chris elliott travel writer

Christopher Elliott

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Christopher Elliott

Christopher Elliott is a journalist, consumer advocate, and the founder of Elliott Advocacy. He’s the author of numerous books on consumer advocacy and writes weekly columns for King Features Syndicate, USA Today, Forbes, and The Washington Post. He also publishes Elliott Confidential, a critically acclaimed newsletter about customer service. Christopher contributes to a variety of media outlets, including National Geographic, NPR, Smithsonian, and Travel + Leisure. He’s also a regular guest on national news programs, including ABC World News Tonight, CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, and the Today show. • 35+ years of journalism experience • Named Journalist of the Year 2016 by the American Society of Travel Agents • Former editor at large at National Geographic • Former columnist at The New York Times, Money magazine, CNN, ABC News, and more • Received a master’s in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley

About Travel + Leisure

Travel + Leisure, a Dotdash Meredith Brand , is a top travel media brand with a mission to inform and inspire passionate travelers. Our expert team includes a network of hundreds of writers and photographers across the globe, all providing a local eye on the best places to stay, eat, and explore. We reach an audience that takes 76 million round trips annually, offering valuable travel tips, ideas and inspiration, and products you need to get you to your destination — whether it’s a small town or big city, beach or lake, national park or theme park, road trip, cruise, or long-haul flight, and everything in between. Learn more about us and our editorial process

Christopher Elliott

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Christopher Elliott

is the chief advocacy officer for Elliott Advocacy. Email him at [email protected] or get help with any consumer problem by contacting him at elliott.org/help.

A new vacation rental problem travelers need to know about

Some vacation rental hosts have started selling their properties out from under guests. Travel Troubleshooter has some tips for what to do if it happens...

• Travel Wise

Don’t go here: The places to avoid in this hectic summer travel season

Planning summer vacation? Prices are creeping higher and experts are predicting record crowds in popular destinations, writes travel expert Christopher Elliott.

Will flying cars change air travel? An expert shares what’s on the horizon

Personal flying vehicles, a rarity and still years away from being approved, could change the way we travel, writes Christopher Elliott.

How air travel has changed since the pandemic

From facial scans to more expensive airfare, much has changed since the COVID pandemic reshaped how we travel.

Air travel smells worse than ever. Here’s how to fix it

There's a war of scents going on at 36,000 feet. Travel expert Christopher Elliott has some suggestions on how to win the war.

Is your next vacation actually eco-friendly? Here’s how to tell

It can be hard to tell if an airline or hotel is greenwashing, but there are a few helpful questions travelers should ask, writes Christopher...

Looking to fly this summer? Here's how to fight AI to find cheap tickets

As summer travel season looms, travel expert Christopher Elliott shares new strategies for finding budget-friendly flights.

Air travel might be getting an upgrade. Here’s how

From new federal protections to improved seats, some industry experts say there's renewed optimism for air travel's future. But should we get our hopes up?

‘Exit envy’: Why passengers want to get off the plane first

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Me first! How passengers are cheating their way onto the plane faster

From fudging boarding groups to faking injuries, travelers are resorting to new strategies to get to their seats faster. Here’s what’s allowed — and what...

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How to Be the World's Smartest Traveler (and Save Time, Money, and Hassle) Paperback – March 4, 2014

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• Print length 288 pages
• Language English
• Publisher National Geographic
• Publication date March 4, 2014
• Dimensions 5.3 x 0.81 x 8.35 inches
• ISBN-10 1426212739
• ISBN-13 978-1426212734
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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ National Geographic; Illustrated edition (March 4, 2014)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1426212739
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1426212734
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.8 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.3 x 0.81 x 8.35 inches
• #760 in Consumer Guides (Books)
• #988 in Budget Travel Guides
• #2,064 in General Travel Reference

About the author

Christopher elliott.

Christopher Elliott is a journalist and consumer advocate.

His articles, columns and essays offer advice for people who want to become more informed customers.

Elliott is National Geographic Traveler’s reader advocate and a nationally syndicated columnist through Tribune Media Services, which distributes his columns to publications from the San Francisco Chronicle to the Chicago Tribune.

He writes a column for The Washington Post’s travel section and is a personal finance columnist for Mint.com.

He’s the author of the 2011 book Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals (Wiley).

