A QUICK NOTE FROM CHRISTOPHER
You don’t get a vote on this one — and I have a problem with that
Edinburgh’s new visitor levy passed without a vote from anyone who will pay it. Neither did Japan’s higher departure tax, or the increases arriving across Catalonia next spring. It’s gonna cost you, as I note in today’s commentary. (Some of the fees are absolutely outrageous. You’ll see.)
That’s why this newsletter exists. When a fee stops making sense, we ask the destination to explain where the money goes, and we publish the answer — or the silence. You get a voice here that you don’t get at the front desk.
Every issue also has a members-only Confidentially report, like today’s on the insulin case Pennsylvania just filed.
There’s still a section with free information and stories, and my website and forum will always be open to all. But if you want the insider stuff, I’ve cut the subscription price by 30% this week. A full year for $59.50 instead of $85 — about $1.14 a week.
A family of five on the Venice waterfront. (Illustration by Dustin Elliott)
💸 A fee that isn’t in the room rate — Edinburgh began charging visitors a levy in July, and Japan tripled its departure tax over the summer. More increases are scheduled across Catalonia next spring. Whatever you end up paying, it rarely appears in the rate you were quoted. So which of these taxes are fair, and which ones cross the line?
On Backchannel, Amine Guessous lost an 18-year-old Facebook account, and Meta’s own help page won’t let him file the appeal it says he’s entitled to.
Confidentially: Pennsylvania says insulin makers and the three biggest drug middlemen inflated prices by more than 1,000%. The case could take years, and there’s money on the table for some readers before Nov. 9. What can you do about your own pharmacy bill right now? — Christopher Elliott
FEATURED ARTICLE
Are tourist taxes fair — or are you being taken for a ride?
From Edinburgh to Kyoto, destinations raised visitor taxes this year. As you plan next summer’s vacation, here’s what you’ll pay and which fees cross the line. Which ones are worth paying?
FORBES EXCLUSIVE
This alpine hotel has served only organic food for over a decade. Here’s what it takes.
Germans are buying more organic food than ever, and farms can’t keep up. A Bavarian chef shows what it takes to run an all-organic hotel kitchen. Here are the details.
OUR UNDERWRITER
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📌 Here’s what you missed this week
Catch up on the latest stories from the Elliott Report
Are tourist taxes fair — or are you being taken for a ride?
Edinburgh, Barcelona, Japan and Kyoto all raised what visitors pay this year, and Europe’s ETIAS fee nearly tripled before the system launched. Some destinations publish where the money goes, while others charge foreign visitors $100 more for the same view.
How conservationists and visitors are saving endangered wallabies in Melbourne
The Southern brush-tailed rock-wallaby went down to 39 animals on the Australian mainland, and a predator-proof fence an hour outside Melbourne now protects about 80% of what’s left. The foundation running the sanctuary has one request for the tourists and corporate groups paying for the recovery: stop calling the animals cute.
Can GE really send the same broken part eight times?
Paul Clarke’s GE Profile ice maker needed one component, and GE Parts shipped the same impeller motor and three-blade propeller eight times with the blades snapped off, inside a sealed bag that held no broken pieces. Four months in, the Assurant warranty that would cover the appliance still can’t start, because the approved vendor has no working part to install.
Airbnb promised a refund for a noisy rental. Then it went quiet.
Tatsuyuki Morishita’s Toronto rental was advertised as peaceful, and the unit above woke him at 4 a.m. through most of a two-month stay. An Airbnb agent reviewed his recordings, confirmed AirCover covered him and committed in writing to refund 12 unused nights plus 30% of the 20 nights he stayed, then the file passed to agents who denied he was eligible at all.
Can your internet provider charge you for equipment you already own?
Zachary Scott owned the modem and router he used on his Cox Communications account for years. When his military orders sent him from Virginia to Hawaii, Cox billed him $252 for equipment it says he kept, then referred the unpaid charge to a collections agency. A $240 delinquency is now on his credit report.
Refundable booking? You may not get all your money back
William Farrer read terms promising a New Orleans hotel room was refundable for a limited period, then got an email seconds after booking saying the period had closed on his $3,228. Agencies now subtract a $30 distribution charge and their own cancellation fees from rates still advertised as refundable, and small hotels bill back the cost of sending the money home.
Are holiday flights too expensive?
Thanksgiving round trips average $402 and Christmas fares $452, both the highest in a decade. Jet fuel is up almost 70% this year, which is the industry’s explanation, but Delta’s chief executive told analysts in October that he sees limited resistance from passengers.
OUR UNDERWRITER
Travelex Insurance Services is a leading travel insurance provider in the United States with over 55 years combined industry expertise of helping people dream, explore and travel with confidence. We offer comprehensive travel insurance plans with optional upgrades allowing travelers to customize the plans to fit their needs. Compare plans, get a quote and buy online at Travelexinsurance.com.
💬 What you’re saying on Backchannel
How do I get back in?
Amine Guessous has used the same Facebook account since 2008. Meta disabled it last month without naming the rule he broke, then sent him to a help page that bounces him back to the login screen every time he tries to appeal, with a 30-day deadline running out. Is there a way to reach a human at Meta before the clock does? Here’s our team’s advice on Backchannel.
OUR UNDERWRITER
TravelInsurance.com makes it fast and easy to compare and buy travel insurance online from top-rated providers. Our unbiased comparison engine allows travelers to read reviews, compare pricing and benefits and buy the right policy with a price guarantee, every time. Compare and buy travel insurance now at TravelInsurance.com.
CONFIDENTIALLY
Information and insights for Elliott Confidential PRO subscribers
These prices are outrageous!
Pennsylvania sues insulin makers and drug middlemen over a 1,000% price hike
Antitrust cases take years. Six ways to cut your pharmacy bill before this one gets anywhere.
If you take insulin, you’ve probably wondered how a drug discovered more than a century ago ended up costing so much. Pennsylvania thinks it knows why.
Attorney General Dave Sunday has sued drugmakers Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi-Aventis, along with the three biggest pharmacy benefit managers: Express Scripts, CVS Caremark and Optum Rx. The complaint, filed in Commonwealth Court by the state’s Antitrust Section, alleges the manufacturers and the PBMs worked hand in hand to inflate insulin prices by more than 1,000%.
The rest of this exclusive report is for members only.
Behind this line: what the FTC already pulled out of two of these middlemen, and why none of it has reached the pharmacy counter yet. Plus, the six ways to cut your own drug bill, starting with a claim that closes Nov. 9.
A Members Only story like this runs in every issue, along with Backchannel and the vault. Annual membership is 30% off through this link.