UP FRONT WITH MARTIN DEUTSCH IN 2009 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MARTIN B. DEUTSCH Martin B. Deutsch created Frequent Flyer magazine in 1980 and was editor-in-chief and publisher for 15 years. He also wrote a column called Up Front for Frequent Flyer during those years. That column later appeared in Travel Agent magazine and he now writes Up Front for JoeSentMe.com. In a nearly 55-year career, he created, published and edited dozens of other travel publications. Among his other work, Deutsch wrote the Travel Trails column for Argosy magazine and those are also archived at JoeSentMe. Deutsch is based in New York. December 10: THE 2009 HOLIDAY READING ROOM Plagued by an intractably bad economy and a staggering rise in job losses, the American consumer continues to map out a more frugal approach to year-end holiday gift giving. My favorite low-priced presents: books. They make great gifts for frequent flyers because we always need a fresh supply of reading material. Here's my 2009 list for better gift-giving. September 10: THE BEST OF EVERYTHING--FOR NOW This column embraces a miscellany of events that I've been lucky to experience during my many, many decades in, around and covering the travel industry. I look forward to another series of bests after my next 50 years on the road. July 30: MY BEST FLIGHTS, HOTELS AND TRIPS EVER My only real regret during the last 50 years of living a life on the road? I don't have enough space to recount all of the great times. But this week, I consider my best and most notable experiences on airlines, aboard cruises, on tour and at hotels. July 16: REMEMBRANCES OF REPASTS PAST During more than 50 years of traveling, the subject of the "best" things that I've ever experienced on the road is a constant companion. Over the course of the next few columns, I'll discuss many of my best flights, cruises, hotels and other travel-related escapades. But I'll start with a memorable slice of apple pie and devote this particular column to the best things I've ever eaten on the road. Consider this the remembrances of repasts past. June 18: I HAD A DREAM ABOUT HOW FLYING USED TO BE I had a dream about a helpful, perky airline employee helping me with my travel at the airport. With airline service and personnel cut to the bone and just about everything else gone electronic, what I had encountered not only belonged to a dream, but also to a world that not only no longer is with us and will probably never again reappear. April 30: EATING IN THE ECLECTIC BIG APPLE Dining out in New York these days is an eclectic experience and it hardly seems to matter what neighborhood you're discussing. The restaurants I cover in this column are as diverse as they come. One is the reincarnation of what was once the city's most authentic Jewish deli. Another is a Greek place with a rustic and tantalizing menu that has moved to a new location. And a third is a low-priced Asian fusion place that has branches on both sides of the city. January 9: THE WORLD (VIA BOOKS) THEN AND NOW How do Genghis Khan, Louisa May Alcott's father and a fictional superspy explain our world then and now. Martin Deutsch has been through the books (and novels) and explains it all. Copyright © 2001-2009 by Martin B. Deutsch. All rights reserved.