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Christopher Elliott: The Insider

Christopher Elliott presents his Insider column in National Geographic Traveler magazine.

Christopher Elliott is a consumer advocate for National Geographic Traveler , MSNBC, Tribune Media Services, and the Washington Post .

He’s best known as an advocate for travelers, as the author of the weekly syndicated Travel Troubleshooter column and his   Traveler column, The Insider.

In recent years, he’s expanded his mission beyond mediating grievances of airline passengers, hotel guests, and car renters. Today he applies his methods of resolving customer-service disputes to all business-to-consumer transactions, helping people make smarter purchasing decisions and assisting companies with understanding the needs of their clients.

He founded a general consumer advocacy site and wiki, On Your Side, in 2010.

Elliott is one of the most sought-after public speakers in the country on consumer advocacy and customer service issues. When he’s not fighting the good fight, he writes about family travel for his outlets or on his personal site, Souvenirist.

You can also connect with him on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google Buzz, or follow him on Twitter ( @elliottdotorg ).

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Travel Writer: Christopher Elliott

Follow this writer

Elliott is National Geographic Traveler ‘s reader advocate and a nationally syndicated columnist through Tribune Media Services, which distributes his work to publications from the Seattle Times to the Miami Herald . He writes a weekly column for The Washington Post and USA Today and is a personal finance blogger at Mint.com. His family is on an open-ended journey around the world, covering the adventure for the Huffington Post . You can find out more about him on his site, Elliott.org .

How did you get started traveling?

My parents took me to West Germany in 1969, when I was a few months old. We flew on Pan Am. Remember Pan Am? I guess I haven’t looked back.

How did you get started writing?

I started writing professionally while I was a freshman in college. There was an opening for entertainment editor, and I discovered — much to my surprise — that I could string together a coherent sentence in the English language.

What do you consider your first “break” as a writer?

My first internship at the Claremont (Calif.) Courier in the summer of 1986. The late Marty Weinberger gave me a chance to write professionally, for which I will always be grateful.

As a traveler and fact gatherer, what is your biggest challenge on the road?

Time management. There are only 24 hours in the day. When I check into a hotel, all I want to do is hang out at the pool with my kids. But if I did that, I’d never get any work done. I’m lucky that my partner in crime has an MBA and runs a very tight ship. She’s also an amazing writer.

What is your biggest challenge in the research and writing process?

Showing instead of telling. I tend to jump in and help the narrative out without letting it speak for itself. Sometimes you just have to get out of the way of your source material. It’s all there.

What is your biggest challenge from a business standpoint?

I think understanding that it’s a business is not easy. My mentors taught me that writing is art. They were half right. It is art, but if you don’t treat it like a business, you’ll starve and so will your family.

Have you ever done other work to make ends meet?

Oh, sure. I’ve done a lot of things, starting with my first summer job in ’84, packing bags of coffee for minimum wage at my uncle’s gourmet coffee business. I’ve been a temp worker, have done ghostwriting and was briefly an administrative assistant for a travel agency.

What travel authors or books might you recommend and/or have influenced you?

I was drawn into writing through science fiction. I met Arthur C. Clarke at a convention in 1983, and was always inspired by his work. I’m also a big fan of Alan Dean Foster, who lives in Prescott, Ariz., which is also where my parents have retired. Al has always been very encouraging about my writing. My favorite travel writer will always be Arthur Frommer .

What advice and/or warnings would you give to someone who is considering going into travel writing?

I don’t know, because I don’t really consider myself a travel writer, but a consumer advocate who handles a lot of travel cases. The most interesting travel writers I know don’t treat the travel as if it’s a perk, but more of a burden. The destination, like a needy child, demands to be written about. They can’t wait to come back home, and they can never really go on vacation, because vacation is work. They are truly afflicted in the creative sense. I can empathize.

What is the biggest reward of life as a travel writer?

As a consumer advocate, it’s hearing, “Thank you — you really made a difference.” It’s better than a paycheck.

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Dave's Travel Corner

Seeing the World One Step at a Time

Our interviews focus on the travel, entertainment and lifestyle industry, with people who are making valuable contributions in their particular fields.

Christopher elliot consumer advocate and journalist.

January 26, 2016 by Dave 1 Comment

In addition to his consumer advocacy work, he is also a very accomplished journalist. We have followed his career since the late 1990’s (he has been online since the early 1990’s). Recently we reached out to him with some questions – with an interesting reply about finding meaning and purpose in one’s life and how he has become an accomplished journalist.

