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The AAA Companion

Travel Tips & Trends

Now's the perfect time to think about applying for a passport

What would you do if your spouse suddenly wanted to take you to Paris ? Or you won the lottery and the lure of the South Seas suddenly started playing your song?

If you held a valid passport, you'd probably go—and be a richer person for the experience.

Unfortunately, for millions of Americans that kind of international spontaneity just isn't possible—they don't own a passport.

Even if you're not planning a trip overseas, now is the time to apply for one. Traditionally, January and February are slow months for passport applications, which can take up to six weeks to obtain during the busy spring and summer seasons.

To obtain a passport for the first time, you need to go in person to one of 6,000 passport acceptance facilities located throughout the United States. Acceptance facilities include many federal, state and probate courts, some post offices, some public libraries and a number of county and municipal offices.

You'll need two photographs of yourself, proof of U.S. citizenship, and a valid form of photo identification such as a driver's license. It should also be noted that when applying for a passport for a minor under age 14, parents are required to have their child present and submit documentation of parental relationship and consent, as well as comply with all other documentation requirements for a passport.

For more information contact your local AAA Travel professional, visit www.aaa.com, or the only official U.S. government website for passport information at http://travel.state.gov/passport, or call 1-877487-2778.

AAA Travel

AAA Colorado has 41 travel professionals and 46 auto travel counselors in 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. Most AAA offices as well as www.aaa.com 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.

Pet-friendly lodgings jump 8 percent in 2004

The number of lodgings that are now accepting pets has increased by 8% in the last year, according to AAA. Now, more than 38% of all lodgings rated by AAA accept pets.

“The lodging industry has had a tough time since 2001, and we believe this is one way hoteliers are trying to make it easier for the public to travel,” said Bill Wood, director, AAA Publishing, which publishes Traveling With Your Pet, the AAA PetBook. “This is great news for those who don't like to leave their pets at home during vacations.”

The book has a listing of more than 12,000 properties that accept pets, including any fees and restrictions imposed by the hotel. It also includes detailed information and tips on traveling with pets by car or by air. AAA offers these tips for staying at a hotel with your pet:

• Inquire about pet policies before making a lodging reservation. Some properties may have a size or weight limit for pets, or may designate certain rooms for travelers with pets. Expect to pay an additional fee or deposit, which may be per room or per pet.

• Keep pets on a leash in public and only in designated, animal-approved areas of the hotel. Restaurants and pool areas are generally off limits for animals.

• Once in the room, check for hazards such as small hiding spaces and electrical cords. Give the pet time to adjust to the new surroundings under your supervision.

• If you must leave your pet alone, crate or otherwise confine your pet. This may keep your pet and the housekeeper from having an unexpected encounter.

• Don't allow your pet on the furniture. If your pet insists on sleeping on the bed, bring a bedspread or sheet from home and place that on top of the hotel bedding.

• Clean up after your pet immediately, inside and outside the room, and leave no trace of your pet behind when checking out.

Traveling with Your Pet, the AAA PetBook is available at AAA stores and online at www.aaa.com/barnesandnoble, and at bookstores for $16.95.

Did You Know?

AAA's clout means “peace of mind” travel

In this internet age of quick travel bookings at bargain prices, it's easy to be seduced by price alone. Savvy travelers realize, however, that it's critical to know that someone or some company stands behind their very special travel arrangements—otherwise, that trip-of-a-lifetime might just end up being the trip from Hades.

The respected travel industry trade publication, Travel Weekly, published an article and editorial in its Nov. 1, 2004 issue that touted AAA's “clout” regarding relationships with preferred travel suppliers.

The editorial stated, “The organization's new contracts with its preferred suppliers contain provisions dealing with financial stability. Suppliers are on notice that AAA will monitor their finances and retain the right to cancel a preferred arrangement if they don't measure up.”

The editorial continued, “There are not many intermediaries in the travel business with the clout to impose such standards on suppliers. But any that have such clout should use it, wisely and often.”

