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Everything you always wanted to know about France |
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Newsletter #18 February 19 2000 Contents.I have a lot to write about in this newsletter, but the new short version of the newsletter is so popular that I will keep it as brief as possible. ====
1). Internet and Rental Bargains ==== 1). INTERNET AND RENTAL BARGAINS. The popularity of Internet for people selecting their vacations is having some interesting results. I have noticed over the last twelve months three important changes. a). The number of people looking for their vacation accommodation through Internet sites has risen (my guess based on what statistics I can get is about 300%). b). The number of sites offering vacation rental properties has increased about the same amount. c). The number of properties on offer has increased, but only by about 100%. (the same properties are on a lot more sites) What does this mean. OK more people are looking on Internet, but the actual numbers of people taking vacations is about the same (a 5% increase is a huge change in this sector). However the quantity of properties and the exposure through Internet advertising has definitely increased. Therefore there are more properties looking for the same market. I am not a maths genius but the law of supply and demand suggests that the customer will have a better choice and will benefit by higher quality at a lower price. The prices on our sites at ... http://www.Rentals-France.com/ http://www.GoTo-Languedoc.com/ ...all these prices are set by the owners, we can only advise. Our criteria for selecting property is the quality of the accommodation and the value given. In France in July and August everything has always been fully let and the demand has always outstripped the supply. This may be a slightly different story this year but we expect to fully let all the best properties by Easter, many are getting booked up already. But "off peak", there will be some super bargains. I am trying to create a "price index", a sort of Dow Jones of the rentals business and plan to put this guide on our new site which you can see beginning at... My advice to anyone ready to book a vacation property in Europe outside of the peak July and August months is to select the property you are interested in and ask us if there is any special offer available. I know that some owners are ready to negotiate and we are here to help you. ======= 2). CAR LEASING If you are on vacation for more than 17 days (this varies a little) you can lease a new car for as little as $20 a day or less. I have some information and will be putting a page on our car rental pages at... ...in the next few days, I still need some input from any of you who have successfully leased cars in Europe, phone numbers URL's etc and your experiences (good or bad); It takes a few weeks to organize a lease before you come, papers, passport photocopies etc, so don't leave it to the last minute. ====== 3). OUR NEW SITE I have already mentioned .. ..three times in this newsletter (that was the fourth). This is a departure for me as it is a site using frames. I have tended to keep sites simple and avoid frames Java script etc for lots of reasons, but I am using them in www.GoTo-France.com to bring the different areas of information together. This is not just for vacation rentals, but B&B, real-estate sales, ticketing, car rentals, hotels and a lot of other choices and information about visiting Europe and France in Particular. I need two things and your help will be very valuable : 1). I need your input as to what you want to know. I have mentioned the "rental price index" idea. What do you need information on when you plan a trip? Please write to me at... 2). I need to get people to look at the site so we can keep it alive. I will be including advertising on the site which is focused on travel and this will pay for the research and hosting (I hope). If you can recommend the site to your friends and anyone who may be interested in travel (not just to France as the topics will cover help and links for all travelers needs) this will help promote the service. ===== 4). FREE SHARES IN MY COMPANY !!!! WwwOwwW.com I am writing this last piece to let you know my plans for the future and, by publishing the names, to protect my idea. Plus I have thought of a way to reward everyone who reads the newsletter. I have registered the URL www.WwwOwwW.com (don't click on it is just parked at the moment). The idea is to make a real Travel Portal. This is a very ambitious project and I need a good team and lots of money to make it work, but I have started in a small way with the www.GoTo-France.com site and I am meeting other people who have similar small sites and we plan to build a network of mini-Portals which I will link together under the www.WwwOwwW.com main Portal site. This will a general travel information site and specialize in help and advice for all aspects of travel not only tickets and rentals but a wide range of topics and services. There will be WwwOwwW France, WwwOwwW America, WwwOwwW Auto-Rentals etc Why WwwOwW ? This is rather neat, I believe that most travel inquiries will be accessed by the new "Smart Phones", the portable telephones with a little screen for your e-mail and Internet access. The screen can't show very much (at the moment) the largest phone is 200 pixels square, in color and only in Japan at present. The 3Com Palm Pilot is bigger and this is another sort of interface which is also relevant for our services. However for bookings, tickets availability and most services needed for vacations and travel the portable is perfect. So why is WwwOwwW so good? Because if you call up that name from your phone keypad for the letters, you press 9996999 and they are the two keys on the right and at the bottom. I have also registered a lot of other useful name/number combinations. In fact 9996999 does not dial WwwOwwW it actually dials wwwmwww, but I have also registered the URL 69996999.com so I can link either name to the same site. The new wireless devices use a different language to make these special sites, it is called WML (Wireless Markup Language) and I have started to make the new sites in both HTML for the steam driven Internet off your computer and WML for the portables. I have made a website which explains this in more detail and covers the business opportunity at... So where are these free shares I mentioned at the top of this column? Well, I need a partner. I can't do all the work and develop all the names and everything on my own. Like all Internet businesses I need to move fast or I will lose the advantage I have (names URL's market position etc). If you can help me promote my idea and I can get it in Front of the right people, I know I can get the support I need. For everyone you introduce my idea to I will give you, FREE, 10 shares in the new company. For every person who then introduces me on to someone else I will give them 10 shares etc etc. These are just bits of paper, in fact they are just a promise for a bit of paper and are worth nothing, at the moment. BUT, if the idea works and if I can get the support I need to build the company then I promise that these "virtual" shares will be transferred into real $1 shares in the company. I believe I only have until the end of March this year to get this off the ground, so this share offer will only exist until then. But I promise you have nothing to lose and there is no risk. I just need to get this in front of the right person by then and it will happen, there is no limit to the number of shares you can earn, Just write to me at.. ...and tell me who you have sent this details to, or copy me the letter you mailed and ask your contacts to mail me back and I will confirm by e-mail the shares you will have reserved for you. This is not a way of collecting e-mails, I will never mail you or your contacts anything else other than personal mail on this project and after the end of March I will delete the mail list I also promise that I will never pass the details on to anyone else. P.S. If you can get Bill Gates or Richard Branson to write to me you will get a big bonus share allocation.
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