Q. You have built a career upon helping consumers – when did this start? Was there a specific situation where you helped someone early in your career that perhaps made you realize, ‘aha, helping people feels good and perhaps I could turn this into a career’?

Yes. It was a case involving an X-ray scanner and film, back in ’98 or ’99. Remember film? I experienced a minor “Eureka” moment, where I found an answer but also helped a reader avoid a problem of having her vacation photos ruined. That’s when I said to myself, “Aha, I can do more than write about this. I can help my readers.”

Q. Sometimes it can feel overwhelming to go up against a larger company when you are having service problems with that business – describe how your services can help those who are in this situation.

My advocacy practice is all about empowering consumers — giving them the tools and information they need to fix any problem. I’ve always said that you are your best advocate. But there are times when you need help. I have a team of volunteer advocates who work with me. If you have an intractable case — not just in travel, but for any business — we’ll do our best to help.

Q. Can you tell us what has been one of the more challenging and perhaps lengthy consumer cases you have fought for (travel related)?

It was a US Airways case. Remember US Airways? This happened on a flight from Bermuda to Philadelphia more than 10 years ago. A flight attendant had forcibly gate-checked a bag that contained valuables, which were then pilfered. The airline refused to replace them, citing its contract of carriage, the legal agreement between the airline and passenger. After a long, brutal and very messy fight, the airline compensated the passenger. But the company had its revenge. It persuaded one of my outlets to end my column. I’ve since been rehired, so it was a short-lived victory. Oh, and the airline no longer exists. That’s gotta count for something, too.

Q. What is Travelers United? Is this non profit focused on similar consumer advocacy issues as your own work but on a larger scale?

Travelers United is a nonprofit advocacy group focused on making better laws and regulation for travelers in Washington. I’m proud to have co-founded the organization, but I am no longer actively involved with it. They are doing good work in DC.

Q. It is been our experience that life is more rewarding when you follow your passion – finding something you really love to do, sometimes with the challenge of turning it into a viable business. What advice can you tell people who are looking to make a career change to something more personally rewarding?

Look, most people are perfectly content to have a 9-to-5 job, be a productive member of society, and take an occasional vacation. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

But some people want more. They want meaning and purpose. That’s not always easy to find. First, you have to figure out what would give your life meaning. Then you need to determine how to live your life with a sense of purpose. Most of us are still stuck on the first problem — figuring out what would give your life meaning. By the way, travel is almost never the correct answer.

On this adventure, you are in a constant state of change. If you’re comfortable with uncertainty and risk, then you can make this journey. But if you need a regular paycheck, love being home surrounded by friends and family and take comfort in the institutions around you, my advice is: stay home. You’ll probably thank me.

Q. Your online presence dates back to some of the earlier days of the Internet – considering the first domain name (website) ever was registered in 1985 and you started biztravel.com in 1994. Tell us a little about biztravel, the Internet’s first business travel website.

I was there at the beginning. Early 90s. It was pretty exciting. I had just come off a stint as the business travel editor at a large trade publication. I met another entrepreneur who like the content I’d been posting online and he asked me to edit the site. I believe they were calling it “The Business Traveler Online.” I suggested they shorten it to Biztravel.com.

Q. Those cursorily familiar with your consumer advocacy work may not realize you have a prolific career as a journalist – writing for major publications. How did you begin and expand your journalism work?

One story at a time. I’m up at 5 a.m. every day and often work until late in the evening. I just keep churning out stories and pitching editors with ideas when everyone else has gone home. People have asked me if I have any special connections or friends in high places, but the truth is, I just work as hard as I can and I don’t take the rejections personally. I just tune them out and keep going.

Q. Your family spends significant time on the road. Can you give us a description of a specific humorous moment (story or event) that your family personally experienced during your travels?

Every trip is filled with laugh-out-loud moments when you’re traveling with three kids. I remember taking the children to a Cirque du Soleil dinner on an NCL cruise ship a few years ago. They were still jetlagging, and even though I found the acts to be impressive, the kids preferred to sleep. They dozed off in our arms, ignoring the entrees, deserts and the tightrope walkers overhead. We returned to our cabin with two kids, both of which we carried the length of the ship. Just as I closed the door, I asked Kari where our oldest son was. “I don’t know,” she said. “I thought you had him.” I didn’t have him. He was still sleeping at our table. We found him there, surrounded by the staff who were cleaning up the dining hall for the next dinner seating. We still laugh about that one. When our son threatens to join the circus, we say, “You’ve already done that!”

