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EnCompass®
The AAA Companion
July | August 2004
Volume 78 Issue 4
Travel Tips & Trends

Specialty AAA travel packages cater to diverse consumer interests

AAA Colorado has recently introduced a new collection of travel packages in response to the growing diversity of travelers' needs and interests. Titled AAA Sojourns, the packages range from independent travel to escorted tours, from family getaways to active adventures, from city and resort stays to cruises. All AAA Sojourns packages offer exclusive AAA pricing, unique itineraries and special additions such as a professional AAA Travel tour director, gifts or shipboard credits.

For more information, ask your local AAA Travel professional (page 11 for locations), visit aaa.com, call 866-235-7070 or see pages 37 and 41. Here are two upcoming AAA Sojourns:

  • Antiques & Art in England —This 5-night escorted tour includes shopping for bargains at Camden Passage Market and priceless treasures at the world-famous Chester Antiques Festival. The tour also includes visits to the beautiful palaces and quaint villages of England. Departure from London is Oct. 22, 2004 and prices begin at $1,259 (airfare to London not included) for each person, based on double occupancy.
  • Cataract Canyon Rafting — This five-night adventure has it all: breathtaking scenery, exhilarating Class III whitewater, big-beach camping and phenomenal side-canyon hikes to geologic and historic wonders, while traveling more than 100 river-miles on the Colorado River, from Moab, Utah to Lake Powell. Departures are Mondays through October 2004 and prices begin at $1,311 (airfare not included) per person, based on double occupancy.

    With rising fuel costs, try these road trip tips

    As the cost of gas goes up as fast as summertime temperatures, AAA Colorado has some tips that might help reduce the impact on your pocketbook, or at least make your road trip a little easier:
    • Calculate fuel costs for a specific trip-www.aaa.com, then click on the fuel cost calculator (under Travel Planning). It tailors usage and cost amounts to your particular vehicle and trip.
    • Don't get lost and burn extra gas — www.aaa.com has the renowned TripTiks, which are now available online and can chart your course while showing you tourist sites, attractions and eateries along the way.
    • Track daily fuel prices — www.fuelgaugereport.com compiles daily figures from more than 60,000 gas stations in all 50 states and more than 250 metro areas.


    TripTiks enhanced and now available online

    Anyone can draw lines and highlight maps. Only AAA can bring you, in a handy TripTik, the depth and breadth of roadway knowledge that our AAA Travel counselors share with members every day.

    Now, our TripTiks have been improved and enhanced to meet the high-tech demands of a fast-paced life. AAA has joined forces with the internet to create the ease of online ordering — no waiting for an office to open or the mail to be delivered — coupled with the most current, up-to-date information available.

    While the enhanced TripTik uses the same routing symbols as the "original" TripTik, it has been transformed from a mere routing aid to a trip planning tool. Special features include:
    • Updated road construction information
    • Seasonal road closures
    • Address-to-address routing capability
    • Detailed written directions
    • Descriptions of scenic areas and roads
    • Highlighted AAA "gem" attractions, sporting venues and hotels.


    Summer 2004 Olympics — Fun Facts

    Athens, Greece, will host the summer Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, August 13-29, 2004, and the 12th Paralympic Games, for disabled athletes, September 17-28, 2004.

  • More than 10,500 athletes from 199 countries will compete in 28 sports. The USA's 21-year-old Justin Gatlin is considered one of the most exciting young American sprinters to emerge in recent years.
  • In addition to the millions of spectators, Athens will host an estimated 21,500 world media members, 45,000 security personnel and 60,000 trained volunteers.
  • George Michael, who was asked to compose the Athens Olympics theme song, reveals Greek family roots in his real name: Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou.
  • The official mascots, brother and sister Phevos and Athena, are named for two Olympian gods: Phevos, the god of light and music, known as Apollo; and Athena, goddess of wisdom and patron of the city of Athens.
  • The Olympic Games emblem portrays a branch from an olive tree intertwined in a circle, representing world unity, the circle of life, and the link of past to present. The olive was the sacred tree of Athens, and the olive wreath, or kotinos, was the official award for ancient Olympic champions.

    Where are YOU thinking of going?

    Each month many of AAA's 46 million members visit aaa.com in search of hotel rooms, car rentals, destination information and airline flights. The following are the top 10 domestic destinations researched in May:
    1. Orlando
    2. Las Vegas
    3. Los Angeles
    4. Orlando area
    5. Boston
    6. San Francisco
    7. Tampa
    8. Phoenix
    9. Denver
    10. Wash., D.C.


    AAA Travel

    AAA Colorado has 41 travel professionals and 46 auto travel counselors in 15 district offices around the state, making it one of the largest leisure travel agencies in Colorado. Each AAA Colorado office offers a full range of travel planning and booking services, as well as AAA TourBooks, maps and TripTiks. AAA offices also have travel stores that contain guidebooks, atlases, luggage and other travel-related items.

    To plan your next trip: visit your local AAA travel professional, call 866-235-7070, click on www.aaa.com, or see the various vacation packages and special events.



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