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Travel Tips & Trends
BusinessWeek compares AAA travel agents to internet companies On March 8, 2004, BusinessWeek magazine published an article by Timothy J. Mullaney about how to find the best deals when booking vacations. The publication "tested 10 domestic and international trips-from weekend jaunts to family vacations and a honeymoon" by using Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, SideStep and AAA travel professionals. Besides booking those 10 trips through the Internet companies, Mullaney stated: "We also gave our 10 trips to offline travel agents at AAA. Not only were they able to beat prices about half the time, but they also offered a long list of suggestions for things to do at our destinations that they could arrange for us. One thing our test showed for sure: If an agent knows he's competing against the Web's Big Three, he'll go the extra mile." Travel and medicine The American Pharmaceutical Association advises travelers to consider the following tips for prescription and over-the-counter medicines:
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, the country's largest private, nonprofit preservation organization, recently announced the selection of its 2004 Dozen Distinctive Destinations, an annual list of unique and lovingly preserved communities in the United States. Each community offers alternative vacation destinations that symbolize an increasing dedication to historic preservation and celebrate the unique heritage of the people and places that established our diverse nation. Can you guess which Colorado community was chosen? A plastic alternative to travelers cheques In late April the AAA Visa TravelMoney® card was introduced. Replacing the Cash Passport, it can take the place of travelers cheques. After paying an initial fee of $4.95, you preload and activate the card with whatever amount you want. Then use the card wherever Visa is accepted, or use it to withdraw local currency at Visa ATMs around the world. The card comes with the protection of the Visa Zero Liability protection on merchant transactions, 90-day Purchase Protection, and Travel Assistance for medical, legal or travel ticket emergencies. Additionally, a second card can be issued with a different personal identification number (PIN) for your travel companion, or for safekeeping. For additional information visit your local AAA office or click on www.aaa.com/TravelMoney. AAA Colorado's 2004 Four Diamond Designations Each year more than 60 AAA tourism editors visit more than 50,000 lodgings, campgrounds, restaurants and attractions throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. They conduct unannounced evaluations, scrutinizing such areas as cleanliness, safety, ambiance, amenities and service. Only 3.25% of the estimated 31,000 AAA rated lodgings and 3.21% of the estimated 19,100 restaurants are awarded Four Diamond designations each year. For those who make the grade, the Four Diamond symbol is included with each facility's listing in the 2004 AAA Colorado/Utah TourBook. Following are the 26 lodgings and 23 Colorado restaurants that have earned the coveted Four Diamond Award:
Did You Know? Some foreign countries will check your driving record This past winter, a AAA member from California flew into Canada for a ski vacation (not booked through AAA). He was surprised when he was detained at the airport overnight, then put back on a plane to the United States. The reason? He was told a DWI (driving while intoxicated) charge showed up on his file. To the Canadian government-and many other governments-that is enough of a "criminal" record to refuse entry. According to the U.S. Department of State's website, http://travel.state.gov/canada.html, Canada's policy is: When entering Canada from the United States, U.S. citizens must show either a U.S. passport or proof of U.S. citizenship and photo ID. U.S. citizens entering Canada from a third country must have a valid passport. A visa is not required for U.S. citizens for a stay up to 180 days. Anyone with a criminal record (including a DWI charge) may be excluded or removed from Canada, and should contact the Canadian Embassy or nearest Canadian consulate before travel. 2004 AAA map giveaway for Colorado educators Each year AAA Colorado updates its map inventory and donates surplus maps to interested Colorado schools. Maps make great interactive teaching tools for students of all ages. Ours come bundled in units of 50. Order a minimum of one unit or a maximum of four. The 2003 surplus maps are free. Educators pay only for the cost of shipping and handling. Offer is good while supplies last. State champion of AAA Travel Challenge competes in national finals Earlier this year saw the start of the second annual national AAA Travel Challenge, which offered $156,000 in college scholarships. The three-stage competition was open to high school students, grades 9-12. The first stage was a 40-question online quiz, with the top five scorers from each state moving on to the second stage—a proctored, written exam. The top five Colorado online scorers were announced in the March/April issue of EnCompass. At press time, the exam results were released and Pratyush Buddiga, a 9th grade student at Rampart High School in Colorado Springs, was declared the state champion and winner of a $1,000 scholarship. Congratulations from AAA Colorado! Pratyush also won an all-expense-paid trip for two (himself and a chaperone) to compete for one of three first-place $25,000 scholarships in the national finals, held April 24-27 at Universal Orlando. Two years ago Pratyush won the National Spelling Bee. |
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