Q. You currently call Orlando “home” when you are not traveling – what are some of your favorite activities that you would recommend to a first time visitor to this city?

We have a few good theme parks that are worth checking out!

Biography Christopher Elliott is an author, consumer advocate and journalist. His investigative reporting, sometimes against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, has earned him a reputation as “every consumer’s best friend.”

In more than two decades as a journalist, he has either worked at or appeared in almost every A-list outlet.

He founded Elliot.org in 1997 with the mission to empower consumers to solve their service problems and to help those who can’t.

For more information about Christopher’s work, visit: www.elliott.org or www.chriselliotts.com

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August 25, 2020 at 11:34 am

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Chris Elliott | author, advocate, and journalist while providing a resource thru Elliott Advocacy

• August 29, 2019
• The Travel Wins
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Christopher Elliott is my guest on today’s episode. Chris is an award-winning author, advocate, and journalist. He shares some of his stories from the road and is a self professed traveling nomad. As a travel contributor for Forbes, USA Today, Washington Post, National Geographic and NPR I really appreciated Chris giving me as much of his time as he did.

He’s the founder of Elliott Advocacy is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization that empowers people to solve their problems and helps those who can’t. Chris is also the co-founder of Travelers United, a nonprofit organization that advocates for travelers in Washington.

Chris on social media:

Chris’s listening choice while traveling for work is:.

Chris and his children listen to XM radio quite a bit while driving across the country. Their favorite channels are:

• Jazz (for night driving)
• Grateful Dead
• NPR (National Public Radio)
• Joint (reggae)

Click here to see other guests choices for listening while traveling

He’s the author of How To Be The World’s Smartest Traveler (And Save Time, Money and Hassle) (National Geographic, 2014) a practical guide for travelers, and Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals (Wiley, 2011) which explores the broken relationship between American consumers and businesses.

He writes six weekly syndicated columns with a total reach of more than 10 million readers.

✓ A weekly column for the Washington Post called The Navigator, which focuses on being a smarter and more informed traveler, with a special emphasis on transportation policy.

✓ USA Today’s weekly On Travel and Away is Home columns. The features help travelers understand the inner workings of the travel industry, and how to make the most of their next trip. You can find past On Travel and Away is Home columns here, too.

✓ Elliott is also a regular contributor to Forbes. He writes write about customer service issues, with a specialty in technology and travel. Many of these columns are also branded as Smart Consumer stories and nationally syndicated.

Elliott also contributes to a variety of media organizations, including National Geographic, NPR, Smithsonian and Travel & Leisure.

Elliott was born in Charlotte, N.C., and grew up in Vienna, Austria. He attended primary and middle school in Austria (Volksschule Südstadt and Vienna International School) and later transferred to Black Forest Academy in Kandern, Germany, before graduating from Briarwood Christian School in Birmingham, Ala., in 1986.

He attended Biola University in La Mirada, Calif., for two years and then transferred to the University of California at Irvine, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in humanities in 1990. Chris received a Master’s in journalism from the University of California at Berkeley in 1992 and was awarded a Fulbright fellowship in 1996.

Elliott completed a total of six editorial internships, including stints at the Claremont (Calif.) Courier, the Daily Bulletin in Ontario, Calif., the Birmingham (Ala.) News, The Dallas Morning News, the Los Angeles Times, and Reuters.

Early career

Elliott began working for Dow Jones & Co. in 1992 shortly after graduating from Berkeley. He covered initial public stock offerings from Dow Jones News Service and occasionally wrote Abreast of the Market and OTC Focus for the Wall Street Journal. He took a job as the business travel editor for Travel Weekly, a travel trade publication, in 1994. He returned to Europe after receiving a Fulbright scholarship in 1996. In 1997, Elliott came back to the United States and started writing a weekly travel column called The Crabby Traveler for ABCNews.com. Three years later, the column moved to CNN.com and eventually went into syndication.

