Newsletters Are Priceless--If You Do Your Homework

Let’s say you care deeply about frequent-flier miles. Where do you turn for an outsider’s assessment of the latest tweaking of arcane program requirements at Delta or American?

One place is a special-interest travel newsletter. In the case above, the flying-fixated monthlies Insider Flyer and Best Fares are likely candidates. But there seems to be a newsletter for just about every traveler’s special interest.

The Oxbridge Directory of Newsletters (accessible through most public libraries or on the Internet via https://www.mediafinder.com) lists more than 160 newsletters in North America that focus on travel. Some specialize in business travelers, some in singles seeking companions. One serves diabetics, and at least one prides itself on finding getaway resorts for money-no-object chief executives. And if, right about now, you’re looking for a Christmas gift for a traveler, these travel newsletter subscriptions are cheaper than most plane tickets.

Keep in mind, however, that just as subject matter varies widely in the sometimes quirky world of newsletters, so do quality and the publisher’s intentions. Some publications are clearly designed to serve as promotional tools, and many have accepted free travel and lodging at the destinations they are writing about--a possible incentive to dwell on the positive. Others refuse perks, and usually make a point of telling their readers that. (The Consumer Reports Travel Letter and Andrew Harper’s Hideaway Report are two examples.)

The right newsletter can give you more information than most newspaper articles deliver and make it more timely than a guidebook can. Most use graphics rather than photography and dispense with purple prose in favor of phone numbers, addresses and prices. Subscriptions usually run $35 to $80 for six to 12 issues yearly.

Here’s a sampling of leading newsletters designed to serve travelers with special interests. (The order is alphabetical, and circulation figures were supplied by the editors.) Because of the high mortality rate among young newsletters, I’ve limited this list to publications that have been printing since 1994 or before. There are many other newsletters of merit not included here.

Andrew Harper’s Hideaway Report (P.O. Box 50, Sun Valley, ID 83353; tel. [406] 862-3480, Web site: https://www.hideawayreport.com). For 18 years, this publication has prided itself on its select readership, which is dominated by top executives. Accordingly, the newsletter devotes itself to far-flung retreats with hefty price tags, seldom less than $150 nightly. But the report slams those whose standards seem to fall short. In October, the report passed along reactions of readers bemoaning inconsistent food in an Irish manor, lamenting the poorly trained staff at a Costa Rican beach retreat, but raving about the Bellevue Club as “the Seattle area’s best kept secret.” Monthly. Typical issue: eight pages. Circulation: 23,500. One-year subscription: $125.

Best Fares Discount Travel Magazine (P.O. Box 14261, Arlington, TX 76094-1261; tel. [800] 880-1234 or [817] 860-5573; Web site: https://www.bestfares.com). Many people are just bewildered by the airline industry’s ever-changing chaos of special offers and discounts. Tom Parsons is riveted, and in Best Fares he and his staff analyze these offers and highlight the best values. Fifteen years old, the publication also cites hotel specials, recommends Internet sites (as well as updating its own site daily) and touches upon rental cars, tours and cruises. Newsletter is monthly. Typical issue: 64 pages. Circulation: about 60,000. One-year subscription: $59.95, or $44.95 during November to callers who mention the “15th anniversary special,” with a copy of Parsons’ book “Insider Travel Secrets” thrown in.

Consumer Reports Travel Letter (P.O. Box 53629, Boulder, CO 80322-3629; tel. [800] 234-1970). This must be the most rigorously researched and value-conscious travel newsletter in the country. Veteran editor Ed Perkins carefully appraises bargain opportunities and freely criticizes major industry players on behalf of consumers. The prose is quantitative, not descriptive, and the traveler who spends $75 per night on hotels gets much more attention than the one who drops $200. Monthly. Typical issue: 24 pages. Circulation: about 160,000. One-year subscription: $39; two years, $59.

The Diabetic Traveler (P.O. Box 8223 RW, Stamford, CT; tel. [203] 327-5832 [often away, no answering machine]). Started in 1988 by American Express and Cunard Line alumnus Maury Rosenbaum, this quarterly includes advice for diabetics on flying, extreme climates, eating and other health issues. Typical issue: six pages. Circulation: about 1,500. One-year subscription: $18.95, which also includes a brochure listing 84 diabetes organizations worldwide, a card suggesting insulin dosages during time-zone changes, and a physician’s short paper on managing diabetes during intercontinental travel.

The Educated Traveler (P.O. Box 220822, Chantilly, VA 20153; tel. [703] 471-1063, Web site https://www.educated-traveler.com). Editor Ann Waigand focuses on trips with academic or cultural themes. Comes out six times yearly. Subscribers also get an annual directory of tours sponsored by cultural institutions and a directory of special-interest travel organizations. The Educated Traveler also sponsors tours itself; next year’s include Italy, Malta and the Seychelles. Circulation is about 2,000. Subscriptions: $48 yearly.

