President's Message

Well, the holidays are behind us (along with a good portion of my bank account) and it’s a new year. If you are like me, you probably have a few New Year’s resolutions to get past (by the way, it’s easier to ignore resolutions as you get older because, “after all, I’ve lived this long without doing it…”), but we hope you keep your resolution to plan ahead for summer vacation. January is vacation-planning month – the time to book an Alaskan cruise, decide which European tour the kids will like or reserve that golf vacation in Canada for next July.

I recently read that, on average, workers in the United States toil almost nine weeks (350 hours) longer per year than those in other industrialized nations. We also take fewer vacations than workers in other countries. But, our time off is no less important to us. We work hard. We play hard. And, we want our vacations to be, well…what we want! That takes planning, experience and expertise.

When you begin thinking about next summer’s getaway, keep in mind that AAA Travel Services offers expert travel agents who can make your vacation memorable. In these days of Internet booking engines, it’s tempting to do it all yourself (and we highly recommend a lot of personal research, which the Internet makes easy), but it’s also worth noting that experienced agents bring knowledge that no booking engine can reproduce. At AAA, we have many agents who are destination specialists and have experienced your destination themselves. Job one for these travel agents is to pay attention to the details of your vacation, looking for little ways to make it memorable — and not because the toilet kept backing up!

Given all the expertise these agents bring to the process, it’s not surprising that they can often find additional discounts for AAA members. AAA has created partnerships with top-tier travel companies — cruise lines, tour companies and destination resorts — that are, themselves, destination specialists. And, they understand that 48 million AAA members are watching them. They have a huge stake in making your vacation memorable for all the right reasons.

One last thing: For any vacation more complicated than a direct flight and an overnight hotel, your travel agent will usually suggest travel insurance. Give it serious thought. Travel insurance can protect you if your trip is cancelled or interrupted. It can help with medical emergencies, even medical helicopter evacuation. It covers lost luggage and much more.

I’m bringing it up because, as I write this, there are hundreds of tourists stranded in Cancun after hurricane Wilma. Travel insurance won’t stop the hurricane (now that’s a memorable vacation!), but it might stop you having to pay for it. The cost of insurance is usually between five and eight percent of the cost of the trip. AAA members, come see us. You might save that much with your AAA discount.