May 2004

Be a part of history—sail aboard Queen Mary 2, the world's largest ocean-liner, during her inaugural year. There are still spaces available on the Alumni Association’s Queen Mary 2: Jewels of the Mediterranean trip. You’ll visit Florence, Rome and Athens while sailing aboard a luxurious ship that hosts a bookstore, spa, sports facilities and more. Your Alumni Association lecturer on this trip will be Matthew Linke, planetarium director at the University of Michigan Exhibit Museum of Natural History. He will present programs for you and the rest of the ship’s passengers in the Queen Mary 2’s Illuminations Theater, which includes the first permanent planetarium at sea. You can also add an optional post-trip excursion to the Summer Olympics in Greece. For details, including dates and prices, on this trip and the rest of our 2004 itinerary, visit True Blue Travel online.

High-speed wireless Internet access, known as Wi-Fi, will become available on German air carrier Lufthansa this month. All nonstop flights between Munich and Los Angeles will be the first to offer the service. Passengers will be able to purchase access for their Wi-Fi-enabled laptops for $30 for the entire flight or $10 for 30 minutes. The system will offer full Internet access, unlike many in-flight messaging systems on other airlines. Other international carriers, such as Singapore Airlines, are expected to start offering the service as well, but American carriers are unlikely to offer the service anytime soon due to costs.

Summer is the perfect time to take kids on trips, but there are some things you should know if only one parent plans on traveling with a child. Because of increased awareness and precautions against child abductions, many countries and airlines require proof that you are authorized to travel with your child alone, regardless of whether you are married to or divorced from the other parent. To be safe, always carry the child’s birth certificate showing your relationship to the child and a notarized letter stating that both parents have consented to the trip. Check out www.familytravelforum.com to download a form traveling parents can fill out and have notarized.

Enhanced options are now available on our travel insurance offered through Travel Insurance Select. Instead of requiring coverage for your entire trip cost, you now have the option of selecting which portions of the trip to cover, like just the land or air option. This new procedure clarifies exactly what is covered, eliminating any potential confusion in the event that you need to make a claim. For details, check out our Web site.

Make traveling with the kids more fun for them and less of a hassle for you—check out all the cool children’s travel gadgets available at Kids Travel Zone. Items include children’s binoculars, animal travel pillows, personalized luggage labels and more. The site also includes travel tips from other parents.

Make the world come alive for your kids by connecting real-life places to the fabled sites in well-loved children’s literature. Check out “Storybook Travels: From Eloise’s New York to Harry Potter’s London,” a book dedicated to exploring the famed destinations of many popular children’s books. Some of the literature featured in the book includes “Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone,” “Madeline,” “Little House on the Prairie” and “A Bear Called Paddington.”

Memorial Day is approaching, and that’s when many Americans hit the road. Maybe your car isn’t up to an interstate trek or perhaps you plan on driving after you fly to your destination. In any case, be sure to take advantage of the Alumni Association’s rental car discounts offered only to members. You can save money when you rent from leading agencies such as Hertz, Avis and Budget. Check out our Web site for more information.