Entree (P.O. Box 5148, Santa Barbara, CA 93150; tel. [805] 969-5848, fax [805] 966-7095; Web site https://www.entreenews.com). Since 1981, editor William Tomicki has run his ultra-opinionated appraisals of high-end hotels and restaurants worldwide. In the November issue, he hailed the stately new Merrion Hotel in Dublin and scolded L’Amigo hotel in Brussels for being tired. Monthly. Typical issue: 8 pages. Circulation: about 7,500. One-year subscription: $59.

Inside Flyer (4715-C Town Center Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80916-4709; tel. [800] 767-8896 or [719] 597-8889). The leading reference for the fanatically frequent flier. Publisher Randy Petersen explains and opines on frequent-traveler offerings of the airlines, hotels, rental car companies and so on. Accepts advertising, unlike most newsletters, but known for editorial independence. No coverage of destinations. Monthly. Typical issue: 50 pages. Circulation: 79,000. One-year subscription: $36; two years, $59.

The Mature Traveler (P.O. Box 50400, Reno, NV 89513; tel. [702] 786-7419). Publishers Gene and Adele Malott have been putting this publication out since 1987, aiming for “49ers-plus,” in the language of the newsletter. October’s issue described the rise in soft-adventure tours for seniors, then gave 50 examples. November’s looked at bird-watching in Texas and listed ski resorts’ discounts for seniors. Monthly. Typical issue: 12 to 16 pages. Circulation: about 2,000. One-year subscription: $29.95.

Out & About (8 W. 19th St., Suite 401, New York, NY 10011; tel. [800] 929-2268, Web site https://www.outandabout.com). For gay men and lesbians. Since 1992, O&A; publisher David Alport and editor Billy Kolber have been putting out a publication rich in detail and tinged with advocacy. The October issue looked at small towns outside San Francisco; November’s rates 70 hotels in Miami’s South Beach area. Ten issues yearly, plus four quarterly calendars with tour, cruise and event information. Typical issue: 16 pages. Circulation: 9,000. One-year subscription: $49; two years, $89.

Passport (401 N. Franklin St., 3rd Floor, Chicago, IL 60610; tel. [800] 542-6670). Founded in 1965, this newsletter concentrates on upscale destinations, domestic and foreign, with sophisticated appraisals of hotels, restaurants and shopping. Takes no ads or freebies. Monthly. Typical issue: 20 to 24 pages. Circulation: the editor won’t say. One-year subscription: $75.

The Shoestring Traveler (P.O. Box 1349, Lake Worth, FL 33460-1349; tel. [561] 582-8320; Web site: https://www.courier.org). In its eighth year, this newsletter aims for the hearts and minds of backpack-bearing budget travelers and concentrates especially on courier travel opportunities. Thus, alongside snippets on rooms in Romania and public transport in rural Uganda, much of each newsletter is taken up by frugal firsthand accounts from people who have traveled cheaply as couriers to Europe, Asia and the Americas. The same publisher has a separate newsletter, Air Courier Bulletin, that gives names, prices and phone numbers for courier travel, in which shipping companies sell reduced-rate airline tickets to travelers who are willing to give up some of their allotted luggage space. (Sample fare: LAX-Manila for $200.) Shoestring Traveler (24 pages) and Air Courier Bulletin (64 smaller pages) are each published six times yearly. Circulation: about 8,000. One-year subscription: $29 for the Shoestring Traveler. Or for $45 you can become a member of the International Assn. of Air Travel Couriers and get both publications, along with access to late-breaking courier-bargain bulletins, updated twice daily on the Internet and via fax.

Travel Companions (Box 833, Amityville, NY 11701-0833; tel. [800] 392-1256 or [516] 454-0880). Publisher Jens Jurgen, persisting despite his own marriage in February, has produced this letter for single travelers seeking advice and partners since 1982. Any couple could benefit from the voluminous publication’s advice on value and safety, but it’s the listings in back, where solo travelers shop for like-minded companions, that most dramatically separate this from other newsletters. (As per custom, the soloists list first name, age, height, weight and interests. Six issues yearly.) Typical issue: 22 to 24 pages of editorial content, about 22 more of travelers’ ads. Circulation about 5,000. One-year subscription: $48 (which includes six back issues); for membership with up to six personal ads, $159.

Travel Smart (40 Beechdale Road, Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522; tel. [914] 693-8300, [800] 327-3633). Founded in 1976 by editor Herb Teison, Travel Smart aims for travelers who are beyond backpacking, balancing bargain-hunting tips with destination info. Domestic and foreign locations. Monthly. Typical issue: 12 pages. Circulation: about 25,000. One-year subscription: $44, or $37 for new subscribers.

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Reynolds travels anonymously at the newspaper’s expense, accepting no special discounts or subsidized trips. He welcomes comments and suggestions, but cannot respond individually to letters and calls. Write Travel Insider, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053 or e-mail chris.reynolds@latimes.com.