Transition to advocacy

In 1996, Elliott registered the domain Elliott.org and began posting stories from readers. Many articles involved seemingly intractable problems with a company. Rather than just complaining, Elliott engaged in an early form of solutions journalism. He contacted the company on behalf of the consumer and helped negotiate a settlement. The stories formed the basis for a weekly feature called the Travel Troubleshooter. In the late 1990s, the Miami Herald picked up the Travel Troubleshooter as a standalone column.

In 2006, Tribune Media Services added the Troubleshooter to its lineup for national syndication. In 2009, Elliott started to develop a companion column, Problem Solved, which handled non-travel complaints. Both the features are now syndicated by King Features. In 2001, Elliott became National Geographic Traveler’s reader advocate. He remained in that role until National Geographic’s sale of the magazine to News Corp. in 2016.

In 2018, after 22 years of self-publishing Elliott.org, Elliott incorporated Elliott Advocacy as a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization, with a mission to help empower customers to solve their problems and help those who can’t.

Radio and television reporting

Elliott has hosted radio and TV shows on travel and advocacy. In the late 90s, he began reporting for National Public Radio as an independent producer. In the early 2000s, he hosted What You Get For The Money: Vacations on the Fine Living Network (now the Food Channel). He also co-hosted the weekly syndicated show Rudy Maxa’s World with Christopher Elliott from 2009 to 2011. Elliott has appeared on virtually every major TV network as a subject matter expert, including ABC, BBC, CW, CBS, CNN and NBC. Elliott is known for keeping a low profile. He doesn’t submit his work for awards and in recent years has avoided public appearances.

Personal life

In addition to being a nationally-recognized expert on customer service, Elliott is an inveterate traveler and travel writer. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, photography, and scuba diving. His weekly column, Away is Home, chronicles his never-ending journey around the world with his three school-age children. Elliott is based in Prescott, Ariz.

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Travel Safety: Wisdom and Tips from Christopher Elliott

No, it’s still not safe to travel — unless you do this

The frenetic summer travel season is a fading memory. The pandemic lockdowns and masking requirements are history. So is it finally — finally — safe to get out there and travel?

Maybe, maybe not. Experts say travel is still fraught with danger, and you could quickly find yourself in trouble. 

There are still threats, including an uptick in Covid cases and several geopolitical dustups. But the biggest threat is — well, you .

“The mistake travelers make is believing the biggest security risk is some external force,” says Adam Bardwell, a former U.S. Army Green Beret and a security operations supervisor at Global Rescue . “In reality, the biggest security risk travelers face is their poor planning, lack of knowledge about the location and ignoring indications of danger.” 

You don’t have to look far for recent examples. Just last month, a British tourist died after trying to climb the Stairway to Heaven in Dachstein, Austria. It’s a 131-foot ladder suspended in mid-air over a deep gorge. I grew up near Austria’s Alps, and if there’s one thing I know about those mountains, it’s that you can’t be too careful.

Earlier this summer, another British man (I’m sure that’s a coincidence) died after trying to drink every cocktail on the menu at his hotel’s pool bar in Jamaica. The resort serves beverages with names like the Club Stinger and Kamikaze, which should have been enough warning. 

I’m not bringing up these incidents to embarrass anyone, only to say that you can enjoy the thrill of climbing the Alps or chilling with a cold one by the pool without dying. It just takes a little planning and some common-sense precautions.

Jump ahead to...

Is it safe to travel now?

Probably, but there’s a giant asterisk next to that answer.

A quick scan of the State Department Travel Advisories suggests that the usual suspects for international travel are relatively safe. Popular countries for American visitors, such as England, France and Italy, are all good to g o, according to the government. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re safe for you.

John Gobbels, chief operating officer of air medical transport and travel security program at Medjet , says hotspots can sometimes flare up faster than the government can keep track of them. 

“Growing political tension between China and Taiwan, and the Ukraine-Russia conflict potentially expanding, definitely has people traveling to Asia and Eastern Europe this fall on edge,” he says. “The riots in France, protests across Central and South America, earthquakes, fires, hurricanes and Christmas market tragedies past don’t help traveler confidence either.”

Even if you avoid all those places, travel is still risky, he says. You could go someplace perfectly safe, only to get sick. That’s more of a problem now than it was this summer, says Gobbels.

