Ticked). It also points to his Ellipses blog and stories that appear in his syndicated newspaper column.

Whether you know it or not, you’ve probably read or heard something from Chris as he’s been on NPR a lot and appeared in just about every media outlet in the U.S. Plus he’s the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler. He’s got a new TV show starting to air this month on the Fine Living Network called What You Get for Your Money. I like it already.

If you are a business traveler or are just trying to figure out how to keep getting reamed by airlines or rental car companies, he’ll help you find the right path.