AAA Travel will not always have the least expensive travel options, but the organization has always maintained it's in the value travel business, not the discount travel business. As such, trips purchased through AAA Travel have behind them a 100-year-old company that stands by what it sells, and will hold its preferred travel suppliers to standards that members can trust.

AAA adds five hotels, four restaurants to elite 2005 Five Diamond list

Four restaurants and five hotels have been added to the list of AAA Five Diamond winners for 2005, bringing the total number of Five Diamond properties in the United States and Canada to 142 (85 lodgings and 57 restaurants).

The 142 Five Diamond winners total only 0.26 percent of the more than 55,000 properties evaluated annually by AAA. First-time winners on the 2005 list include: two restaurants in Canada; a restaurant and a hotel in Ohio (that state's first Five Diamond properties); a restaurant in Bermuda; and hotels in Arizona, Washington, D.C., Utah and Mexico.

Three lodgings have distinguished themselves by earning the coveted AAA Five Diamond rating for 29 consecutive years: Marriott's Camelback Inn Resort, Golf Club & Spa, Scottsdale, Ariz.; The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, W. Va.; and, in our own backyard, the Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Two restaurants also have held a Five Diamond rating since the program was applied to restaurants 17 years ago: Le Bec Fin, Philadelphia and The Inn at Little Washington Dining Room, Washington, Va.

New York City has the most Five Diamond restaurants in any one city, with 6. Chicago is a close second with 5. California has the most Five Diamond properties: 19 in all, 15 lodgings and 4 restaurants. Florida is second with 14 properties in all, 8 lodgings and 6 restaurants. States with the most Five Diamond lodgings: California, 15; Florida, 8; New York, Arizona and Texas, 5; Hawaii and Georgia, 4.

When a property earns a Five Diamond for the first time, the property undergoes multiple evaluations and the final decision is made by a panel of experts. Similarly, when a Five Diamond property is in danger of losing that rating, several evaluations are done and the decision is made by a panel.

AAA's Diamond ratings system is the only lodging and restaurant rating system that covers all of North America, including Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. The AAA Diamond Ratings database includes more properties than any other rating system in North America.

To be considered for AAA rating and approval, restaurants and lodgings must undergo a thorough inspection by one of AAA's 65 full-time, trained, professional evaluators. Five Diamond establishments go through more extensive inspections and final committee review.

AAA first started listing accommodation information in its travel publications in the early 1900s. In 1937, the first field inspectors were hired to inspect hotels, motels and restaurants. The current one- to five-diamond rating system was introduced in 1977. A diamond was chosen as AAA's ratings symbol in honor of AAA's 75th anniversary. Diamond Ratings are published in AAA TourBook guides and in the Online TourBook on www.aaa.com.

AAA members and consumers can research AAA's Diamond ratings by using AAA's online mapping and trip planning tools at www.aaa.com. Members can receive AAA TourBooks from AAA offices.

White House view restored to pedestrians

A year and a half ago, the popular two-block stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue that gave tourists a direct look at the White House was closed so that certain security measures could be replaced and upgraded. On Nov. 9, 2004, First Lady Laura Bush reopened the two blocks to pedestrians only after completion of an $18.2 million project that includes granite benches and pavement similar to that in front of Buckingham Palace.

Global tourism is rebounding

In late 2004 the World Tourism Organization issued a report that claimed tourists are returning to international travel in large numbers. Worldwide, the organization estimates that 65 to 70 million more international arrivals will take place in 2004 than in 2003, representing a 10% increase. In North America, during the first eight months of 2004, international arrivals were up 12%, while outbound trips from the United States were expected to reach 58.5 million, representing an 8% increase over 2003.

Travel overseas? Better know this!

A glorious trip to a faraway place can be a wonderfully rejuvenating experience. It can also, however, be a trip of costly surprises when you re-enter the United States if you don't know customs regulations.

Here's an easy solution: order a free copy of Know Before You Go: Customs Regulations for U.S. Residents by visiting www.customs.gov, or writing/calling the Customs Service Center, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Room 3.4A, Washington, D.C. 20229, 202-354-1000.