“We’re  already seeing our usual fall bump in calls from members hospitalized with respiratory issues ,” he says, “and this will only increase the rest of 2023 and early 2024.”

What if you’re traveling domestically? The State Department doesn’t rate U.S. travel safety, but Canada and the U.K. do. You can visit Canada’s travel advisory site to find out how dangerous traveling in the States is (and it is ). The U.K. advice is deeply troubling (“Terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in the USA.”) 

What kind of precautions should you take before you travel?

This is no time to let down your guard, experts say. 

“It’s a good idea to dial up your usual safety precautions when traveling,” says Christina Tunnah, general manager of marketing and brands at World Nomads .

Here’s a short list:

• Research your destination carefully. Plan your itinerary to avoid any dangerous places and activities.
• Make sure all your routine and travel vaccinations are up to date, especially if you’re traveling abroad.
• Buy adequate travel insurance and a medical evacuation membership like Medjet or Global Rescue .
• Have a plan B in case something goes wrong. Carry a list of emergency contacts and discuss the game plan with your travel companions in the event something goes wrong.

Of all these, the most overlooked may be careful planning. Consider what happened to Daniela Shields, whose daughter Alli was an exchange student in Hong Kong in 2019. When she bought a Global Rescue membership for Alli, she had no way of knowing that her daughter would be caught in the violent protests. But when the demonstrations started, Alli knew where to turn. Global Rescue quickly arranged for Alli to fly back home and out of harm’s way.

“No one plans on security issues when they travel,” says Shields, an endodontist from Paducah, Kentucky. “When it happens, you need to know how to get help.”

How to stay safe when you travel

I love reading other travel stories that claim they can keep you safe when you travel with a few easy tips. What nonsense! 

Travel will always be dangerous, to a certain extent.

Even the safest places can be problematic. Tourists die or disappear in countries with sterling reputations. 

But there are things you can do to mitigate the risk. Narendra Khatri, principal of Insubuy , says he’s seen more travelers asking for extra safety features on their policies, like telehealth and lost passport assistance. 

“We’re also seeing more interest in standalone kidnap and ransom insurance, particularly for high-net worth individuals,” he says. “Many customers who feel they are at risk or traveling to a part of the world where abductions are possible can get a little extra peace of mind with this coverage.”

That’s sound advice. Double-check your travel insurance policy to make sure it covers everything that could go wrong.

But most importantly, don’t be the problem. You can travel more safely by planning for trouble. Don’t assume that travel is safe just because the summer crowds have thinned and the lockdowns are a distant memory.

Because travel is not completely safe, and it never will be. Take it from me, someone who is on the road 365 days a year.

“Remember,” says Angela Borden, a product strategist of Seven Corners , “anything can happen when you’re traveling.”

Elliott’s strategies for travel safety

Focus on your health.

Fall is a time to double down on your health — and especially this fall. “It’s essential to consider the heightened risks associated with the colds and the flu,” says Rajeev Shrivastava, CEO of VisitorsCoverage , an insurance marketplace. Covid cases and hospitalizations are also rising, so consider taking common-sense precautions like getting vaccinated, masking up on the plane and packing hand sanitizer.

Stay connected

One of the biggest mistakes travelers make is turning off their cell phone’s wireless plan when they’re abroad to save a buck, says Katie Crowe, a spokeswoman for travel Insurer battleface. “Making sure you’re connected is critical for safety,” she says. The workaround? A better connection. Battleface recently teamed up with eSIM company Celitech to allow customers to buy and install an eSIM within their mobile devices through a QR code activation. 

Know who to call when you run into trouble

Few travelers plan for the worst, even after years of the pandemic. “Who is going to help you at 2:30 in the morning when something goes wrong?” asks John Rose, chief risk and security officer at ALTOUR. It can be your travel advisor, travel insurance company or medical membership.

(And while we’re at it, you should sign up for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program if you’re leaving the country. That way, if something goes wrong, the nearest embassy or consulate can help you get home.)

Christopher Elliott is an author, consumer advocate, and journalist. He founded Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps solve consumer problems. He publishes Elliott Confidential , a travel newsletter, and the Elliott Report , a news site about customer service. If you need help with a consumer problem, you can reach him here or email him at [email protected] .

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‘How does he do it?’: Christopher Elliott juggles life as a nomad, full-time writer and single parent of 3

I always knew my friend Christopher Elliott was a traveler. But I didn't know he was a nomad. And I was surprised to learn he had his three kids in tow.

