AAA contest encourages high school students to improve travel and geography literacy with more than $100,000 in scholarships and prizes DENVER, Dec. 12 - Where is Iraq? Six in 10 young Americans were unable to locate Iraq on a map of the world, according to a Roper poll conducted for National Geographic last year. AAA is trying to alleviate this lack of geography knowledge by continuing its fifth annual High School Travel Challenge, which offers more than $100,000 in scholarships and prizes. “We believe this geography challenge will inspire kids to take more of an interest in travel, geography, culture and encourage some participants to consider a career in the travel and tourism industry,” said Eric Escudero, AAA Colorado spokesman. The challenge is open to public, private and home-schooled ninth- through 12th-grade students. The 2007 competition kicks off with a 15-minute online quiz that needs to be taken between Jan. 8 and 16. In March, the top five scorers in each state will advance to a state competition that consists of a proctored, written exam. State champions and their chaperones will receive an expenses-paid trip to attend the national finals in Orlando, Fla., in May to compete for the $20,000 grand prize scholarship. Second and third place finishers will be awarded at $10,000 and $5,000, respectively. The top five scorers in each state who express interest in travel-related careers will have an additional opportunity to submit an essay for both a state and national essay competition to win $56,000 in travel-specific scholarships. Parents, students and teachers interested in finding out more about the contest should go to www.aaa.com/travelchallenge. If previous winners of this contest are any indication, Colorado might not have as much of a geography knowledge problem as the rest of the United States. In the last two years, two Colorado Springs brothers have finished as the national champion and the national runner up. Last year Akshay Buddiga from Rampart High School beat out all but one of his fellow 50,000 contestants to take home the second place trophy and a $15,000 college scholarship. Two years ago, Akshay’s brother Praytush took home the national championship and a $25,000 national champion scholarship prize. Sponsors of the AAA Travel High School Challenge include Bank of America, Continental Airlines, Hard Rock Live, Marriott, Pleasant Holidays and Universal Orlando. The AAA Travel High School Challenge is the official scholarship competition for AAA Travel, the largest full service leisure travel agency in North America. AAA Travel has more than 1,000 accredited travel agency locations generating more than $3.6 billion in revenues. AAA Travel provides domestic and international airline tickets, cruises, escorted tours, independent tour packages, hotels, car rentals and other travel products. AAA Travel’s services are available to everyone and are also available on the Internet at aaa.com/travel. AAA Colorado reaches one in four households in the state and is an advocate for safety and security for all travelers. As North America’s largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides nearly 50 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services, as well as member-exclusive savings. Note to Media: Take the Travel Challenge. The following sample of Travel Challenge questions is similar to what will be asked in the contest.
A. St. Thomas B. Cayman Islands C. St. Croix D. Martinique E. St. Martin 2. You’re driving due west from Dodge City. Which state will you come to first? A. Colorado B. Illinois C. Tennessee D. Wyoming E. Wisconsin 3. Nicknames are often used to help promote travel to a state. The “Sunflower State” refers to which state? A. Kansas B. Iowa C. Ohio D. Texas E. Queensland 4. Which is not an internationally recognized country? A. Albania B. Aruba C. Guam D. Bahrain E. Botswana 5. You could see the world’s tallest lighthouse in: A. Canada B. United States C. Italy D. Japan E. Alexandria Sample Test Answer Key B A A C D AAA Colorado reaches one in four households in the state and is an advocate for safety and security for all travelers. As North America’s largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides its nearly 49 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services, as well as member-exclusive savings. ###
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