Granted, we're not talking about driving a herd of sheep through mountain passes to higher pastures. No, Elliott and his tribe travel by car, plane or boat and stay in a collection of vacation homes or hotels.

But the kids go to "school" via Facetime with a series of tutors each day. Then, Elliott has to keep up with his job as a travel writer for The Washington Post  and USA Today .

Elliott is one of my go-to sources when I have a tough travel problem. He and I have worked on travel consumer issues for more than a decade, including the TSA, resort fees, travel scams, airline customer service (or lack thereof) and other issues about what's right, what's fair and the definition of a good deal. Along the way, we became friends.

I called him last week in Florida, just to make sure he hadn't been washed away in the storm surge from Hurricane Irma. Surprisingly, he was being tossed about on a tour boat in Resurrection Bay near Seward. The phone connection was pretty bad, but we managed to set a time to visit in Anchorage. Then he told me, "I don't live in Florida anymore. In fact, I don't live anywhere."

We met for breakfast earlier this week. Elliott had taken the kids up to Denali for a few days. After some meetings in Anchorage, the gang is headed to Juneau to catch a cruise. The kids, Erysse, 10, Iden, 12, and Aren, 15, were looking at the menu when Iden asked our server, "How old is the sourdough?" I'm pretty sure it was the first time she had been asked about the sourdough starter, but she recovered quickly and offered to go and check with the chef.

"Iden is our foodie," said Elliott. "He remembers places by the food he discovers." Iden then chimed in about his favorite dish from Portland, Oregon. "There was this food truck in downtown Portland called Taco Yaki that served up a ball of fried octopus with some special sauce," he said. "Delicious!"

This exchange pleased Elliott, who wants his kids to take full advantage of their time on the road. "I just think that going somewhere to see and experience something is better than reading about it," he said.

Elliott didn't stumble upon the travel beat by accident. He grew up in Europe and during high school he attended a new school each year. "I never stayed put," he said. Between then and now he's covered travel issues for National Geographic, for Travel and Leisure and as a syndicated columnist . "I've been flirting with adventure my whole life," he said.

Still, it's one thing to work a regular job and write about travel. It's something else to be a full-time highway vagabond. Add "single dad with three kids" to the mix and it's another thing altogether.

"After 26 years of living in the suburbs, I knew all along that I was a nomadic person. This is just me going back to who I am," he said. Still, he confessed, "the stress of being on the road can be disruptive."

In addition to his work for newspapers and magazines, Elliott maintains a consumer advocacy site with a focus on travel, Elliott.org . And he also has a website devoted to his family's travel adventures: AwayIsHome.com . Since mid-April, the Elliotts have traveled to Gulf Shores, Ala.; New Orleans; San Antonio; Albuquerque; Arizona; San Diego; and Squaw Valley. From there, it was off to San Francisco; Reno; Bend; Lincoln City and Portland (home of the fried octopus), Ore.; Olympia and Whidbey Island in Washington; and up to Alaska.

Although he has traveled internationally and plans to do more in the future, Elliott says about 80 percent of their travel is in the U.S. "With young kids, I wanted to play it safe. It was a little nerve-wracking to be in Kenya during the elections," he confessed.

Iden loved his sourdough pancakes, just as his server promised. As he was getting down to the last bite, I still was shaking my head about the logistics of three kids: their education, their friends and Elliott's ability to work on his own projects while traveling.

"This was not a decision I made on my own," said Elliott. "From their perspective, travel is great. They're being tutored for about three hours a day, in addition to independent reading. They're seeing great places," he said. "They chose full-time travel over life in the suburbs."

"Plus," he added, "since I don't have a home, I'm at home wherever I am. Today, Anchorage is my home."

Because Elliott has worked for years as a consumer advocate for travelers, his full-time roadie status means he sees more travel problems, more often.

"I call this field research," he chuckles. Part of that research is to see how his kids react to a constantly changing environment. "This adventure makes them more tolerant and inquisitive," he said. "It definitely makes them more interesting."

"My kids have not complained about not having friends. When we were in Denali, we were invited to visit with some mushers at a fundraiser. There was a food truck and the kids loved the pizza. And in five minutes they were playing with the new friends they'd made," he said.

I asked if there was an overarching mission for his quest. "Oh, we don't have a motto or mission statement," he said with a laugh. "We'll think of one later." Still, he's drilling down on history, culture and geography with the kids.

"I have my own reasons. This is something I truly enjoy. But remember, I cover consumer travel issues," he said.

What's next for the Elliotts after Alaska? "Well, first we're headed to Arizona to see my folks. Then, it's off to China and Australia. We're just going to keep going until someone tells us we can't anymore," he said.

That's spoken like a true nomad. In addition to his websites, you can follow the Elliotts' adventures on Facebook  or on Twitter.

Scott McMurren is an Anchorage-based marketing consultant, serving clients in the transportation, hospitality, media and specialty destination sectors, among others. Contact him by email at [email protected]. You can follow him on Twitter (@alaskatravelGRM) and alaskatravelgram.com . For more information, visit alaskatravelgram.com/about .

Scott McMurren

Scott McMurren is an Anchorage-based marketing consultant, serving clients in the transportation, hospitality, media and specialty destination sectors, among others. Contact him by email at [email protected]. Subscribe to his e-newsletter at alaskatravelgram.com. For more information, visit alaskatravelgram.com/about.

An Interview with Christopher Elliott

How did you "break in to travel writing"? What have been the keys to your success?

I'm not sure if I've broken into travel writing yet! But assuming I have, my key to success is persistence. Never stop!

Where do you see your career as a travel writer being three years from now? How will your income mix change and what are you doing to adapt to the changing media landscape?

More "new" media, definitely.

What advice would you give to someone near and dear to you who wanted to become a travel writer---assuming they had zero credits to their name. (Besides "Don't do it"?)

Become a blogger -- and be interesting.

What do you love and what do you hate about your adopted home of Orlando, Florida?

Orlando is the vacation capital of the world. I love the fact that the people here understand tourism and customer service. And I also hate it – because when I leave, I’m reminded of how good Orlando does it.

You've jokingly billed yourself as "a travel writer who doesn't travel," but do you feel like you need to get out and about now and then to see airports and rental car counters first-hand? Or can you just live vicariously (and feel the pain) of all the people who turn to you for help?

Actually, it’s not a joke. I cover consumer news, not destinations. So there really isn’t much for me to experience – or that I would want to experience. It’s a little bit like asking a reporter who covers crime how often they’ve been to jail, or a sports reporter how many pro sports they’ve played. You don’t have to travel to write about it.

Christopher Elliott is a journalist and consumer advocate. His articles, columns and essays offer advice for people who want to become more informed customers. Elliott is National Geographic Traveler’s reader advocate and a nationally syndicated columnist through Tribune Media Services, which distributes his columns to publications from the San Francisco Chronicle to the Chicago Tribune. He’s penned regular travel columns for multiple publications and his essays have appeared on nearly every major U.S. newspaper’s op-ed page.

Interview conducted in January, 2011 by Travel Writing 2.0 author Tim Leffel and edited by Kristin Mock .

No related posts.

About Author

Kristin Winet is an award-winning writer, photographer, and teacher. She has contributed to Afar, Roads & Kingdoms, Atlas Obscura, Perceptive Travel, and other quality publications. See more at KristinWinet.com.

Nice info. Christopher Elliott is a fantastic travel consumer advocate and his work is a great service.

“a travel writer who doesn’t travel,” I found this intriguing, I met Rolf Potts in Thailand and he gave me some advice on Travel Writing that at the time seemed silly. However, as time passes, I realized he was correct, and I was wrong.

He said, read everything you can about travel until you understand why the articles sold. I on the other hand thought I should travel, I thought the essence of learning to be a travel writer was travel, and I was wrong. Travel interferes with reading, and books about travel, magazine and other truly good travel writing is not available for perpetual travelers. He was saying, study the genre until you understand how travel writers write.

I think people who want to be travel writers need to read and not travel first, then when they are good at getting articles read and published, they could choose if they want to enhance their travel writing by occasionally traveling.

I love travel, this is not the sames as travel writing, there are people who love writing, there is a difference. I will not sacrifice my life of travel, while normal travel writers will not sacrifice their writing to go travel.

Somewhere in this is the desire to be famous, known, and recognized, this is a motivation and reward that is not granted to real travelers, we are always anonymous.

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Christopher Elliott

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